I keep seeing ads for inventory software. But no way am I going to put out $15 or more for what can’t be more thatn a very simple database program.
Am I missing the point?
I’m pretty good with databases. What fields would I need to track my rolling stock and locos?
I use go old fashioned MS Excel. I have sheets for locos (freelance line), locos (other), rolling stock (freelance), rolling stock (other)
Fields (loco):
road number
type
roadname / paint scheme (this is first column for the other road names)
manufacturer
motor manufacturer (or dummy)
DCC (decoder type and ID#, none, or NA)
remarks (what needs to be done)
Rolling stock:
road number
road name
manufacturer
metal wheels (Y/N)
remarks
I usually highlight the row with red (not in service) or yellow (not fully servicable) if it is anything other than full up round, which means DCC, metal wheels, Kadees, weighted…essentially ready to roll on someone else’s or a club layout without issue.
Sounds meticulous, but it’s not and helps keep track of what I need to do maintenance wise.
Dan
I’m only tracking rolling stock right now. In addition to Dan’s list, I add fields for:
color
manufacturer part number
type of car (general: box, flat, gondola, hopper, etc)
type of car (specific: 40’ double door, GATX Airslide, piggyback, etc)
build/service date (on the side of the car)
I use this to make sure what I see on ebay, the LHS, train shows is not an exact copy (down to the road number) of something I already have.
I’m tracking this using the Sun OpenOffice spreadsheet (puts it into Excel format), since that’s what I have on my PC at home. My own druthers would be a database, but I’d have to pay for that, whereas OpenOffice is free.
Hi SpaceMouse,
I set up a simple spreadsheet on my computer. I set up seperate ones for Engines and Rolling Stock. Here are the fields:
Engines:
A: Road Name: I use abbreviations like NH for New Haven, etc.
B. Maker: Proto 2000, Atlas, etc.
C. Engine Type: GP7, RS-1, etc.
D. Number: 1234, etc.
E. Color: Green/Gold, etc.
F. Cost: What I paid for it.
G. Notes: Here I indicate where I got it, e.g. a local hobby shop, an on-line distributor, Ebay (including the guy’s Ebay name and email if I need to contact him).
For my rolling stock, here’s what I use:
Road Name: NH, etc.
A. Car Type: Box, Refer, Gondola, caboose, etc.
B. Car Number: 1234, etc.
C. Color: boxcar red
D. Length: 40’, 50’, etc.
E. Notes: Again, where I bought it and here’s where I also might include the cost, if it was expensive and I want to remember that if I ever decide to sell it.
What’s nice about having the lists is when I go to a train show, I bring the lists so I don’t buy another of the same car or engine. It’s easy to forget what you have. And, by having them in a spreadsheet, after I’ve added a few items here and there, it’s easy to sort the file so that everything gets sorted together the way I want them. In fact, I’ll give you my sort fields. I sort the engine list by columns A, C, D, B. I sort the rolling stock by columns B, A, D, C.
Don’t forget to back up your file to a floppy disk once in a while. I have over 500 pieces of rolling stock and if my computer crashed and I lost my file, I woudn’t want to have to reinput all that data. Hence, the backup disk.
Hope this helps.
Mondo
SpaceMouse:
I use MiTrains to keep my inventory and I find it quite handy, and it has lots of nice features. http://members.aol.com/Shenware/main.html
It allows me to store photos of my locos and rolling stock, as well as info. It will print car card for me, complete with the photo if I so desire.
It has all the Reporting Marks and Road Names already in its pick list, including several I don’t know.
In short, it’s worth the money even though I could develop a spreahsheet to keep some of this information in about an hour. I dare anyone to allow adding photos to the items in the spreadsheet in an hour or less, as well as provide a comprehensive pick list of road names and AAR car types, as well as print car cards – all from a spreadsheet you built in under an hour?
Not gonna happen … and those are the features I like the most!
I put a very simple one on my archaic PDA. I broke it down to two catagories: locomotive and rolling stock. The rolling stock is then divided into type, length, line, and number. It’s more for portability and making sure that I don’t replicate* purchasing the exact same car at my LHS.
*Sure enough, the last time I forgot to bring it with me, I managed to do just that. But…Presto!..Chango! Amazing what a gray eraser can eliminate with a bit of persistance. [:)] I’ll end up using the hopper on my servicing track.
I think I’ll take some of the other suggestions and ideas you all have made in making my inventory list more complete on my desk top.
Tom
I built mine using MS Access.I am currently keeping track of 350 cars and 75 engines with it. I can do searches by road name, car type, length, car number and a couple of other items. The learning curve for Access was a little steep but, my company paid for it. I am going to add a picture feature to it sometime soon. If I can figure out how to put it on my website for downloading I may do that.
