Chasing railbeds in New York State

If you're out chasing railbeds in New York State, whether former or current, it helps to have a map. I have (with many friends) produced such a map, called OpenStreetMap. The map is not (yet) in paper form; it's only electronic. However, you can load it into any Android phone or tablet using OSMAnd (it's in the Google Play market). It will download the data into the phone, and you can download it using WiFi, so you don't need a cellphone data subscription AND it works when you're out in the boonies without cell coverage. The authors of OSMAnd want a few bucks for the program, but it's less than any purchased meal worth eating. (There's an iPhone program which also uses OSM data, but I know nothing about it.)

I greatly enjoy using this program. I encourage you to try it out. If you have any questions, or need help, feel free to drop me an email or private message here. Or if you think it's a question that others might appreciate having answered, ask it here.

RussNelson wrote:If you're out chasing railbeds in New York State, whether former or current, it helps to have a map. I have (with many friends) produced such a map, called OpenStreetMap.

Thanks Russ! I use it all the time. It really came in handy this summer when I was trying to find some of the old NY right-of-ways.

What is the link to the app? Too bad the technology wasn’t around 25 years ago. My uncle took me on a series of trips to search out the CNE.

For mobile use, the best app that uses OSM data is OSMAnd. There are both Android and iPhone versions of it. One thing is, though, you have to switch to the Topo View in order to see all the abandoned lines.