Railway map marks Mayflower anniversary
Alex Nelson, who until March 2018 ran Chester-le-Track, the agency based at Chesterle-Street and Eaglescliffe stations, still runs
nationalrail.com and is now Director of National Rail Bishop Auckland Ltd.
In recent years, he has produced an annual railway map with a theme. The one for 2017, for example, marked the All the Stations journeys of Geoff Marshall and Vicki Pipe from May to August of that year ( RAIL 834).
The 2020 version was launched at Rotherhithe in November and celebrates the 400th anniversary of the sailing of Mayflower.
The map is large (100cm x 63cm), has a brief history of the sailings, and highlights the stations that today serve the areas from which the Pilgrim Fathers came. Interestingly, these are not just from the East of England, but from as far afield as Chorley and Worcester, as well as Harwich and Rotherhithe.
These maps show every station on the network. The 2020 edition costs £10 and can be collected in person from Bishop Auckland station or the Brunel Museum at Rotherhithe.
By post it costs an additional £7.80, as it has to be inserted in a lengthy and robust tube. Up to five copies can be sent for £10 each plus the £7.80 postage & packing surcharge. For more details see www.railmap.org.uk.
My own National Rail map had its 45th edition in early December. It has a different purpose than Alex Nelson’s, as although it will blow up as a wall chart it’s also intended to be used on a PC/laptop screen.
For that reason, it only shows the more important stations plus those which are junctions, although it also includes Metro & Tram links where detail permits.
It only exists as an Acrobat file, from which printed versions may be produced any size (for which, if required, I have an agent, Map Marketing Ltd, at bespokes@mapmarketing.
com). However, the file is free and can be downloaded from www.barrydoe.co.uk/rail.pdf.
Furthermore, the map may be used for private or commercial purposes without permission. All this, including covering the costs of designing, comes courtesy of six sponsors: the Rail Delivery Group; First Rail;
HaCon; nationalrail.com; ScotRail; and SevernDee Travel of Gobowen. I am most grateful for their support. Their website details can be found on my own site.
The latest edition has numerous changes, including: TransPennine Express running from Liverpool to Glasgow via Carlisle and to Edinburgh via Newcastle and extending to Redcar; TfL Rail extending to Reading; and Avanti West Coast replacing Virgin Trains.
It also has significant visual changes, such as: adding avoiding lines for Carmarthen, Swansea and Weston-super-Mare; showing both stations at Gainsborough and Hertford; revising the Gloucester layout; remodelling the Worcester approaches; and adding the new Worcestershire Parkway station.