Erskine Tramway

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boaterri
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Re: Erskine Tramway

Post by boaterri »

Mike:
Don't know if there is a pay version but the free version is very good where my house is but 5 miles west (water with small uninhabitable islands) the image goes soft when you zoom in. No spooky gov't facilities there either.

Rick
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Erskine Tramway
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Re: Erskine Tramway

Post by Erskine Tramway »

boaterri wrote:Mike:
Don't know if there is a pay version but the free version is very good where my house is but 5 miles west (water with small uninhabitable islands) the image goes soft when you zoom in. No spooky gov't facilities there either.

Rick
Yup, Rick..........

It looks like it's sharper in more populated places. I guess there aren't enough people out by my house to matter :D But, it is a newer photo than the 2013 Google one. It looks like it was taken last year, before the Car Shed was built, account my pick-up is parked outside the "VW haus" while I had 'Hermann' in the garage replacing the shift rod bushing.

Mike
Former Locomotive Engineer and Designer, Sandley Light Railway Equipment Works, Inc. and Riverside & Great Northern Railway 1962-77
BN RR Locomotive Engineer 1977-2014, Retired
Glenn Brooks
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Re: Erskine Tramway

Post by Glenn Brooks »

Mike, I haven't worked with Google Maps and Google Pro for a couple of years now, but you used to be able to download free mapping software from them that would allow you to do basic GIS stuff with their imagery. Then export the KLM file into Cad (or GIS) software. For example you could estimate your end of track on the existing Imagery, then draw the centerline. This would give you a distance measurement. Also you could draw your proposed track extension etc, and come up with distances and some idea of grade and contours. Incidentally your local county GIS or assessed office might have additional data layers, maybe even LIDAR elevation data, usually free of charge you could download and import. This would help you establish contours and grade. ESRI amd Global Mapper now actually provide full fledged GIS capability for very low cost for home users.Lots of fun!

Glenn
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Motive power : 1902 A.S.Campbell 4-4-0 American - 12 5/8" gauge, 1955 Ottaway 4-4-0 American 12" gauge

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Erskine Tramway
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Re: Erskine Tramway

Post by Erskine Tramway »

Thanks, Glenn....

My "General Cadd Pro program will do survey/mapping, I just never have. The Google picture is clear enough to locate the end-of-track in 2013, and the 'Zoom Earth' picture is clear enough that I can measure the grade from the old end-of-track to an 'East-West' spot located from the neighbor's driveway So, I guess I need to look at the tutorial in General Cadd Pro and see what I need to learn :D

Mike
Former Locomotive Engineer and Designer, Sandley Light Railway Equipment Works, Inc. and Riverside & Great Northern Railway 1962-77
BN RR Locomotive Engineer 1977-2014, Retired
Glenn Brooks
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Re: Erskine Tramway

Post by Glenn Brooks »

Mike,

Very cool. Look for a feature that add aerial imagery to your map canvas. Don't know about General Cad Pro, but many CADD programs these days import current imagery for various sources as base layers. Good luck!

Glenn
Moderator - Grand Scale Forum

Motive power : 1902 A.S.Campbell 4-4-0 American - 12 5/8" gauge, 1955 Ottaway 4-4-0 American 12" gauge

Ahaha, Retirement: the good life - drifting endlessly on a Sea of projects....
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Erskine Tramway
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Re: Erskine Tramway

Post by Erskine Tramway »

I was out in the shop welding this week, until my cheap Harbor Freight ground clamp gave up on me.  I've got a good one coming, which won't be here until Monday, but I did get two couplers welded up, and all drilled.  I couldn't resist bolting them onto one of the new wagons, and setting all the parts together.  I'll finish painting the iron work after it is all finished.  After the 'builder's photo', I ran around the wagon and pushed it up to couple onto the string of 'Heywoods' in the Car Shed.  Happily, the couplers work with both the Heywoods and the link-and-pins on the loco.  So, here's a couple pictures of today's efforts.
9-22-17 new wagon.jpg
9-22-17 new train.jpg
Mike
Former Locomotive Engineer and Designer, Sandley Light Railway Equipment Works, Inc. and Riverside & Great Northern Railway 1962-77
BN RR Locomotive Engineer 1977-2014, Retired
rkcarguy
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Re: Erskine Tramway

Post by rkcarguy »

I've had pretty good luck with google earth. I was able to scroll around looking at the elevations, and you can also draw a line or path, save it, and then "view elevation profile", and it will give you a graph showing the elevation changes. I didn't think my RR was going to be possible due to the slope on my lot, until I found ONE route that I should be able to cut and fill to get myself around a 3% grade.

Looks good Mike...I hate it when tools break and it turns into a weekend of waiting until another one arrives!
I'm curious, what is your tightest turn radius on your RR?
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Re: Erskine Tramway

Post by Erskine Tramway »

rkcarguy wrote:I've had pretty good luck with google earth. I was able to scroll around looking at the elevations, and you can also draw a line or path, save it, and then "view elevation profile", and it will give you a graph showing the elevation changes. I didn't think my RR was going to be possible due to the slope on my lot, until I found ONE route that I should be able to cut and fill to get myself around a 3% grade.

Looks good Mike...I hate it when tools break and it turns into a weekend of waiting until another one arrives!
I'm curious, what is your tightest turn radius on your RR?
Yup, Google Earth is good for levels and such. My only deal is that I'd like an updated picture that shows at least the grade, so I don't have to figure out where it actually is :D

For the weekend, I did a 'field expedient' fix to the welding. I cut the non-springy ground clamp off, stripped an inch of cable, and clamped it to the welding table. It's not quite as good as clamping right to the part, but it's better than it was. So I got the other two couplers welded.

Mike
Former Locomotive Engineer and Designer, Sandley Light Railway Equipment Works, Inc. and Riverside & Great Northern Railway 1962-77
BN RR Locomotive Engineer 1977-2014, Retired
rkcarguy
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Re: Erskine Tramway

Post by rkcarguy »

You don't have much to reference there it would make it hard. I can see the shed, some of the different tree's, the driveway, and the remains of the lean-to in google earth on my property and get some idea of the distance from one thing to another. I've also got access to the surveying transit at work which I'll be borrowing to plot my path and grades when the time comes.
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Re: Erskine Tramway

Post by Erskine Tramway »

Well, the two bulkhead flat cars are finished and in service.

Here's the two of them outside the Shop:
9-28-17 new wagons.jpg
And, the whole firewood train outside the Car Shed. I later removed the two 'timber forks', account our firewood is only about 18" long, and I was just using them to carry track panels.
9-28-17 complete train.jpg
Enjoy,

Mike
Former Locomotive Engineer and Designer, Sandley Light Railway Equipment Works, Inc. and Riverside & Great Northern Railway 1962-77
BN RR Locomotive Engineer 1977-2014, Retired
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Re: Erskine Tramway

Post by tomc »

Lookin Nice Mike

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rkcarguy
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Re: Erskine Tramway

Post by rkcarguy »

Looking good, getting to be a fairly long train there. How's she do with them all full of firewood?
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