Noob working on technique

[+mjcongleton]

Went out hunting today. Found 2 (easy) marks, missed 3.

 

I would like to explain how I tried to find one of these marks, explain the problems I encountered, and hopefully get some good advice from the experts here.

 

My only tools are as follows:

Simple Boy Scout compass.

200 foot tape measure.

Datasheet

 

Here is the benchmark in question:

 

JY1158 ***********************************************************************

JY1158 DESIGNATION - K 34

JY1158 PID - JY1158

JY1158 STATE/COUNTY- OH/MADISON

JY1158 USGS QUAD - VIENNA (1973)

JY1158

JY1158 *CURRENT SURVEY CONTROL

JY1158 ___________________________________________________________________

JY1158* NAD 83(1986)- 39 53 24. (N) 083 31 44. (W) SCALED

JY1158* NAVD 88 - 345.156 (meters) 1132.40 (feet) ADJUSTED

JY1158 ___________________________________________________________________

JY1158 GEOID HEIGHT- -32.86 (meters) GEOID99

JY1158 DYNAMIC HT - 344.968 (meters) 1131.78 (feet) COMP

JY1158 MODELED GRAV- 980,071.6 (mgal) NAVD 88

JY1158

JY1158 VERT ORDER - SECOND CLASS 0

JY1158

JY1158.The horizontal coordinates were scaled from a topographic map and have

JY1158.an estimated accuracy of +/- 6 seconds.

JY1158

JY1158.The orthometric height was determined by differential leveling

JY1158.and adjusted by the National Geodetic Survey in June 1991.

JY1158

JY1158.The geoid height was determined by GEOID99.

JY1158

JY1158.The dynamic height is computed by dividing the NAVD 88

JY1158.geopotential number by the normal gravity value computed on the

JY1158.Geodetic Reference System of 1980 (GRS 80) ellipsoid at 45

JY1158.degrees latitude (g = 980.6199 gals.).

JY1158

JY1158.The modeled gravity was interpolated from observed gravity values.

JY1158

JY1158; North East Units Estimated Accuracy

JY1158;SPC OH S - 210,320. 512,000. MT (+/- 180 meters Scaled)

JY1158

JY1158 SUPERSEDED SURVEY CONTROL

JY1158

JY1158 NGVD 29 - 345.329 (m) 1132.97 (f) ADJ UNCH 2 0

JY1158

JY1158.Superseded values are not recommended for survey control.

JY1158.NGS no longer adjusts projects to the NAD 27 or NGVD 29 datums.

JY1158.See file dsdata.txt to determine how the superseded data were derived.

JY1158

JY1158_MARKER: DB = BENCH MARK DISK

JY1158_SETTING: 7 = SET IN TOP OF CONCRETE MONUMENT

JY1158_STAMPING: K 34 1934

JY1158_STABILITY: C = MAY HOLD, BUT OF TYPE COMMONLY SUBJECT TO

JY1158+STABILITY: SURFACE MOTION

JY1158

JY1158 HISTORY - Date Condition Recov. By

JY1158 HISTORY - 1934 MONUMENTED CGS

JY1158 HISTORY - 1957 GOOD NGS

JY1158

JY1158 STATION DESCRIPTION

JY1158

JY1158''DESCRIBED BY NATIONAL GEODETIC SURVEY 1957

JY1158''4.5 MI W FROM LONDON.

JY1158''4.5 MILES WEST ALONG THE CLEVELAND, CINCINNATI, CHICAGO AND ST.

JY1158''LOUIS RAILWAY FROM THE STATION AT LONDON, MADISON COUNTY, 200

JY1158''YARDS WEST OF A SWITCH TOWER AT MYERS, OPPOSITE MILEPOST CLE

JY1158''168, AT A GRAVEL-ROAD CROSSING, 50 FEET EAST OF THE CENTERLINE OF

JY1158''THE ROAD, 32.6 FEET SOUTH OF THE SOUTH RAIL, 1.5 FEET NORTH OF THE

JY1158''WIRE FENCE, AND ABOUT 3 FEET LOWER THAN THE TRACK. A STANDARD DISK

JY1158''STAMPED K 34 1934 AND SET IN THE TOP OF A CONCRETE POST.

 

I figured this post would be sticking above the ground, but I never found it. Here is how I approached the mark:

 

1. Drove to site.

 

2. Measured 50 feet from road East and placed some rocks on a railroad tie to mark that position. As

stated below this is where I started having problems. I actually measured 50 feed from center line

and down the railroad tracks which did not run exactly W/E.

