The Surface Transportation Board (STB) on Dec. 17, 2015 announced the addition of the Rail Heritage Map to its online Railroad Map Depot created and maintained by the STB’s Office of Environmental Analysis (OEA) for public use and research. Supported by ArcGIS Online (Esri), the Railroad Map Depot is a cloud-based platform featuring a number of maps maintained by OEA.
The new Rail Heritage Map displays information on the locations of railroad-related historic properties listed on the National Park Service’s (NPS) National Register of Historic Places. The majority of the Heritage Map’s historic rail properties are rail depots, indicating the popularity of these iconic landmarks in communities nationwide. Other property types include bridges, trestles, car barns, freight houses, roundhouses, rail beds, tunnels, and rolling stock. Rail-themed and commercial districts featuring rail elements are also included.
Based on NPS data, the Heritage Map displays information on a United States Geological Survey topographic basemap providing considerable natural- and cultural-landscape detail.
The Heritage Map will benefit anyone interested in learning about rail history, visiting historic sites, or researching historic properties for purposes of project planning, STB says. While the Heritage Map includes current, unrestricted data acquired from the NPS in 2015, its data are dynamic. OEA currently is compiling information on other historic properties as well. Public recommendations for additions to the data list, or general comments, are welcome by emailing irwinj@stb.dot.gov.
To view the Rail Heritage Map, click HERE.