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!