Who inventories, and what software do you use?

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

For the serious modeler, taking inventory of your assets is incredibly important on a number of issues (see here http://www.gatewaynmra.org/articles/estate.htm ). How many of you do it, and if you don’t… do you have plans to?

What software do you recommend? I see many try-free-for-30-days executables you can download onto your own computer, but I’ve not come across a really obvious winner.

If you only want to discuss the ideology of whether or not taking inventory is necessary, or if such a thing can make model railroading even more fun (or help you find lost things), go for that kind of discussion too. Something about it all makes me think it’s an essential to the hobby, so there’s “discuss doing it” and “doing it” discussions that share equal weight.

Thanks, and looking forward to your comments. If this kind of discussion happened before, I’d also appreciate a link. I couldn’t find much in my initial searches…

2

There are several options if you don’t want or need all the bells and whistles (no pun intended) of a MRR-specific inventory program.

I use several joined Lotus Approach databases, only because I had SmartSuite available and knew how to use it. You can get recent versions quite inexpensively, and I personally think it’s much more intuitive and easier to use than M$ Office.

Of course, if you want to throw $100’s at Uncle Bill for M$ Office, that’s another option. I also believe there are some MRR-specific inventory programs that are front-ends that use the Office engines.

If you don’t want to give any more of your money to Uncle Bill, or even $35 or so to IBM for Lotus SmartSuite, try OpenOffice. It has both a Spreadsheet application (easier to use) and a Database (harder to use, but more powerful) and is free: www.openoffice.org .

HTH,
Stevert

3

I inventory, but am too lazy to input it into a database. I’m using a notebook. If I were to use a software program, I’d use Corel Paradox because all my work programming was done in Paradox and I know it.

I know a few people use Access and/or Excel.

4

I do but I hate the resualts of certain free inventory programs. I personally want to make it where I can put as many sheets as I can with info of the car and a small photo but I lack the ability to do such a thing. Anyone interested in doing this ?

5

I was thinking more on this topic and want to expand the “interrogation.”

What do you use your inventory program once it’s got your MRR details in place above and beyond simple inventory practice? In other words, what would you LIKE the software to deliver… print car cards, create rosters, assemble shipments, trains, etc?

Are there any brilliant success stories related to inventory management software that shows an enhanced MRR experience?

I’m going for every angle!

6

A simple Excel spreadsheet takes care of the needs of most people for inventory purposes. The learning curve is not steep. I actually got some college credit for setting mine up back in 1999.
[:D]

I just plug in the new stuff as it arrives on the ready track…

I unloaded a copy to an internet location as my backup. That way I’m protected in case a disaster hits and I need the info for insurance purposes. Of course, if an asteroid hits, we won’t have to worry about that data.
[xx(]
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL

7

With my dream inventory program I would like it to use the 8.5X11 sheet format, That way I can print it out and put it into a 3 ring binder for references. The set up would include"
2 photos one of the side and rear of car.
Manufacture
Locomotive Or Freight
What Kind of Locomotive/Freight car
Locomotive/Car Number
Wheel sets Metal or plastic
DCC or None
DCC Address.
COuplers and then box number such as stock number.

8

I use Excel spreadsheet and it works the best of any program made. Why? Because I am able to make changes to it as I need (NOT what some one else THINKS I need) Programmers are only able to make the program fit THERE way of thinking not others. Now how would I know this, because I was a programmer!

With a spreadsheet I can make lists and print them into any format I want (8x11 – 17 x 22 – etc.). I can input formulas to make it give ma a total value to the collection, show only cost, highest value, lowest value etc. etc. etc. Get the idea.

On so many of the other forums that get to talking about inventory software everyone asks – You know that IF this program had THIS feature it would be great or had THAT it would be great. With the spreadsheet YOU make it do what you want!

And if you are a programmer and take exception to this, WHY do you have to keep on making updates to YOUR program if it was made to work for EVERYONE! Because YOU forgot to add some feature.

BOB H – Clarion, PA

9

I use the spreadsheet in Open Office, which makes an Excel compatible file. Open Office is free. But my inventory is more from a maintenance and operational slant, and the inventory programs I have seen are geared towards more than that. The added bells and whistles are not worth 1) the money since I don’t need them for my purposes, and 2) the time needed to figure out the software.

I agree with Bob H. A substantial part of my “professional keep” is earned by reviewing software and change proposals for the aviation industry (specifically air traffic control) and comparing that to how the people doing the work really do the work or need to. The ability of software engineers to create a program that is on target, even with specifications to guide them, is a lot less than 100%. Not blaming them, but they generally have a different perspective than the users. And try translating tasks and functions into words that can not be misunderstood to be something else sometime.

