Maldon Station Environment

The Maldon Station environment includes the workshops and stables for the ‘iron horses’ as well as carriages undergoing restoration. This is a time consuming activity requiring skill and dedication, much the same as when making a virtual world.

In most of regional Australia, there is no publicly available Digital Elevation Data at the accuracy level we require. There is no GIS data for this area either. Fortunately, there are a couple of permanent survey markers in close proximity to the station, which we can use as starting points to manually survey the line to get accurate positions and gradients. With two survey points to be marked at every 50 metres of track along the 16 km route, we only have to gather a minimum of 640 data points!

These points will be used as references for aerial image alignment, which can then be used to generate accurate digital elevation data for the track and surrounding area. This will be done at a later date.

Meanwhile, back at the station, collaboration with the people with expertise in rolling stock and locomotives is underway. Let’s hope nobody throws a bucket of cold water on me as I collect photographic resources! My camera is not water resistant!

Surveying the Route

The track survey is the next thing to do  for the first route planned. To do this we need to find data on exactly where the track is in 3D space. Where is it located relative to the objects in the environment around it? What are the gradients along the track?

Then there are the art assets, such as the dimensions of the track and sleepers and textural qualities of metal and wood, along with track ballast, dirt and other rocks nearby. The vegetation, animals, people and buildings can be added in later.

Locomotives and rolling stock are an essential part of early development, for a track without something to run on it is not much fun. So more data has to be gathered for the virtual construction of real objects. Engineering is engineering and a realistic experience in the virtual world depends on accurate recording of detail in the real world.

So here we go, with the 5% inspiration and the 95% perspiration just starting. Yet the work is only one part of it, for any project of this nature depends on good luck as well as good management. The good will and assistance of the larger community will determine the outcome of this project.