In the basement of
Union Station, in the LoDo district of downtown Denver, lies two different
model train layouts belonging to two distinct model railroading clubs. The first layout is
the oldest and one of the largest O Scale (1/4” = 1’ -0”) railroad layouts in
the country, called the Colorado Midland Railway. Construction of this model
layout began in the 1920s and continues today to be run and maintained by the
Denver Society of Model Railroaders. This O Scale layout contains 6500 square
feet, including 4000 linear track feet, and exemplifies the vast variations in
Colorado’s landscape and geography. The
second layout is standard gauge HO scale and was built and continues to be
maintained by the Platte Valley and Western Model Railroad Club. The layout contains
more than 1000 feet of track, and the railroad and landscape is set in the fall
of 1953, the peak of the transition from steam engines to diesel locomotives. Both of the model train layouts consist of
complex construction and an array of organically modeled landscapes. The
complexity and uniqueness of these layouts lend themselves to be great subjects
for LiDAR laser scanning.
The Center of
Preservation Research (CoPR) of the University of Colorado Denver scanned the
Union Station Model Train Layouts using LiDAR 3D scanning technology. Over a
span of four days, CoPR was able to acquire nineteen different scan
locations of the two model train layouts, and with those nineteen scan
locations 85% coverage of the layouts was achieved. Following
the acquisition of point-cloud data by use of LiDAR technology, a number of digital
media deliverables were created. Some of
these deliverables include: HDR interactive QuickTime videos, high quality scan
shots of 3D data, dimensioned 2D orthogonal plan view drawings, and a virtual
fly-through tour.
Union Station High Quality Scan Shots
Union Station 2D Orthogonal Plans
HO Scale Plan.pdf
O Scale Plan.pdf