Gradient Map and Requests

[Legolash2o]

I previously had a thread showing gradients with a link to a interactive map showing gradients (https://railmap.azurewebsites.net/Public/Gradients).

I've started work on more detailed maps and I've attached some maps of more detailed areas, such as Ipswich and Manchester. Is there any locations anyone would like to see? I can share them.

 

[ABB125]

I previously had a thread showing gradients with a link to a interactive map showing gradients (https://railmap.azurewebsites.net/Public/Gradients).

I've started work on more detailed maps and I've attached some maps of more detailed areas, such as Ipswich and Manchester. Is there any locations anyone would like to see? I can share them.

Which way is uphill, which way down? I think that may lead to confusion and too many colours!). Would it be possible to make it so that there are small arrows pointing in (for example) the uphill direction?

 

[Legolash2o]

Yeah the colours are the difficult thing (legend on the bottom left) and I do have plans to add arrows. Currently the gradient is up/down hill and depends on the direction of travel, as per the Sectional Appendix. The link I shared does have a tick box to add the arrows.

Trains in the UK typically travel on the left hand side. On the attached example below, the blue (down hill) tracks are uni-directional so trains going from left to right would be going down hill, whereas the trains going right to left, would be going up hill (yellow). The example is Gilberdyke Jn

 

[eMeS]

Thanks for all your efforts.
Is it possible to make place names a different colour? On my monitor, I'm struggling to see them - almost the same tone as the map background.

 

[Watershed]

It's a very pretty map but it might perhaps be clearer to simply have colours on a continuous, probably logarithmic, scale from green (level) to red (1:25 or whatever the steepest gradient is) or similar.

The direction of the gradient seems rather less important than the fact there is a gradient at all, and the gradient direction could surely be indicated by an arrow pointing up or downhill?

 

[Mcr Warrior]

On OS road maps, the convention is to use arrow symbols on roads with steepish gradients, with the "arrow head" pointing downhill.

Double arrow heads for particularly steep gradients. (On the railway, maybe this could be anything steeper than 1 in 50).

 

[zwk500]

How does your up/downhill work on single and bi-directional lines?

 

[Legolash2o]

It's a very pretty map but it might perhaps be clearer to simply have colours on a continuous, probably logarithmic, scale from green (level) to red (1:25 or whatever the steepest gradient is) or similar.

The direction of the gradient seems rather less important than the fact there is a gradient at all, and the gradient direction could surely be indicated by an arrow pointing up or downhill?

I agree completely that the colours need more work. Currently dark red is steep uphill whereas dark green is a steep downhill.

Thanks for all your efforts.
Is it possible to make place names a different colour? On my monitor, I'm struggling to see them - almost the same tone as the map background.

Yeah, I can do that. As above, I still need to tweak the colours.

When I share the map/link. There will be a menu on the top-right that lets you change the background tiles.

How does your up/downhill work on single and bi-directional lines?

That's a difficult. Each line does have a direction but there is a tag that says if it's bidirectional or not. There a few options such as double arrows in the direction "<< ->" instead of a standard "< - >" arrows for bidirectional.


I've added some arrows indicating direction of travel.

 

[Domh245]

An alternative presentation could be to include spot heights at places where the gradient changes direction?

 

[zwk500]

That's a difficult. Each line does have a direction but there is a tag that says if it's bidirectional or not. There a few options such as double arrows in the direction "<< ->" instead of a standard "< - >" arrows for bidirectional.


I've added some arrows indicating direction of travel.

Personally, I think it'd be clearer to have one set of colours for the gradient value and use the arrows to indicate which is the rising/falling direction. Not sure which way round, probably whichever the OS maps use, but as long as it's on the key it wouldn't matter.

 

[Legolash2o]

Currently I've mapped around 75% of the country. Feel free to try other tiploc combinations within the URL (example below).

https://railmap.azurewebsites.net/Public/Route

https://railmap.azurewebsites.net/Public/Route?origin=HULL&via=SELBY&destination=KNGX

Personally, I think it'd be clearer to have one set of colours for the gradient value and use the arrows to indicate which is the rising/falling direction. Not sure which way round, probably whichever the OS maps use, but as long as it's on the key it wouldn't matter.

The maps that I use make it difficult to do that.