Survey: Do you catalogue your collection?

[solent]

I have an idea for some software to catalog a model railway stock collection and would really appreciate some feedback.

The software could do things like hold a list of locos/wagons/coaches and for each could have running numbers, manufacturer, whether RTR, kit or scratch built, DCC decoder number, any modifications done, servicing history etc. It would have to ability to add photos, maybe even a list of manufacturers products for you to select your stock from. You could even have the option to share info with friends.

So, what I really would appreciate from you is:
Would you use something like this?
Would you pay for it (if so how much).
If you already catalog your collection how do you do it (software, paper etc).
What other features would you like to see included.
Would you prefer online or downloadable software.

And if you think it's a rubbish idea that would also be interesting feedback.

Feel free to post to this thread or PM me.

Mike

 

[LoudMusic]

Well, XTrackCAD (free) has a decent rolling stock database built in, which you can add plenty of notes to and such. Also, it's not terribly difficult to do the same with a simple spreadsheet program like Microsoft Excel or Google Docs (free). I don't believe any of these easily support adding images (or video?), however.

Seems like 'cataloging a collection of stuff' is something that's been done in Microsoft Access or Filemaker Pro a few (thousand) times in the past. I wonder if someone has made such a critter specifically with model railroaders in mind.
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MEXICO CITY HOTEL

 

[Selector]

One of my modeling goals, sort of, was to avoid having so much stuff that I felt a need to use a catalog or inventory. I am sorry to say that is is becoming increasingly unrealistic. As much as I had set out to be non-acquisitive, those nasty distributors of HO locomotives and cars have found my weakness, and the wretched hustlers have exploited it shamelessly. As they drive an ever larger wedge between my disposable income and my goal, I find that I now no longer know what I have.

Still, I think Access or something already on my computer, say a table constructed in Word, should do if I ever find it have to build a list.

 

[LoudMusic]

By no means an beautiful solution, but Google Docs does allow multiple editors simultaneously. I've set the access on the following to allow anyone with the link to edit. You may need a Google account, though, so that their system can identify you as a user. Might allow anonymous? This is purely an example. A person could create their own columns and such. But it's completely free.

https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc...UhGN1ZoUTJtNWNpZ1QxY1E&hl=en&authkey=CMaEu9oN

This would probably be a lot better for a multiple user situation like a club where all the members could have their own sheets and a master sheet could reference data from the other sheets, combining them into one list.
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[Motley]

I use JMRI Decoder Pro to manage all my locomotives and rolling stock.

 

[tomustang]

Wasn't there a program our a couple years ago that did all that, I forget what it was called

 

[CBCNSfan]

Sorry to be a wet blanket, but you asked
I really don't have that much equipment that will be running, the rest are spare or will be modified to pass the time (if I ever find I have nothing else to do)
Guess I'm not much of a candidate for such a program, now if you could come up with a program that would tell me where I last left the tools I need immediately, you can put me on a list for that.
Would you use something like this? No
Would you pay for it (if so how much). No, Zilch $
If you already catalog your collection how do you do it (software, paper etc). Nope, don't catalog I know what I have
What other features would you like to see included. N/A
Would you prefer online or downloadable software. N/A

Cheers
Willis

 

[galaxy]

One of my modeling goals, sort of, was to avoid having so much stuff that I felt a need to use a catalog or inventory. I am sorry to say that is is becoming increasingly unrealistic. As much as I had set out to be non-acquisitive, those nasty distributors of HO locomotives and cars have found my weakness, and the wretched hustlers have exploited it shamelessly. As they drive an ever larger wedge between my disposable income and my goal, I find that I now no longer know what I have.

Still, I think Access or something already on my computer, say a table constructed in Word, should do if I ever find it have to build a list.

I Find I have to agree with Selector. I have but a small pike and thought I'd get maybe "one of everything" in my livery's line. My weakness to "have, own, possess" resulted in specifying a particular box car for Xmas from "SAnta" that was granted, only to find that I already owned an exact copy of it, still not yet even out of it's box. Not only that, but I have a few liveries, as one is a newer incarnate of an older, and I must possess some of all the incarnates so I may model several eras on the same line. SO, naturally, I find duplicates there also.

My weakness is boxcars, though now that I branch out to purchase other cars of different types, I must take care to avoid duplicates therein also.

Then there is the livery, whose shortened anacronym is comprised of mine and my other half's initials, that we must also "collect one of everything to run around the XMas tree".

I must start making a list of what I have to take with me to train shows and to peruse while "ordering" items from "Santa" in the future to avoid duplicates, which I fear shall wind up down below in the 'for sale' section of this fine website for someone else to purchase who may love them as much as I.
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E9

 

[tomstockton]

I use an Excel spreadsheet to inventory my rolling stock. Here are the columns I use:

* Car description (such as "Box, 40' wood-side", "Hopper, 34' 2-bay", etc)
* AAR description (XM, HD, etc.)
* Car length (40', 34' etc.)
* Reporting marks
* Railroad or owner
* Car color
* Markings color
* Logo color
* Paint job -- stock, custom, historical society, etc.
* Model manufacturer
* Box # the car is stored in -- "999" for cars yet to built, painted, etc.\
* Notes -- if car was a gift from friend, purchased on a vacation, etc.

At one time, I had a column called "Kadees" -- this is when I was converting from horn-hooks to operating knuckle couplers, almost all Kadees. Now I don't have that column. I may have to add a column for metal wheelsets as I am beginning to make that conversion fleet-wide... (time consuming AND expensive, but it will be worth it when I'm done)

If the car is a "duplicate" that I plan to renumber or totally repaint, the first two characters are "Z-", then the "current" reporting marks; as I normally sort by reporting marks, this kicks those cars to near the end of the list.

