Shenware - MiTrains, Waybills, MiShops, Freight car Pictures, Scaler, IndMan, Tutorial......


Alcomotive

Alcomotive

Grandson of an ALCO Builder
Many of you know I use MiTrains and Waybills from Peter White the owner and developer of Shenware products. He and I spoke recently as I was seeking upgrades. I have been using this program since 2002 in the early days. It is by far the best programming out there for inventory and Waybills and cards. Even notable MRR user Joe Fugate uses this as well as many others. I have been given permission to share this information. The program is only 50 bucks and upgrades are free of charge as well as the other 5 programs included. I use 3 of the programs constantly. I also can export to JMRI via excel etc. it works great!

Anyways I encourage you to take a look at this.....you will not be disappointed. the program as I have said many times in the past is very user friendly and Peter hates to type so he has loads of fly down menus with all the information you need and it is easy to add information as well.

so I will leave you with (2) pieces of information as follows....


and

from Peter White:

We have placed an image of the CD on Drive.Google in case you need to download a copy.

The current versions of MiTrains 8.0.5 and Waybills 8.0.6 are in the CD image.

You can download it and install it now instead of waiting days or weeks for an actual CD to arrive.
None of the CDs will be mailed out. I will rely on this method to deliver the programs.

This method has been verified by 6 users including John Brandt of Green Point NSW Australia.
So, It should work for you too. See if you can download the file SetupShenwareCD.exe:

Here is a step by step method to download (It is somewhat detailed for those not that familiar
with computers).

A. DOWNLOADING:
1. Defeat any anti-virus program you are running as these may prevent the downloading.

2. If there are any popup windows saying things about Security, click "Run" or "Run Anyway".
The file is too large, about 404.9 MB, for most Security checks for virus. Besides, the file
has already been checked for viruses.

3. Put the following URL into your browser:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1O7KlR9Sney6C2e-mpdyeZwyjjlMcSF-l/?usp=sharing
(My sincere thanks to Jason Wilson of Austin Arkansas for helping me with this link!)
A window will appear and remaining exposed until the Download is finished.
Click on the SetupShenwareCD.exe icon to download the file onto your computer.

4. The screen will turn to black and a small widow appears saying "No preview available". Beneath
that is a blue Button labelled "Download". Click the blue Button.

5. If you get a small white window saying "Can't scan file for viruses", ignore it.
Click the blue Button saying "DOWNLOAD ANYWAY".

6. You then get a small standard white window entitled "Opening SetupShenwareCD.exe"
Click the white "Save File" Button.

7. You then get a standard Save white window entitled "Enter name of file to save to...".
Near the bottom, where it says "File Name" you will see "SetupShenwareCD.exe" automatically filled in.
Click the "Save" Button to start the downloading.

8. It will take while to do the downloading. You may click on the downward arrow on the second top line
to the right to see the downloading process. It will turn to blue when finished.

9. Leave the window closed.

B. INSTALLING
1. Double-click "SetupShenwareCD.exe" where ever your computer downloaded it to,
to start the installation process.

2. When a small box opens called "Open-File - Security Warning", click "Run".

3. When a second small window opens, ensure the top Title bar is "Set - Shenware's MiTrains 8.0.5 Jan 23rd, 2021
and Waybills 8.0.4 Nov 22 2020".
If you want the programs to be put in another folder, change "C:\Shenware" beside the Browse button to
another folder on your computer. "C:\Shenware" is the default location to put in all data. button.
Click the NEXT button.

4. The next Window to open is a list of the contents in the file.
They are: 4.1. FastTime - a variable rate clock
4.2. MiShops - Hobby Shops in the USA, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.
If visiting a new shop, call first as many shops have closed;
4.3. MiTrains Inventory System (One of the two main programs);
4.4. Freight Car Pictures About 6,350 pictures of HO freight cars;
4.5. Powerpoint presentation of Car Cards and Waybills;
4.6. Scaler - convert linear measurements, any scale to any scale;
4.7. Tutorial for both MiTrains and Waybills;
4.8. Waybills - creates four cycle Waybills (the second of two main programs).
Note: MiShops, FastTime and Scaler were programs I write when learning the language. They are included
in case anyone wants to use them. They are yours even if you don't purchase the CD!
Check the files you wanted to be installed.
Click the Next Button.

