Martin Wynne wrote:Contours at 5m spacing (16ft-5in) are available FREE on the modern OS Maps so-called "Standard" base map:
http://osmaps.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/53.24479,-1.73681,18
What's more that map is geo-referenced and available at global zoom level up to 18.
Which means that Templot (also FREE) can make the screenshot for you, and automatically scale the map to the correct size for P4 to act as a background image to your track plan.
cheers,
Martin.
Martin,
Thanks for this .... the georef. map is great and thanks for the run through of options.
What I had settled on as an approach was to prepare my own base map (buildings/landscape and track bed) in Cad and then import this in to templot to set up the track config.
The reason for this is that I need to adapt and foreshorten the survey info to produce a workable layout plan. I can pull into CAD both the historic map from NLS and the contour map.... and then overlay the Midland 'chain' plan .... this then allows me to over-trace and adapt to get the compression needed. At the same time I can draft in detailed plans for the various built features etc etc.
At the relevant stage I can then pull the plan into templot to detail up the track layout details, which I then export as a dwg and insert back onto the base drawing.
I am in the lucky position of having a reasonably sophisticated CAD package ... one which I draft in daily for work and which is pretty much second nature to me .... and I also have a large format (roll feed) dimensionally accurate plotter for printing.
Anyway ... that is currently the plan