New Zealand Rail Maps

Category: Project Development

  • MSL Branches [3B]: Springburn Branch 2 / Project website update

    I have started researching the Springburn Branch today. This will be a quick project like the Methven one, with only three morning sessions to look at 103 files. It will take in the latter day history of the line as well as all of the technical information such as the layouts of each station yard,…

  • Main North Line [0A]: Full set of MNL diagrams

    After my “field trip” up north in June I discussed the ideas for making the maps easier to use on a handheld device. The assumption being maps could either be viewed on the Google Photos site online, or downloaded to a device and browsed offline. After considering a range of options, adding navigational arrows and…

  • Project update

    Quick update as to where things are up to right now. I was busy over the weekend doing some local transport activism so there hasn’t quite been the expected progress. However I expect to have the Methven branch tiles finished today ready to begin mapping and also push on with the Otago Central Railway at…

  • Old working timetable mileages

    I have spent a bit of time over the last two weeks looking at resources from the local library. NZRLS over a number of years have published some working timetables of the NZR network and they do contain a lot of detail that can be useful for various purposes. However except for a list of…

  • Handheld Navigation

    Last week I touched on the subject of how to use the maps “in the field” and the challenges faced. Here is a map from the volume of the Napier-Gisborne line. I travelled from Wellington to Gisborne on the 22nd of June and returned to Wellington on the 24th. From there with a bit of…

  • PNGL Maps Update [2B]

    Following on from the last post I have updated one of the images in the collection (the one that covers Ormondville). The address again (this time spelt out for those reading this post syndicated to FB): https://plus.google.com/u/1/collection/gLz5TE Basically I have added two points to every font size on the map. The result is much more…

  • PNGL Maps Update [2A]

    The first set of samples for handheld navigation have been produced for testing. I have tested these with a phone (Nexus 5X) and with a 8″ Samsung Galaxy Tab A tablet. The collection for Volume 5 is located here Here is the first of the maps in the collection. Whilst the maps look good on…

  • Map production update

    People who have been following this project for a while know that we did issue map collections for a considerable portion of New Zealand when we were using Flickr to store these collections. As a result of the reorganisation of NZ Rail Maps resources when the website was set up, the Flickr collections were taken…

  • Field testing maps

    This week we’ve had a bit of a field test of the maps just to evaluate some of the different ways they potentially could be used. Having been both on and off net over the course of a 2000 km trip, and travelling by road most of the time, we’ve had a bit of a…

  • Maps from other people or in other formats

    Here is a link to a post on Facebook about a map of the Moutohora Branch drawn by Graeme Jupp who is a retired professional cartographer. If you are not a member of the group the post appeared in you will have to join, if they won’t let you in too bad, I can’t do…