5. The next Window creates icons on the desk Top.
Check "Create a desk top icon" box. if you want the icon on the desk top and select the circle "For All Users".
Click the Next button.

6. The next window shows a summary of what is to be installed;
Click the Install Button.

7. The next window shows a bar box with a green line filling it as items are install.

8. The next window starts with "Completing the Shenware's MiTrains 8.0.5 Jan 23rd, 2021
and Waybills 8.0.4 Nov 22nd, 2020 Setup Wizard" followed by a list of the programs installed,
with square check boxes filled in.
Clicking "Finish" will start executing the four programs.

9. Select The MiTrains Program. Open the Help menu and click on "About". It is the fifth line down.
A white box should appear and say a little downward "8.0.5 Build Jan 22nd, 2021".
If it does, you have successfully load the latest MiTrains onto your computer.

10. Do the same for the Waybills program. The Help/About should say Nov 22nd, 2020.

11. The cost of the CD image is $50.00 right now for anyone who has not already paid for it. If you like the
programs and they fit your needs, your personal check for $50.00 mailed to Peter White works.
DO ONLY IF YOU ARE A NEW USER!

Note: You may write SetupShenwareCD.exe to a CD if you wish to preserve it in case you get a virus
or the C:\ drive needs to be replaced. Both MiTrains and Waybills will be in the 30 day free trial period
in the SetupShenwareCD.exe file. We can grant another 30 day free trial if you need it!

You may make additional CD's for friends and give it to them. Both MiTrains and Waybills are in the
30 day free trial mode. Just don't give them the Registration Number because it removes the 30 day
trial and makes the programs permanent. You paid for your copy, let others pay for theirs.

11. I am quite OK as far as letting a club use MiTrains and/or Waybills. I would suggest that one person
be in charge of the Passwords and to enter trains data. That individual maybe you or another member
of the club.

12. Have a coffee or tea whatever is your pleasure! You have been successful!

Please give me a call at 1-904-940-1566 (USA) if you have any difficulty or questions!


Peter White
Shenandoah Software
1304 Paradise Pond Road
St. Augustine Florida 32092


Lastly...... please give him a call as new subscribers to make payment. He is 84 years old now. Great guy to talk to with a wealth of information. He lives in Jacksonville Florida....he is retired etc. so this is a source of income that helps him out. You will not be disappointed.
 
OK, so ya go through all the steps to setup an op session. Ya spend some time at the computer listing all the industries on your layout as well as industries where freight is coming from outside of your world. All the waybills are printed, now ya have to deliver the waybills to the industries around your layout and ensure the freight cars are there to be picked up by the train crews as they visit the industries on their route. Freight cars that are dropped off will have waybills that are left with the freight car. Once this is all completed, ya go back to the computer and update the information.
Seems like the computer work is merely a parallel function to conducting an op session.
 
D&J RailRoad said:
OK, so ya go through all the steps to setup an op session. Ya spend some time at the computer listing all the industries on your layout as well as industries where freight is coming from outside of your world. All the waybills are printed, now ya have to deliver the waybills to the industries around your layout and ensure the freight cars are there to be picked up by the train crews as they visit the industries on their route. Freight cars that are dropped off will have waybills that are left with the freight car. Once this is all completed, ya go back to the computer and update the information.
Seems like the computer work is merely a parallel function to conducting an op session.
Click to expand...
Set up an op session is quite easy once you have entered all the information which is also painless. The time is minimal at the computer really....as for adding outside industries you can use the program provided called IndMan. Which is included. It has over 4500 different types of industries. You can even duplicate an industry and simply rename it as well with a few clicks. I know this is not for everyone but it is the most simple form of program I have ever witnessed and I have seen a lot of them at different clubs. When I was in North Little Rock AR club we used this and displayed it on a big screen tv from the laptop and everyone could see what was what. Eventually I think they put monitors around the layout in specific yards etc. That was many years ago. Anyways to each his own....