If the car is undecorated, the reporting marks are "ZZZ", the railroad is "UNDECORATED", the car, markings and logo colors are blank, and the paint job is "CUSTOM". Any further notes go in the "Notes" column. These cars normally appear at the end of my list.

I use a much simpler spreadsheet for my motive power -- engine type (2-8-0, GP-9 etc.) reporting marks, paint job, model manufacturer and notes.

This may sound rather complex, and it may well be. But I've done this from the days when I had less than 200 pieces of rolling stock, and updated as my fleet has grown. Now, with over 900 cars, I can go to my spreadsheet and tell you exactly what I have. And on "train show days", I print out an abbreviated list with only car description, reporting marks and model manufacturer. By using a small type, such as 7-point, I can get my entire inventory listed on three printed pages. I print pages 1 and 2 back to back, and then I can print my motive power spreadsheet on the back of the 3rd page of rolling stock.

This way, I can sort my rolling stock by railroad or owner, I can see how many cars were made by Athearn, or how many I've purchased from the historical society (Illinois Central, by the way). Or I can sort and see how many 55' covered hoppers I have.

Hopefully, if you're wanting to inventory your rolling stock, my ideas will be of service to you.

Regards,
Tom Stockton

p.s. -- to answer the most obvious question... Yes, I have CDO. That's Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, but the letters are in the correct order!

 

[Scordicus]

There are already quite a few free software cataloging programs out there that include the ability to add pictures/photos of your rolling stock, but the one I'm currently using is 'Easy Model Railroad Inventory'. Not only does it do the obvious, but unlike other cataloguing software I've used in the past, you can also add your layout industries and generate car cards and waybills as well!

It's a top piece of free software IMO...

 

[wheeler1963]

Did a search on yahoo for "railroad trains inventory program" came up with a couple of page full of programes that can be downloaded.

 

[Motley]

There are already quite a few free software cataloging programs out there that include the ability to add pictures/photos of your rolling stock, but the one I'm currently using is 'Easy Model Railroad Inventory'. Not only does it do the obvious, but unlike other cataloguing software I've used in the past, you can also add your layout industries and generate car cards and waybills as well!

It's a top piece of free software IMO...

I have this program also. Although I haven't really used it much. There is a lot of operations stuff built in. But does it keep track of which cars are on sidings and yards and stuff?

JRMI has these features.

 

[RW&C]

I figure, when I have enough trains to start a catalog, I'll have to admit that I have a problem.

 

[Rico]

Someone sent me "Yard Office" a while ago.
Works for me but as Willis said, I pretty much know what I have.

 

[Larry]

Some day down the road when I don't have anything to do for about 30 days & I'm to old to care I might sit down & catalog everything on my layout. That would be the only way. Occasionally I put up an engine roster, rolling stock roster, people roster, vehicle roster, building roster, rail roster, tree roster, rock roster, pebble roster, grass roster, fence roster, road roster, picture roster & some rosters that are never listed. I figure if someday I need to put all of that on an Inventory list I'll just look it all up on this forum, transfer all of the pictures over & Wa-La, Cataloged..

 

[TMLW]

I just use Excel to catalog what I have.

 

[tomstockton]

The main reason I've cataloged my engines and rolling stock is so that when I go to train shows, I will quit buying duplicates!

It serves as a focus for this:

* * * * *

(Scene: me at train show, looking at some rolling stock...)

Little kid me: "Wow! An Accurail Illinois Central box car! I want!"

Organized me: "Do you already have one?"

LKM: "Let's look at the list..."

OM: "Yes, I do. Are you going to take the time to re-number it?"

LKM: "No, probably not..."

OM: "Then put it back in the box and move along."

LKM (in grumpy voice): "All right..."

* * * * *

Regards,
Tom Stockton

 

[Scordicus]

I have this program also. Although I haven't really used it much. There is a lot of operations stuff built in. But does it keep track of which cars are on sidings and yards and stuff?

JRMI has these features.

I have no idea??

I use it because I have more rolling stock than real estate so most of my stock sadly resides in boxes, secondly some my stock is fitted with the horrid plastic horn hook coupler and it's handy to keep track of what stock still needs Kadee's fitted to it and/or plastic wheels that need changing to metal ones.

I haven't used all of the features on this software yet, but it is definitely an improvement on the previous bit of software I used which was purely for cataloging.

Cataloging and "keeping track of which cars are on sidings and yards and stuff" are two completely different things, that's more on the operational side of software along the lines of generating switch lists etc..

Now that sort of software, I would pay a little something for! There are a couple of bits of software out there that I have found that do car forwarding/routing but IMO I think they are well over priced...

 

[kenw]

I had an Excel spreadsheet I kept for many years, mostly to keep up with which cars/engines had been upgraded, modified, etc. It started as a simple exercise but grew into a monster with new columns added very often (kadees? weighted? metal wheels (brand)? truck (brand)?) ad nauseum.....

Somehow I managed to lose the file but over the years I've lost enough memory to make recreating it more of an exercise in frustration that of any real usefulness.....for example I probably have 2 bay cement hoppers from every one who ever made some and I'll be darned if I can recall which are by whom just by sight...

sometimes I forget that my main goal in the hobby is to have fun.....maybe by being less concerned about records management I can actually get back to running trains. What a concept.

I'm really thinking about those "not having so many that I need a way to keep up with them" comments....there's some mighty powerful wisdom lurking in that concept...

 

[LoudMusic]

If you really wanted to make something amazing, and I think it may exist in a rudimentary way, DCC transponding for ALL equipment on a layout. You could then know physically where all your equipment is. And with that data going to a PC you could build some pretty useful lists that are automatically updated by the layout while being operated. Just like the real thing!
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