-Here is where I had my first problem. Neither the railroad, nor the road run exactly N/S or W/E.

I used my old boy scout compass as best I could, but found it really hard to site exactly east. Also

I did not have my local declination which is apparently 6 degrees 22 minutes W changing at 3

minutes a year. Any good pointers on what tools/how to site East better. I'm supposed to site to

true north right?

 

3. Now I measured 32.6 feel south of the south rail. Again I had the same problems as before figuring out

what was exactly south. After this I felt I was "close", but I didn't see a mark yet. Interesting to note

here: the line the old fence used to run appeared to be about 10 feet away from the point I was at

instead of 1.5 feet away, so I figure I must have been within a 15 foot radius of where the mark should

be.

- I think a 15 foot radius of where the mark should be is pretty bad. Any pointers on how to get

much closer?

 

4. I started kicking down brush trying to fin the mark. Also when I measured I was measuring from the

railroad south I was measuring downhill, but a true 32.6 feet across a horizontal plane would actually put

me further than my tape said, so i should have accounted for that right? How do I do that, basic

trigonometry I guess? If I can get the angle that is.

 

Also and additional question: The sheet said the mark was about 3 feet below the tracks, so I expected it to be above ground. Is there a good way to figure out where in the air "3 feet below the tracks" is?

 

After my failed attempt I went to the government web site for a updated sheet and noticed a "mark not found" entry was made in 2006. Also there was a larger electrical/cable box in the area, and the local land owner told me that the railroad clears the area of any growth about every 4 to 5 years, so it is possible the cable company or railroad destroyed the mark at some point.

 

Fire away with comments. You won't hurt my feelings. And thanks in advance for helping me to get on the right track here.

[southpawaz]

Hi mjcongleton,

 

Welcome! First off, congratulations on your two finds. I've added comments below.

 

Went out hunting today. Found 2 (easy) marks, missed 3.

 

2. Measured 50 feet from road East and placed some rocks on a railroad tie to mark that position. As

stated below this is where I started having problems. I actually measured 50 feed from center line

and down the railroad tracks which did not run exactly W/E.

-Here is where I had my first problem. Neither the railroad, nor the road run exactly N/S or W/E.

I used my old boy scout compass as best I could, but found it really hard to site exactly east. Also

I did not have my local declination which is apparently 6 degrees 22 minutes W changing at 3

minutes a year. Any good pointers on what tools/how to site East better. I'm supposed to site to

true north right?

 

My experience is that directional descriptions in a case like this are approximate, rather than exact. It's unlikely that the survey party was using a compass to check the exact bearing of their measurements. More likely the measurements are at a right angle to the feature, so I would try 50 feet in a generally east direction from the centerline and perpendicular to the road, and 37.6 feet in a southerly direction from the south rail, perpendicular to the tracks.

 

3. Now I measured 32.6 feel south of the south rail. Again I had the same problems as before figuring out

what was exactly south. After this I felt I was "close", but I didn't see a mark yet. Interesting to note

here: the line the old fence used to run appeared to be about 10 feet away from the point I was at

instead of 1.5 feet away, so I figure I must have been within a 15 foot radius of where the mark should

be.

- I think a 15 foot radius of where the mark should be is pretty bad. Any pointers on how to get

much closer?

 

The measurement to the fence could be helpful, but the fence line that you're seeing may be a different one than was present in 1934. If the old fence is further then 32.6+1.5 feet from the tracks, it may have been moved.

 

4. I started kicking down brush trying to fin the mark. Also when I measured I was measuring from the

railroad south I was measuring downhill, but a true 32.6 feet across a horizontal plane would actually put

me further than my tape said, so i should have accounted for that right? How do I do that, basic

trigonometry I guess? If I can get the angle that is.

 

Also and additional question: The sheet said the mark was about 3 feet below the tracks, so I expected it to be above ground. Is there a good way to figure out where in the air "3 feet below the tracks" is?

 

It's hard to know for sure in this case whether the survey party was measuring the slope distance or using a plumb bob to measure the true horizontal distance. If they measured the horizontal, using the pythagorean theorum with 32.6 and 3 as the sides of a right triangle to find the difference between the two puts the slope distance at 32.73', a difference of only about 1.65 inches in this case, probably not enough to matter when you're looking for a +/- 12 inch diameter concrete monument.

