Research Guides: Historical Travels: Local Transit Maps

Navigating Local NYC Transit Maps

People waiting for an IRT subway train NYPL Digital Collections Image ID 5817490 Many cities have a rich and vast transit system, that has helped residents and commuters navigate the city. With the use of elevated rails and underground subways, transit has evolved and grown. As such, local transit maps can answer questions like:

What stations used to exist and are no longer in service?
When did certain stations get used?
What type of transportation would a commuter use at a specific point in time?
What companies were/are running the various transit systems in NYC?
Where are transit "deserts," both past and present?

Local transit maps can answer these questions, as well as many more.

See below a listing of essential transit maps.

People waiting for an IRT subway train NYPL Digital Collections Image ID 5817490

Catalog Tips

When searching the Online Research Catalog for road maps, in the Advanced Search, checkmark "Cartographic" under Format and type the following into the Keyword Field or Subject Field for most results:

Subways [Name of borough or NYC or New York City or non-NYC location]
- Keyword Example: Subways Queens
- Subject Example: Subways -- Queens.
Local Transit [Name of borough or NYC or New York City or non-NYC location]
- Keyword Example: Local Transit Paris
- Subject Example: Local Transit -- Paris.
Rapid Transit [Name of borough or NYC or New York City or non-NYC location]
- This search mainly works effectively if utilized as a keyword search.
- Keyword Example: Rapid Transit Chicago

You can also search under the entity that was in charge of the transportation, as an Author or Keyword. Examples for NYC-related transit companies include:

Interborough Rapid Transit Company [you can also search under IRT]
Metropolitan Transit Authority [you can also search under MTA]

For holdings of other years and places that are not in the Online Research Catalog, please search in the printed Dictionary Catalog of the Map Division (available online via HathiTrust), in:

Volume 9, p. 371, under Subways
- NYC-related subways start on p. 373
Volume 5, p. 307, under Interborough Rapid Transit Company
Volume 9, p. 637, under Transportation
- NYC-related transportation starts on p. 648

The Merchants' Association Transportation Map. Steamship Lines, Piers, Ferries, Subway and Elevated Lines, Crosstown Lines. 1906
- Map Div. 76-2289
Municipal railway rapid transit lines. [1920]
- Map Div. 15-499
- Shows elevated and subway lines operated by the New York Municipal Railway, Hudson and Manhattan Railroad and Interborough Rapid Transit Co. in Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan south of 116th St.
Rand McNally & Co.'s New Handy Map of Brooklyn and vicinity. 1891
- Map Div. 19-8
- Shows railroad and street car lines as well as ferry lines
Rand McNally & Co.'s New Handy Map of New York City. 1908
- Map Div. 16-427
- Shows first subway lines, as well as ferry lines
Routes for local steam transit in the twenty-third and twenty-fourth wards of New-York City. [1877]
- Map Div. 14-1286
- Shows existing and proposed railroad routes in the Bronx, west of the Bronx River.
Taunton New Guide Map and Directory of New York City. 1883
- Map Div. 10-443
- Shows elevated railroads, horsecar lines, ferry lines, piers of specific steamship lines