Dan Pikulski
www.DansResinCasting.com
I use Excel spreadsheet very similar to Dan and Adelie. I model the CB&Q so I also graph the roadnames to keep and idea of my foreign roadnames versus what I have for the Q. You can graph anything you want and it gives a quick pespective of what you own versus what you may still need (want) in terms of rolling stock.
Rick
uhhh, you do know that those two statements are contradictory?
Locomotives:
KeyID - A unique number that identifies this particular piece of equipment. This number allows you to keep track of locos/cars of which you have multiple copies. Have 3 Kato Alaska RR SD70MACs? If so, that means (until you renumber) that you have a minimum of two of the same roadnumber. (4001 or 4014)
RoadNumber
RoadName
ProtoModel (you could break this down to proto maker and proto model if you want)
Model Manufacturer (MM)
MM Part #
Coupler Type
Decoder Type
DCC ID
Cost
Notes
Owned (by putting this flag in, you can enter locos that you want to get down the road)
Service Type (i.e., passenger, heavy freight, yard switcher, etc)
PowerType (steam, diesel, electric)
Era (when did it run on the rails? could also be StartYear and EndYear)
If you find yourself putting the same info into notes for multiple locos, then you may have discovered another data element that should be captured with a field.
Rolling Stock:
Road Number
Road Name
Car Type - Hopper, flat, etc.
Protomanufacturer
ProtoModel
Era
Model Manufacturer
MM Part #
Cost (your cost or MSRP)
Purchase Date
Length (important for determining yard capacities and such)
Height (important for clearance)
Coupler
Trucks
Wheels (important if you’re converting your fleet, otherwise not needed)
Tuned (Y/N, have you tuned it up?)
Detailed (Y/N, has it been detailed)
Weathered (Y/N)
Look over the assorted field suggestions that have been given, then ask yourself this question:
“What info about my trains do I want to track, manipulate and have at my fingertips?”
Chip, join the CarCards group on Yahoo and check out their files section. Dave Husman has a GREAT Access database that I’ve been using.
I’ve been considering a few tweaks - but with time constraints, I seem to never get around to it. I do database development as part of my job, and I’ve started I don’t know how many programs like this over the years, but never finished any (like my Model Railroader index… I’ll NEVER fini***hat now that Kalbach has their online version). One thing I want to do is upsize this to SQL (actually MSDE free runtime version), since no matter how easy Access is to create nice front ends, as a robust data store it’s the pits. I also want to make a few additional reports, simplified rosters that I cna take to train shows with me. And I want to integrate it somehow with JMRI/DecoderPro. All in good time.
In the meantime, the program as-is works great, you can put in all your locos and rolling stock, print rosters, and then generate car cards and waybills for operaton - I haven’t gotten that far yet. I’ve checked out the demos of various commercial programs and this one absolutely beats them hands down. Thanks Dave! (also helped that some of the defaults already in the program were for Reading stuff…LOL!)
–Randy
We use AP Railventory and it is quite nice. The biggest problem is just sitting down and entering everything.
Jesse
I don’t get it unless your mean that if I was good a databases, I would know what fields to put in a table. True, but I’m bad at model trains so I ask for help.
Randy,
I started programming our Mail-Order/Internet back in 1993 with Access 1.0. It flat out fell on it’s face. So I was looking at either dBase, Paradox or FoxPro. Haven’t touched Access since. At the time Paradox was the best of the bunch and if you feel about MS like I do… Anyway, I’ll look at the Access one, but probably whip up a Paradox table.
I am not a pro by the way–strictly amateur.
You’re welcome Randy.
Dave H.
How about a URL?
(I can’t believe I’m going to actually open Access after all these years.)
Can your email handle a 451k ZIP file? I’ll just send you mine - it has my locos and cars in it, but that will give you an idea of what to do.
You’re going to need a newer version of Access than 1.0 to run it.
–Randy
Sure. Send away.
Ah Spacemouse…Things have REALLY changed in the database world since Access 1.0…Man, 1.0 had to have been12-14 years ago. Access is an ok database for small, non-critical databases. If you really want a good database, go with MSDE, a baby SQL database. But, you CAN learn on ACCESS, then bring your experience over to MSDE.
And, those modelers that have spreadsheets, this is also a good way to track basic information.
Spreadsheets get to be a problem when you want to PRINT out all the BN locos, or list out all the 40 foot flat cars, with their car numbers and colors. Reporting is where a database will beat out a spreadsheet. But for a basic list of all your rolling stock that you take to a train swap meet, it works!!
That’s why I said I want to try upsizing Dave’s program. Access makes a fine front end, MSDE makes a better (and still freely distributable) database engine. Although any work in progress I’d probaly just use my full SQL Server.
–Randy
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