 

After my failed attempt I went to the government web site for a updated sheet and noticed a "mark not found" entry was made in 2006. Also there was a larger electrical/cable box in the area, and the local land owner told me that the railroad clears the area of any growth about every 4 to 5 years, so it is possible the cable company or railroad destroyed the mark at some point.

 

You have correctly identified a couple things that can make marks along railroads extra tough. Railroad maintenance and the later installation of utility lines along the tracks have caused the loss of many marks.

 

Fire away with comments. You won't hurt my feelings. And thanks in advance for helping me to get on the right track here.

 

Again, congratulations on your two finds, 2 for 4 on your first time out is pretty good, especially when this one had a DNF by the ODOT on it. Most of us take pictures of our finds and even of our non-finds to document what we saw and help future searchers. If you have a digital camera, I'd suggest bringing it along next time you go hunting.

[Bill93]

Definitely horizontal measurements and definitely perpendicular to the road/track.

 

A compass does not work very well when you are standing over a track and the leveling crews probably did not use one. You will find in many areas that the crew traveled along the railroad and assumed a constant direction from city to city, regardless of the actual bends in the track. Thus I have seen directions like "SE of the road" when the road ran perfectly north and south, but the distance was still perpendicular.

 

I'd try going both ways around the rectangle - measure from the railroad along the road, find the center of the road at that spot, and then measure perpendicular from the road, and see where that put you relative to the first route.

 

This one doesn't seem to indicate how far the post projected in 1934. It is very likely that if it only projected a few inches the top is now buried under accumulated matter that is turning to soil. That's why many of us carry metal detectors. At the least, you should have a probe of some kind (long screwdriver, camp fork with some tines removed, or like my barbecue rotisserie shaft. Some probing of the area around the measurements could improve your luck.

 

Do be careful not to hit buried utilities, however. I would not probe along a cable or fiber optic route if there was signage for that across my area of interest. I usually dig with a trowel, not a shovel. Although it is slower, I am less likely to damage something.

[+pgrig]

As Southpawaz said, it looks like NGS would have measured in grid-like fashion southerly from the tracks and easterly from the road, perpendicularly. This should come pretty close to nailing it. But don't assume the monument will be "sticking up." Many 1934 marks I find have been covered over by several inches of old vegetation and dirt, so your mark might be at the surface or slightly below ground level.

 

Here is where a metal detector might well save your bacon (and a lot of search time!). You're far enough from the tracks to avoid the usual RR-induced false pings. Hunting marks more than 10 years old can be made MUCH easier by a detector, and members of this Forum have opined that even a very inexpensive detector will do the trick ($50 or less).

 

If you're using only a tape, it's very helpful to have a few marker stakes (I buy the bright orange plastic tent stakes from Home Depot or the not-so-bright (but much cheaper) plastic ones tat come 6 to a pkg. ones from the hardware store (about 10" long). Use one of these, or a screwdriver) to hold the end of the tape a measured distance from the track or the road (but be careful here--we would not like to see you squished by the next express or a passing farm truck), and use another to mark the 50 or 32.6 ft. distances.

 

Finding the milepost (CLE 168) which the mark is "opposite" (south of?) would give you a check on the distance (east) from the road.

 

Depending on the nature of the ground, you could use a probe (a long-bladed screwdriver on your hands and knees or a 36"-long dandelion digger if you want to work on your feet) to try and get the mark or its monument to "click" when hit. Tough, sandy, or rocky ground can make this very hard, however.

 

Tall brush will often yield quickly to a brush wacker with a serrated blade (and a handle like an axe) to more painstakingly to a pair of garden shears (which I carry when bushwacking).

 

A simple baseplate compass, adjusted for declination, will usually be just fine for reading true bearings to the nearest 2-3dT. This Suunto M3 is the one I use (just wrote a review on it at Amazon ). Watch out for the iron in the tracks when using a compass--they will really spin it off course.

 

Welcome, and good luck!

 

-Paul

 

[i was apparently writing this while Bill93 was posting. I'm glad to see I share some of his thoughts!]

Edited December 6, 2009 by pgrig

[2oldfarts (the rockhounders)]

A couple of points that may help or save you some time. First, depending on the railroad, there may be ballast and debris scattered all along side the tracks. If this is the case then you would need a good metal detector that can discriminate the various metal (lots of iron pieces will be lying around). Verify that the mile post is there and that it is the correct one. This lets you know that you are at the correct crossing.

