Fantasy T maps

kdmc said:
Agreed, but those shops cluster still closer to the trolley stop than the Fairmount Line. Pairs of names that feel right to me (Fairmount Line, Trolley):
  • Woodhaven, Mattapan
  • Mattapan Landing, Mattapan Sq
  • Mattapan Landing, Mattapan Loop
Click to expand...
I currently have it as 3 stops since there's a lot going on. Right now the first stop interchanges with the Fairmount Line and is called Woodhaven, the second stop is located at Fairway St to directly serve the shops there and is called Mattapan Sq, and the last is the interchange with the RL called Mattapan Yard and is where the current "Mattapan" station is.
 
TheRatmeister said:
I currently have it as 3 stops since there's a lot going on. Right now the first stop interchanges with the Fairmount Line and is called Woodhaven, the second stop is located at Fairway St to directly serve the shops there and is called Mattapan Sq, and the last is the interchange with the RL called Mattapan Yard and is where the current "Mattapan" station is.
Click to expand...
Gottt it, I should have read your map better, sorry for making you re-explain yourself. Those names all sound right to me, then.

I'd still vote for "Mattapan Loop" as the trolley terminus since it sounds more downtown-ey than "Mattapan Yard", but that's just my own nitpicky aesthetics.
 
kdmc said:
Gottt it, I should have read your map better, sorry for making you re-explain yourself. Those names all sound right to me, then.

I'd still vote for "Mattapan Loop" as the trolley terminus since it sounds more downtown-ey than "Mattapan Yard", but that's just my own nitpicky aesthetics.
Click to expand...
On the one hand, having Mattapan Sq and Mattapan Yard nicely parallels Watertown Sq/Yard, but on the other hand Mattapan Loop sounds cooler, and let's be honest a lot of fantasy map making is rule of cool based.
 
TheRatmeister said:
On the one hand, having Mattapan Sq and Mattapan Yard nicely parallels Watertown Sq/Yard, but on the other hand Mattapan Loop sounds cooler, and let's be honest a lot of fantasy map making is rule of cool based.
Click to expand...
FYI, "XXX Loop" isn't without precedent in Boston either: The 36 bus has a stop that's officially named "Charles River Loop".
 
Teban54 said:
FYI, "XXX Loop" isn't without precedent in Boston either: The 36 bus has a stop that's officially named "Charles River Loop".
Click to expand...
I've used that name for my fantasy/unrealistic extensions of mainline HRT to Millenium Park and Dedham Mall. That area has had route terminals called "Charles River Loop" for the 36, and the 34 used to terminate at "Dedham Line", before the late 2019 bus routing (IIRC?) changes extended it a few extra blocks to "Dedham Mall".

TheRatmeister said:
I try to avoid using streets because it sometimes feels like it suggests that the only notable thing about the station is what road it's next to, not who or what it serves. Same with cardinal direction names, I feel like that says that the only interesting thing about a place is that it's kinda near some better place. Obviously this makes finding names significantly more difficult.
Click to expand...

I've always been bothered with the Green Line's street running stops being on the subway maps, (they're on there since it's essentially a "urban rail + KBR map" and not a "rapid transit map"). For me, I generally treat them as streetcar lines as they are, or group them with bus routes, on my own maps. The only stops on streetcar/bus routes that I'd ever feel like assigning names would be whenever they intersect and meet another bus route, or if the streetcar/bus line is converted to proper rapid transit with rapid transit stop spacing.

Local stop services like buses & streetcars I'd assume only ever use the names of streets/roads, save for major squares where they may intersect another transit route. Only for rapid transit or mainline rail stop services would go the effort of assigning proper names for stops.
 
kdmc said:
Isn't the trolley stop much closer to what people actually seem to consider Mattapan Square (Blue Hills Ave X Cummins Hwy)?

This is based on my one visit to the neighborbood, so anyone who knows better please correct me.
Click to expand...
As somebody who goes to the area often (the Neponsett trail is outstanding), my opinion:

The Blue Hill Ave exit from the Fairmount Line platform is at the edge of the Square. The Cummins Hwy exit is distinctly not in the Square. The Square itself is exclusively on Blue Hill Ave, running north from Cummins Hwy to right before the Fairmount Line tracks. Essentially, both stations are at the edge of the Square, so neither wins on geography alone. But I'd say the trolley station has a long history of association with Mattapan Square and should be named accordingly. The railroad station is mostly not in the Square, lacks recent history, and therefore could easily be named for something else (Woodhaven, Mattahunt, Blue Hill).
 
