[OSM-talk] stop deleting abandoned railroads

[Warin]

On 11/08/2015 8:07 PM, Frederik Ramm wrote:
> Hi,
>
> On 08/11/2015 07:09 AM, Russ Nelson wrote:
>> Now, you might think "Goddamnit, does Russell have to start again?"
>> Yes, I have to start again. I was in north-western Pennsylvania last
>> weekend looking for the Corry Junction Rail Trail. Problem: it hasn't
>> been entered into OSM yet. But that's not a problem, right? Because OF
>> COURSE the railway is there, marked as abandoned, right?
> Errr... you are looking for a trail that follows an abandoned railway
> line, and you complain that the abandoned railway line is missing from OSM?
>
> If you were complaining that the trail isn't there then I'd understand,
> and you'd have my full support for adding it. But complaining instead
> that the abandoned railway isn't there...?

Say there is a railway line ...

OSM has it mapped

Then say the railway line becomes abandoned ...

I think OSM should retain the data and simply tag it as abandoned

Then say the abandoned railway line become a rail trail

Now OSM has the data of where the old railway line was .. and a simple 
additional tag results in the addition!


I'd prefer to retain the data .. even if it is old. Untill such time as 
new features are made on the ground.

Why?

Because the new features may chose to use some (if not all) properties 
of the old features. And that would make the old data usefull for 
entering the new data.


So, for me, I'd try to retain the data at least untill it is overwritten 
by new data. The old data could be retagged abandoned:store=baker for 
example. Won't be rendered but there for future use if wanted.