 

When you are at the crossing notice if you have to "step" down from the road to the 'ground' as you measure the needed distance. Be sure to measure from the correct rail, also. To get a quick estimate of the distance below the rail, just use the tape you brought with you and measure 3 feet up from the ground. You might hook the tape to the fence/fencepost so it is 3 feet high. Step back from the tape and look along the tracks and compare the tape to the tracks. It will not be perfect, but it will give a good idea of the amount of fill that has accumulated over the years and how deep you will want to probe.

 

Good luck,

 

John

[+mjcongleton]

OK It sounds like I wasn't doing that bad after all. I didn't know that the N,S,W,E directions were "approximate".

 

Since I'm off to Home Depo for a Christmas tree anyway I guess I'll pick up a probe and orange steaks.

 

As for a metal detector? What kind? $50 doesn't sound too expensive, I thought they would be more.

 

I also wonder how much faith I should give to these "Mark Not Found" posts. I mean, I can just see an Ohio Deportment of Transportation worker spending a whole 5 minutes before he gives up and takes a smoke break.

 

OK I'm off to find more. An 'easy' one and a 'hard' one. we shall see.

 

Thanks for the posts.

[+Black Dog Trackers]

In my experience, the compass directions along roads and from roads and buildings are very approximate. Even roads that are locally NE will be called either North or East, depending on the more general direction of the road.

 

In other words, there are driving directions like route 22 going East out of town (it may not be exactly East so don't leave the road while you travel ~East), and then there are walking directions with the same level of generality, and then there are the directions to local landmarks (a 12-inch maple tree) and those won't be exact directions either (but they will have distances with 1/10 foot precision), and then there are bearings to reference mark disks and that last category will have bearings that are both True, not Magnetic, and very precise.

 

Bearing that in mind (pun intended), I agree with your approach of doing the measurements in order; first the 50 feet (generally going) East along the tracks from the road's centerline, and then measuring 32.6 feet exactly perpendicular (and more or less South) from the (generally Southernmost) track rail.

 

I think the main problem with this mark is that it is 3 feet lower than the track. With a gradient, there is probably fill over the mark. I agree with pgrig and Bill93 that a metal detector is probably going to have to be used to find this one. I agree with southpawaz about not worrying much about slope distance versus horizontal distance for this small gradient from the tracks. If you don't have a metal detector, then probing is your best alternative. As southpawaz says, you're likely really looking for a +- 12 inch diameter cement post with the disk in it.

 

A trick before going is to paste 39 53 24 -083 31 44 in Google Maps or Google Earth and you can see a picture of the area to help you plan your find. Google Earth is a bit nicer because you can use its mouse ruler to make lines.

[kayakbird]

Most of the railroad lines that I have hunted along have had ballast added over the years. This often raises the relative height of the track by a foot or more. Just a minor problem out in the open, but many marks set on RR structures will be covered by this extra ballast or hidden under a timber or concrete retaining wall. Note that these are just "NOT FOUND'' marks and not "DESTROYED" ones. kayakbird

[+pgrig]

Metal Detectors: I use the Garret Ace 250, which Amazon sells for $212. I do however see Amazon's offerings for metal detectors include a model for $35. I can say that the Ace seems to work OK for me--breaks into three pcs and fits in my pack. Has "pinpointer" feature that emits constant tone when you're close, helping to find target. I generally search successfully for disks 4-8" down. Has depth indicator (sometimes useful). Has discriminator and type of metal selector, but I find that these are tricky, and often just search on "All Metal". It sure finds a lot of pull-tabs, crushed soda cans, and random bits of debris, as well as iron-rich rocks . It runs on 4 AAs. I do not use headphones--it's loud! Others on this Forum have reported success with much cheaper detectors.

-Paul

[+Harry Dolphin]

I like a program like Acme Mapper. When it shows the benchmark on the topo map, it is almost always more accurate than the scaled marks. (Though, sometimes they are considerably off...) Acme shows the mark at being at N 39 53.409 W 83 31.744. Though, measuring from the road, and railroad tracks should be even more acurate, if neither has moved.

Yes. Ballast is a major problem along rail lines, especially those still being used. Google maps sees to show a drop off on the south side of the tracks. And pipelines/buried utilites are notorious for destroying benchmarks in their way. You've picked a tough one. All the more rewarding if you do find it!

As to previous 'Not Founds', it can depend very much on who did not find it. Power Squadron? Ignore their DNFs. My favorite group to poke fun at is NJGS. I've found a number that it has reported 'searched with a two man crew for 15 minutes. Presumed missing.'

Good luck.

