Uncommon and unusual pamphlet-size map of Sydney's suburban railway system, heavily influenced by the iconic London Underground diagram of 1933 by Harry Beck. Published just six years after London Underground adopted Harry Beck's wire diagram for its own tube maps, this is a remarkable piece of branding. As far as we can determine, this is the only example of another city attempting to directly plagiarise the London Underground's style for its own marketing materials. The fonts, the colour scheme, the blue border, the tri-fold format, and the wiring diagram style are all directly copied from Beck's maps.



This map is marked on the front cover as 'No.1. 1939', suggesting that the Commissioner for Railways of New South Wales intended to publish multiple editions of this map. The fact that no later editions have ever been found suggests that it was either not well received by Sydney passengers, or that the publication was challenged by representatives of the London Underground. Others have suggested that this map was specially made to commemorate a visit by London Transport representatives to Sydney in 1939, though no evidence has been found to support this claim. 


Printed colour. [Framed] [AUNZ2842]