Although you may be looking for general system maps showing ATSF lines in the MidWest right now, there may be a time in the future when you (or other viewers on this thread) are looking for more detailed maps of how ATSF tracks passed through a particular town or what structures were located along the ATSF ROW. Are you familiar with MS TerraServerUSA? They offer satellite images and topographic maps that often show rail lines. The satellite images are relatively recent (maybe 1 to 4 or 5 years old) but the topographic maps may be older (1979 to 2000). The topo maps often show abandoned RR lines. Here is a 1979 topographic view of Pekin Illinois. You can click the tab to see the satellite image of the same area. The ATSF lines and NYC/P&E/CR lines were torn out in the 1980s, but the other lines are still visible in the satellite images. Sanborn Fire Insurance maps are sometimes available at university or large city public libraries in the Special Collections or Reference Departments. These maps were developed in the late 1800s, and updated in the 1900s, 1910s, 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s to provide detailed information about structures, roads, rails, buildings, etc so insurance companies and fire fighters knew what to expect in terms of brick, frame, steel structures, access roads, water sources, etc. This is a Sanborn Fire Insurance map of Pekin Illinois showing almost the same view as the TerraServerUSA image linked above. This particular map was colorized by a friend to highlight the RRs of Pekin Illinois. I was able to search black and white images on the library computers at Bradley University in Peoria Illinois, and print them for 10 or 11 cents a piece. The Special Collections Department at Bradley's library had bound versions of the Sanborn maps from the late 1800s (I think) through 1956 when the Sanborn company stopped producing the maps. Even though I am modeling the 1970s, many of the rails and buildings shown in the 1956 maps were still in place in the 1970s. I've also found info on RRs passing through the Greater Peoria Area by looking through older county maps and plat books. As with the TerraServerUSA and Sanborn maps, county maps and plat books do not offer much in terms of a regional system map focusing on specific RRs , but there is often a wealth of details on sidings, crossings, and bridges along a specific RR's ROW as it passes from town to town across the county. Older county maps and plat maps can be found in local libraries (and probably county court houses) and I've picked up several of my older county maps through garage sales, flea markets, the gift shop of a local historical society which offered reprints of older county maps, and from local realtors.