[+PFF]

N 39 53.409, W 83 31.744

 

Amazing! Yesterday morning, I took a reading on the TopoMap (using GoogleEarth) and I came up with precisely the same number. I don't know if you and I are accurate, but we certainly are consistent.

 

Since mjcongleton does not have a GPS unit, my suggestion is to measure south from the railroad tracks at multiple points, and then walk along the line this produces, using the earlier-suggested probe.

 

-PFF-

[+mjcongleton]

Since mjcongleton does not have a GPS unit, my suggestion is to measure south from the railroad tracks at multiple points, and then walk along the line this produces, using the earlier-suggested probe.

 

-PFF-

 

Would a GPSr even help here? I have a Colorado 300 coming Tuesday, but even with WAAS I would have thought measuring would be better. Edit: Just reread what Harry Dolphin stated, yes measureing is better.

 

On a side note, is there any way to look at historical USGS maps online? I need a 1935 map for London, OH so I can locate "the center line of a road leading to the Howard Smith Farm".

Edited December 7, 2009 by mjcongleton

[+billwallace]

Congrats on your finds!!

 

The directional descriptions that confuse me are those that describe headwalls/abutments for bridges or culverts that run slightly askew of N-S or E-W. Like a bridge/trestle that runs WSW to ENE and the eastern abutment is described as the north abutment in the datasheet - if you draw a N-S/E-W cross at the center of the bridge then the eastern abutment is the northern abutment. (did that make sense?) Luckily once you get to the bridge it only has four corners.

 

I've only been doing this about 10 months (but I'm hooked). I have a Colorado 300. I got it because you can load datasheets on it - but I've found that it is handy sometimes to have paper copies of the datasheets. The GPSr is better at getting you close for ADJUSTED marks. Sometimes the coordinates for SCALED marks are waaaay off so the datasheet description is important for getting you close. In either case once you get close you need the datasheet description and measurements.

 

For a metal detector, definitely consider one that can be broken down to fit in or easily lashed to a backpack.

[+billwallace]

I found this recently looking for old road/highway alignments:

Historical Map Archive at Univ. of Alabama.

Once you get to the Ohio page (individual States link), select the Out of Print Quads link at the top of the page.

This site also has old USCGS coastal survey maps under the Special Topics section - there is a whole list of tantalizing choices in this section, maybe Ohio is in there somewhere too.

 

Another at the Univ. of Texas United States Topographic Maps 1:250,000 - Perry-Castañeda Map Collection - UT Library Online

 

North American Historic Maps and Atlases from Historic Map Works

 

Google search Historic Topo or Ohio Historic Topo. I've found other Map archives (California) at state universities.

 

gl

Edited December 7, 2009 by billwallace

[Difficult Run]

Hi mjcongleton,

 

Welcome to Benchmark hunting, you're off to a great start!

 

You asked about old maps, there are two websites I highly recommend:

http://historical.mytopo.com/

and

http://www.historicaerials.com/

 

Here's the London, Ohio map which was surveyed in 1905 and reprinted in 1940:

1940 Map of London, Ohio

 

Have fun and keep us posted,

~ Mitch ~

 

EDIT: Thought you were looking for a mark with adjusted coordinates, (triangulation station).

My bad. - Deleted the story on finding one.

Edited December 7, 2009 by Difficult Run

[+mjcongleton]

Thanks Bill and DR. I looked at the 1940 London map. Might make it a lot easier to find the benchmark location. Also it will be pretty cool to go around the county now and look at where old things used to be.

 

Thanks!

[holograph]

Thanks Bill and DR. I looked at the 1940 London map. Might make it a lot easier to find the benchmark location. Also it will be pretty cool to go around the county now and look at where old things used to be.

 

Thanks!

 

I've done a lot of work with the historical Topos from the late 1800's and early 1900's, and I have to warn you about a few things. First, the spatial accuracy is generally horrible by today's standards. Second, the datum is probably the old US Standard, which is approximately the NAD27, but for Ohio, it might be the Lake Survey. The datum alone accounts for large errors unless you adjust for it -- meaning that you have to reproject the map into a modern datum such as NAD83 or WGS84. Finally, the USGS seemed to be not very careful about the location of railroads on those old maps. So you have to allow for possible discrepancies of hundreds of yards, if not more.

 

Having said that, I've found the old maps to be useful for locating old rail lines and even old roads that have long disappeared. Using the old maps as a guide, it is often possible to locate the faint traces of the features on modern aerial surveys (e.g. Google Earth, Bing Maps) which provide accurate modern coordinates.