10

I used to use a generic El Cheapo plain vanilla word-processing program.

A couple of years ago, my wife got me Microsoft Office Word because she wanted to get me something I could use in working on my Masters degree, writing papers, articles. I use the “table” feature of Word.

I am prototype oriented-- I think of what my models would represent in the virtual world of my railroad, rather than the model manufacturer, catalog number, purchase price, etc. So I have a separate page for each type freight car, box, flat, gondola, hopper, covered hopper, ice, logging, reefer, stock, tank, caboose, maintenance of way, passenger cars, and locomotives.
Isn’t that odd, compared to most model railroaders, I think of locomotives last? They are merely what pulls the train. It is the cars that make up its operating “personality”.

My column holes for my freight car pages are:

Roadname initial (ATSF, GATX etc)

Car number

AAR mechanical designation (XM, FD, LO, etc)

Car class as assigned by railroad company (ie BX-52 for Santa Fe)

“Marking/appearance” Identifying marks that are easily visible other than the official reporting marks such as “Grand Canyon” billboard marking on the said of a Santa Fe house car, or big “Gulf” lettering on the said of a tankcar whose official owner mark is WRNX. Where there is no big lettering or unique logo, I might use car color such as “black” in that hole.)

Description (of the car design type. For boxcars for instance, 40’AAR1937 or PS-1 or “wagontop” or “USRA SSh” for a circa 1919 single-sheathed wood body car of US Railroad Administration standard design.)

Authen? “Yes”; “CusPix” meaning it has been custom detailed to match a dated prototype photo, “60s paint” meaning I really want to repaint it before using it on my middle-1950s layout, or a very short description.

Coupler: MT (MicroTrains), Rap(Rapido), Mate(one of the “other” brands that wil

11

I’m using train inventory 2 created by one of the gentlemen on this forum and its free.
I use this one and you can put a picture with the details of the piece you have in the inventory.

http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=63526 here is the site that he posted the download on.

12

Been using Yard office, I like the way he’s got it laid out.
http://www.musicmixradio.com/yardoffice/Tour.htm

13

Like data file backups, it’ s one of those things I should do but probably will never get around to doing. Right now, I have packed all my stuff into those clear plastic storage tubs for my next move. I can do a quick visual inventory of most stuff by looking at the side of the container (most of my rolling stock is kept in orginal boxes). Maybe someday…

Heaven is a place where my “to do” list is completed at the end of the day!

Fred Wright
Chief Engineer, janitor, and jack of all trades…you know the rest…for
Picture Gorge and Western Railway (…none more picturesque!)
Tillamook Head and Bethel Railway (To Heaven and back!)

14

I inventory my stuff, from locomotives right down to automobiles & trucks.

I’ve set up an Access database as I like to tinker with the program as most of the available programs are either a spreadsheet or a database.

It’s nothing to elaborate. It gives me the information I need & it’s set up so that it’s really hard to loose any information that can be caused by an errant mouse click. I’ve recently tried to include pics but they’d take up too much room as apparantly I can only use bitmaps instead of jpegs.

Gordon

15

I inventory my railroad and use Excel. I think any Excel type program is more than sufficent for our inventory needs.
And I was a Software Developer for 42 years!

16

I like to use Excel spreadsheets too. If you ever want to upload the data to a real database later on all you have to do is make sure the headings on the spreadsheet match up to the database headings, convert the spreadsheet file to a comma delimited (CSV) format and your ready to roll.

  • Ryan
17

I use a FREE program called RRTRains. You can download it at http://www.gregorybraun.com/RRTrains.html It does have some nice features, such as, saving pictures for each piece in your inventory or backing it up in Excel spreadsheet format.

18

Hey, Marlon,
Thanks for the link to RRTRains, the guy also has some other neat small apps for download.

Cheers,

Ryan

19

I use an old program called DataPerfect. Its a relational database program developed by WordPerfect Corp. in the late 80’s - which is when I first started using it. As relational databases go, its fairly simple, which makes it just right for use for a model railroad inventory and amateur database design. I also periodically output the data to an Excel spreadsheet for backup.

Excel has its place but having a full screen for each item, and the search and look-up capabilities of a database program, are an entirely different level.

Unfortunately this ancient program cannot be run on any operating system later than the 1997 version of Windows. I’m running it on an old Toshiba laptop circa 1998 and when that ultimately dies, I don’t know what I’ll do.

20

I too use Yard Office. Great program. You can print out pretty much any subset of records you can think of. It allows for digital pics of your rolling stock and RR icons. More than worth the 20 bucks it costs.
Terry[8D]