Wisconsin Iron: Home of the Fond du Lac, Amboy & Peoria Railway
 


Although most people think of railroading as a grungy, land-based transportation method, there is a whole new world floating above our heads that may soon feel the footsteps of man and the rumble of flanged wheels on steel rails.
Drive trains on Mars!
The first installment is a portion of the Valles Marineris, the largest canyon system in the known solar system. This Trainz ground file (.gnd) is derived from the MOLA elevation data. At 388 boards and 10,000 meters of vertical relief, that is a lot of area to cover! Download here ( the cdp file is ~12 Mb, so be patient if you're on a dialup connection!)

As shown by the light area of the labelled map (above left), the ground file contains the Coprates Chasma and Coprates Catena (elevation data on right).
Next is Olympus Mons, the tallest volcano in the known solar system. Towering out of the Martian atmosphere, the broad cone of Olympus Mons may be a rich source of valuable minerals already extracted from deep within Mars.
 
© Copyright 2004-2005 Scott Monsma