 

Another resource that is available in some states is the old Agriculture Adjustment Administration aerial photography from the 1930's. It's amazing how much stuff is clearly visible in those old photos, when it is totally obscured in modern images. The problem with Google Earth and Bing maps is that they like to have nice thick green forests in the images, which obscures the ground features. In the 1930's, many of the forests were logged and thinned, so ground features were much more visible.

 

If you can't find the AAA photos, you could try the USGS Digital Ortho Quads. Those photos were generally taken without foliage cover, so features are usually clearer, and they are georeferenced to modern datums. DOQs used to be available at Terraserver, but they seem to keep moving.

[+Klemmer]

With Delorme Topo USA and for a $30 annual subscription to Delorme's database, you can get all the USGS DOQQ, Color DOQQ and HI-Res 133 City aerial maps. Best deal in town. Oh yeah, also all the USGS Topographic 1:24K Quads and NOAA Nautical charts.

 

I use a lot of them.

Edited December 10, 2009 by Klemmer & TeddyBearMama

[68-eldo]

What I sometimes do is make the map an overlay on Google Earth. A topo map is relatively easy if you mark the location of the adjusted benchmarks first then massage the map until the benchmark on the map lines up with the ones on Google earth.

 

I did that with a 1938 Topo map and found out about a lot of history in my area. I have been puzzled about a bridge I found in a valley near my house. The bridge is dated 1929. But there were no roads going to it and I could not find it on any road maps. After creating the overlay I could see the bridge was where the plantation railroad branched off and crossed over the main line to climb out of the gulch to the fields on top.

 

I also made overlays out of old army aircraft landing maps. It’s amazing how many roads are on what were plantation railroads.

[andylphoto]

You've got a lot of good advice above. A couple other points I'll throw in. Not terribly relevant on this mark since the reference is simply "across from," but mileposts are also sometimes adjusted, so don't take measurements from mileposts as gospel.

 

This one took me at least three visits...

 

RL0006'2 MILES EAST ALONG THE DULUTH, SOUTH SHORE AND ATLANTIC RAILWAY

RL0006'FROM THREE LAKES, BARAGA COUNTY, 116 FEET WEST OF MILEPOST

RL0006'196, 28.5 FEET SOUTH OF A 10-INCH WHITE PINE TREE, 25.7 FEET

RL0006'NORTH OF THE TRACK, 22.2 FEET SOUTH OF THE RIGHT-OF-WAY FENCE,

RL0006'13.8 FEET WEST OF A POLE AND IN THE TOP OF A ROCK OUTCROP. A

RL0006'STATE SURVEY STANDARD DISK.

 

The tree, the fence and the pole were all gone. So the only "hard" measurements were the distance from the track, and the distance from the milepost. There is rock outcropping all along this area, so I spent a good deal of time hunting in the area of the described distance from the milepost. When I finally found the disk, the distance from the MP was off by about 50-75 feet. I don't recall exactly. I have also found other marks along this railroad where the distance from the MP or the distance from the track doesn't exactly check. Here is what I eventually found...

 

RL0006 STATION RECOVERY (2008)

RL0006

RL0006'RECOVERY NOTE BY GEOCACHING 2008 (AJL)

RL0006'MP196 APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN ADJUSTED, AS DISTANCE NO LONGER CHECKS.

RL0006'WHITE PINE TREE, POLE AND FENCE HAVE BEEN REMOVED. STATION IS

RL0006'APPROXIMATELY 195 FEET WEST ALONG THE TRACKS FROM THE CENTER OF A ROAD

RL0006'CROSSING (BEAUFORT ROAD EAST), APPROXIMATELY 28 FEET NORTH OF THE

RL0006'CENTER LINE OF THE TRACK, AND ABOUT 10 FEET ABOVE LEVEL WITH THE

RL0006'TRACK.

[+mjcongleton]

All of you have some great resources. Sorry it took so long for me to check back. I guess perseverance is the name of this game. I look forward to finding my first DNF.

[mloser]

One final note: is there any chance that there was a second track at this location that was removed? Google Earth images show a wider roadbed than one track would indicate. If so you may be measuring from the wrong track and that might explain the 10 foot difference.

In my mind your best bet would bet would be to get a metal detector. I have a cheapie like this that I love. Even after I got a much more expensive one that has better discrimination, I still choose the cheap one every time. It detects to about 6 inches in depth, and although I get some false hits (old can tabs are the worst) it has been invaluable.