From: John C. Black <john@...>
Subject: [FriendsTM] Maps of Train Mountain
To: "Live Steam Railroading and Model Engineering" <livesteamers@...>, FriendsTM@yahoogroups.com
Date: Tuesday, July 7, 2009, 7:03 PM

The Live Steam list is discussing Maps at TM.  I am writing this email to help that discussion and I am copying the members of Friends of Train Mountain and the FriendsTM list on Yahoo Groups to get as much input on mapping as I can.
 
I prepared the maps of TM that were given out at the Triennial.  I also prepared most of the maps of TM that are posted on the FriendsTM.org Atlas page.   I am pleased that the list is discussing the maps and wants more maps. I am willing to try to generate and post on the web maps where we have the information to produce the maps. I will be busy much of the summer, so they may not get done till this fall.... but I'd like to get an understanding of what the community wants....  especially if it is going to take field work to produce the maps.

It might help the discussion if I commented on the limits to our rights to publish, the accuracy issues,  and our lack of longer term detail and place names.

There are right to publish issues.  Friends cannot just post the AutoCAD files that the maps are generated from.  There are 3 concerns :  1) We do not have the rights to publish some information in raw form; 2) TM wants to retain the rights to sell some maps;  3)  We are just 20 months into understanding the long term Track Plan (9 months into the mapping) and we consider today's maps to be preliminary. ... a product in development. .. many refinements yet to come... not finished... some of the layers are just plain mis-leading.

There are accuracy issues.  TM's pre-2007 maps south of M&M corner are based on Bill Shepherd's survey as refined by Glenn Peterson. They are quite accurate.  I am very impressed with the quality of that work and we dream of making all the maps come up to that quality.  The pre 2007 track on the maps that I did is based on work done by Quentin's engineering firm.  South of M&M corner they are pretty good.  North of M&M corner the maps are less accurate.  No Track survey has been done.  2008-2009 track started as Quentin's long term track plan sketch and has been refined by me drawing lines on the map in consultation with Bill Shepherd. They approximate reality, but there is room for improvement.  All future track (beyond 2009) comes from Quentin's sketch of the long term Track Plan.   Those routes will change as they are surveyed and built.

Maps require place names. The 2008-2009 divisions have not been named. After 2009 Sidings, Meet Tracks, Wyes, and other track features have not been located or named.... although we have made a guess on the 2010 track toward Caboose Ridge.

I hesitate to do mileposts before the routes are more accurately located.

Our maps are available on the FriendsTM.org website.  Look at the Atlas page. Friends printed 750 maps of Train Mountain for the Triennial (24"x38", 1"=600', maps dated June 14).   500 of these were given out free at registration and the rest were distributed free to Tour participants and from the counter top in the Hall of Flags.   My wife is still talking about the mess that is created when my plotter spews 500' of maps over my office floor. (the paper comes in 500' rolls)

Our goal is to get everyone to understand Quentin's dream and get behind building the dream.  This is a community built railroad and Friends cannot build it alone.  More Track, More Fun.

I'll try to do any maps that will get us together behind this wonderful project.  Quentin's vision is compelling and it deserves to be made real.

What mapping do you want ?

John

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John Black
LaConner, Washington USA