TheRatmeister said:
View attachment 50141
We're going to call this the finger edition. Now that I've got the Green Line (mostly) done, the main reason I'm here is that I'm looking for feedback and suggestions for a whole wack ton of station names, both to make sure ones I've chosen make sense and to make the ones I haven't renamed yet less boring. I've got the C Branch, Arborway Line, and Fairmount Line mostly covered, the A and F branches are about half and half, and the B branch is not great. Here's a Google Mymaps with all the station locations. (edit: fixed)
  • The one that's really bothering me is Mattapan. I've chosen "Woodhaven" for the BHA Fairmount Line stop, but I've gone back and forth on what to call the stops at Mattapan Sq and the current Mattapan station. A previous iteration had "Mattapan Sq" and "Lower Neponset" respectively, but it just didn't feel right.
  • I'm fine with keeping Heath St, it has name recognition, but all the other "_____ St/Rd/Ave" ones I'd really like to have something more interesting for.
Click to expand...
As a BLS alum, that "Boston Latin" station is grating on me. That's Latin Academy, not Boston Latin. Sumus Primi, etc.
 
1715032510058.png

Getting the UR to make a perfect U is so satisfying that I just need to share it. While I'm here, if there was a station under the Tobin Bridge at Tremont St, should it be called Charlestown, Bunker Hill, Navy Yard, or something else?
 
This might just be my preference, but I'd suggest adding a slight white highlight around each line. You've got it on the Washington St GL branch as it crosses the CR, and it looks good.
 
vanshnookenraggen said:
This might just be my preference, but I'd suggest adding a slight white highlight around each line. You've got it on the Washington St GL branch as it crosses the CR, and it looks good.
Click to expand...
Yeah this is what the official MBTA style does, but I'm still finalizing the actual layout of the lines and so I just haven't gotten around to finishing up all the details. There's still some missing station names, missing terminus line blobs, missing outlines over the water and CR, etc. The only part of this map I'd consider truly finished is the SW Corridor and Huntington Ave.
 
Last edited:
I've been working on my first little Fantasy T map for a while, and I think it's more or less ready for some critique. It's very much inspired by Riverside & TheRatmister's Gold/Pink/D to E + Marginal Subway ideas. I've also included the Red X + various other extensions that are often discussed here. As far as I'm aware, most things here are possible, at least from an engineering perspective. Maybe just envision it as 1000 years from now. haha :')

The biggest (and almost certainly least feasible) addition is a new violet "Line 5", going from Saugus to downtown and then out to Kendall, Central, down Western Avenue all the way to Waltham. I can't speak on the engineering here (I'm envisioning an amount of elevated + tunneling that would be wildly expensive, if not politically impossible). This was more or less a thought experiment for where a new metro line could go. With that in mind, I've included a "Two for One" deal; an additional map without that line. Here the Blue (Line 4) takes the western half and the new Red X branch (Line 2) takes the northern half.

Any way here they are!

MBTA Maxima:


Fantasy Map Version 1.5.jpg


MBTA Maxima (Alt):
Fantasy Map Version 1.5. - ALT.jpg


Here's the lines on Google Map as Reference (for the first version only).

Other thoughts:
  • Could the Somerville D branch in theory make it to Woburn Center via the Haverhill/Nashua Line? I originally had it going this far but truncated it as the ROW does not seem wide enough.
  • I know the F Line past MLK Blvd is contentious, I'm assuming all cut and cover through the South End to Franklin Park and then elevated on Blue Hill Ave to Mattapan. In the "Alt / Realistic" version I've truncated this. It just felt right to take the F line to Franklin Park, and then there's so much open space so why not go all the way to Mattapan?
  • If you're doing the above why not take the J/E to Forest Hills? Yeah probably you're right.
  • The Urban ring service patterns are probably way too long. In whatever real life operation would actually happen I think the Airport connection would terminate at Longwood / Ruggles.
  • I also kept the Urban Ring patterns separate from the traditional radial routes, I know at of folks have had Chelsea branching into the Central Subway, or perhaps a BC towards Kendall route. It's been discussed before but I'm really not sure how to pull that off on a map (yet!), it seems messy. Also not really sure what service patterns would be best here.
  • I've terminate the Blue Line at West Station in the non-Alt Version, I think it could also either replace the A line or simply go along the Pike instead of regional rail. Wasn't really sure what would give the best service to North Newton honestly.
  • Speaking of Regional Rail, there are only a couple changes:
    • Wayyyy more trains (duh), classic 15 minute frequencies where possible, especially on P1 through Roxbury/Dorchester
    • A couple extensions to
      • Concord, NH (and we're gonna make New Hampshire pay for it too)
      • Hyannis (sorry Cape Flyer)
      • Westerly, RI (with connections to the Shore Line East for better connections to CT)
      • Exeter, NH via Haverhill (I think it could even go to Durham for the university there, almost certainly a version 1.6 change)
      • Portsmouth, NH via Newburyport (I think we'd need to invade NH to get all these done, they might be least realistic part of this exercise)
  • Aesthetically:
    • Back Bay / Kenmore is way too tight and doesn't look amazing, I know. Graphic Design is My Passion.
    • I know there's no classic Charles River (and there probably should be). I've been using Visio and it was not looking good, I'll try sometime later. Sorry!
Anyway, this brings together a lot of the ideas I've seen and resonated with on this forum, I hope it encapsulates them well. It's certainly nice to dream about what things could be versus what we have hahaha
 
I probably won’t get a chance to reply in depth for a little while, but just wanted to say, those look awesome!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top