I like the MiTrains portion as this can be migrated into Waybills quickly. I originally got MiTrains just to keep track of my inventory of locos, rolling stock, books and magazines and even diecast CAT collection. It's very versatile in keeping inventory and can be exported to MS Excel which I do and keep it on my cell phone or tablet. So I have it when I go to shows or LHS to verify whatever. I even use it for another hobby...fishing for my Rapala lure collection. (I have to many hobbies.....said no one.....:D)
 
Attempted to give the software a try but it asks me for a registration number. Looks like I'll need to ask for an extra 30 to try it out.
 
Maybe I'm missing something, but after an op session is finished, the freight cars are at their destinations in one of the 14 industries on the layout. The waybills will have to be updated for the next move of each freight car. I can either just update them by pencil there at the siding or go to my computer and print out the waybill there, cut the paper into the individual waybills then sort them out for the industries. Same with the freight cars in the classification yard. Typically, there will be 120 to 150 freight cars in the yard for the next op session. Between sessions I'll usually just run trains while working on a project just to see em go by. They may end up somewhere else on the layout when I quit for the day. I would suppose the MiTrains software would want me to not move anything until the next op session.
 
D&J RailRoad said:
Maybe I'm missing something, but after an op session is finished, the freight cars are at their destinations in one of the 14 industries on the layout. The waybills will have to be updated for the next move of each freight car. I can either just update them by pencil there at the siding or go to my computer and print out the waybill there, cut the paper into the individual waybills then sort them out for the industries. Same with the freight cars in the classification yard. Typically, there will be 120 to 150 freight cars in the yard for the next op session. Between sessions I'll usually just run trains while working on a project just to see em go by. They may end up somewhere else on the layout when I quit for the day. I would suppose the MiTrains software would want me to not move anything until the next op session.
Click to expand...


I see your point...I know in the past when we didn't have an official op session at our club and just "ran trains" as you mention. We would later just do a "reset" if you will and let Waybills spit out another work order and make the quick adjustments before the next op session. I know Joe Fugate explained how he did his in that situation but I cannot find that link at the moment. There are others who also do something similar. Waybills really does a fantastic job of tracking though. (not MiTrains (2) separate programs) I will see if I can get a couple more links for ya....I know there are a few on You Tube. There is one guy who's name I do not remember, he did a great job to show the ins and outs of how user friendly Waybills is. I will get back to ya....
 
 
I wrote an MS Access application to generate car cards and waybills. I now only use 1 and 2 move waybills and since I wrote the app myself, modified the format to resemble "car tickets" or memorandum waybills that were used by prototype railroads in the 1880's-1900's and are dead ringers for CC&WB.

One can also use a spread sheet program such as MS Excel to generate CC&WB.

The beauty of CC&WB is that you can modify it to suit your own railroad and layout's operation and once you set it up, you don't have to keep printing and reprinting documents.

One of the most prototypical operating methods is to use CC&WB paired with handwritten lists. That replicates almost exactly what railroads did from the 1900's to the late 1970's, early 1980's (when things shifted over to computers).
 
D&J RailRoad said:
Maybe I'm missing something, but after an op session is finished, the freight cars are at their destinations in one of the 14 industries on the layout. The waybills will have to be updated for the next move of each freight car. I can either just update them by pencil there at the siding or go to my computer and print out the waybill there, cut the paper into the individual waybills then sort them out for the industries. Same with the freight cars in the classification yard. Typically, there will be 120 to 150 freight cars in the yard for the next op session. Between sessions I'll usually just run trains while working on a project just to see em go by. They may end up somewhere else on the layout when I quit for the day. I would suppose the MiTrains software would want me to not move anything until the next op session.
Click to expand...

If you're printing and using waybills it's pretty much a one-time setup at the beginning as far as the computer goes, to enter the data and create the waybills.

Then you rotate the shipment ("waybill") slips that are inserted into the car cards between sessions to move from "Empty" to "Loaded" (or vice versa). You never go back to the computer anymore after that. The whole point of a card system is that it doesn't rely on the computer at all. You just use the computer to print nice looking cards.

If you're using a computer generated SWITCHLIST type op, then yeah, things need to be updated (mark the lists and complete, and manually update any exceptions) in the computer for the next round.
 
My card system can be used for about 12 movements of the frieghtcar. Pretty simple to update. I would attach a picture but I'm at the cigar lounge right now.
 
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