This week work has continued adding new content mainly to the NIMT maps for the Palmerston North area. The limited content available at the Retrolens site has been supplemented by significant historical aerial photo resources dating back to 1937 (at Longburn) and the area covered by this particular project will run from Linton to Whakarongo on the PNGL via the old Palmerston North central station and also from Longburn to Bunnythorpe via the Milson Deviation as well as the short connecting section through Kelvin Grove. This will be a very comprehensive historical and contemporary treatment of Palmerston North over more than 80 years and form a major component of the Volume 2 maps when the full set of these is produced later this year.

Work is also starting to produce the full set of maps for Volume 9 of the Midland Line with the aim of having the set released within two weeks. This involves creating the map images from the map data as it currently stands without adding any new content. The maps will be checked and minor corrections and updates made as each individual map is printed. Volume 9 recently had major updates of yard layouts at Springfield, Arthurs Pass and Otira stations and a number of smaller stations were drawn in earlier years. Every effort will be made to ensure previously produced historical aerial tiles for all relevant stations will be included in the finished maps. Otira is the location of celebrations of the centenary of opening the Otira Tunnel in August this year, and some of the map work was done alongside assistance to a local author who has produced historical books about the Otira township, and information he was able to helpfully supply.

Some preliminary work has been undertaken exchanging information with the OSM/OHM communities and this is a shared effort that involves obtaining some info from Kiwirail as well as other historical sources to map the current and historical railway networks on the Open Street Map and Open Historical Map websites.