Chasin' Sanborn

Sorry about the pun in the title, but it's literally the truth. I have been chasing Sanborn insurance maps for quite a while now. In the past I found that...
A - You have to be someone who belongs to an organization that needs the maps for commercial use (sort of like trying to get your own credit report). Some universities also have access.
B - You can pay for the maps. I'm not sure how much the maps are, but since Altoona proper requires possibly hundreds of such documents, I imagine it can get very expensive very fast.

Just this week I was searching Tumblr for images of the Pennsylvania Railroad. You'd be surprised what sorts of images you can find on Tumblr...but I digress...Among the Pennsy images I found was a piece of a Sanborn map. I followed the link and to my surprise, tripped over a FREE source of Sanborn documents. For those who would like to check them out they can be found at the Digital Map Drawer page of Penn State University's web site. I'm not sure if they cover any state other than Pennsylvania. I found what I was looking for and didn't search any further. I'll bet other universities in other states have similar web pages.

There may be some readers who don't know what a Sanborn map is. They were/are produced by the Sanborn Company for insurance companies. They give all kinds of information pertaining to structures that a company might have to insure like dimensions, number of stories, building materials, etc. They are very accurate and drawn to scale. They also include information model railroaders can use...What better way to model a town than knowing exactly how the town is laid out?

The maps I found at Penn State are not current. They are "historic" maps. All the ones I use were created in and around 1910. While this is decades before the 1949 setting of the Allegheny Eastern, towns in the mountains of Pennsylvania don't change much. A building that existed in 1900 probably still stood in 1950. It may have a different occupant, but chances are it's still pretty much the same as it was a half century before. I'm thinking this is probably true of any city or town in the mid 20th century.

Anyway...It's easier to show the kinds of info these maps contain than it is to describe....

Sanborn Insurance Map Altoona PA Sheet 45 1909

Sheet 45 covers the area around ALTO tower as it appeared in 1909. Back then it wasn't designated "ALTO", I believe the tower was named JK, one of two interlocking towers between mileposts 236 and 237. Here it's only referred to as "switch tower". The map shows the street names, street addresses and even paving materials as well as the water lines below (so we know where to put our N scale manhole covers). The PRR main and departure tracks are shown as well as the branch to Hollidaysburg (labeled "Petersburg" here) and several sidings. The sidings serve multiple customers, which would make interesting operation for a model railroad, but was probably a headache for the real PRR switcher crew. Studying these maps gives you a whole new insight on how things work. I've already seen several ideas I would like to incorporate into the Keystone area of the layout. Notice that there are several industries served by wooden trestles in close proximity. They include a curved one that enters the building occupied by Canan Knox Supply Co. Canan Knox is actually reached by two sidings, the one being shared by Altoona Concrete & Supply Co which is also served by a wooden trestle.

Sanborn Insurance Map Altoona PA Sheet 50 1909

Sheet 50 shows the area around the Altoona train station. The train shed, including the construction materials are shown in front of Logan House, the railroad hotel directly adjacent to the station still standing in 1909. East of the trainshed is the Altoona Freight House, sidings and platforms. Across the PRR main line are the buildings of the Pennsy machine shop. South of those you can see the Public Market and Mt Carmel Roman Catholic church. With maps like these I no longer have to guess at what the city of Altoona looked like. I can see the general layout in great detail.. It provides information that can used to create detailed backdrops that fit with the foreground models.

Sanborn Insurance Map Gallitzin PA Sheet 3 1910

I found maps for other areas of the layout, including Gallitzin and the tunnels through the hill. This map sheet, from 1910, shows a wye as well as sanding facilities. There is also a siding for the "Locomotive Ho". I'll leave the purpose of that structure to your imagination. The map clearly defines the street and building locations. Once again this information can be used to model the town and create backdrops that complement the models. The maps also create switching opportunities. On sheet 5 of the same set there is a siding for the M. Shultz Lumber Yard. There is also a power house, the Gallitzin Electric Light Plant, that required a siding for coal deliveries.

There are many more sheets for Altoona and Gallitzin. I also found some for the Juniata area east of Altoona proper and Bellwood. They cover various years from the 1880's to the 1920's. Granted, none of the maps so far are from 1949, but there is plenty of information to make a believeable model. Since the layout is freelance, I have lots of wiggle room.

Regards.
Frank Musick
Chief Cook and Bottle Washer

Allegheny Eastern Railroad