Lone Wolf and Santa Fep.s. The guy with the paper and binder is the smartest because he will still have his list when the power goes out.
Yeah, but he still won't be able to run trains! :-)
[quote user=In regard to the original question of Spreadsheet or Software, I would say the answer is neither. A database is the answer. [/quote]
Software is the user interface to access the database. Both must be well designed so each functions to the utmost.
Bob
Photobucket Albums:NPBL - 2008 The BeginningNPBL - 2009 Phase INPBL - 2010 Downtown
Old thread but, with the Access database from Dave H that I use, I added a "train show inventory" report (there's one in there now - I think, or is it just that I added it in all the way, as in made a menu item for it and all so it looks like part of the program?) that is a simplified list of cars and locos that I can take along to shows as a checklist so I don't buy duplicates. If you have enough equipment to need a spreadsheet or database to keep track of it all, you probably have too much to just remember when you go to shows. Thus far I have all my locos, rolling stock, structures, and DCC equipment logged. I have a copy of it where I set up the industries on my previous layout so I could generate switch lists and car cards, but never did quite get that far.
I did do some design work towards making a mobile version with basically the train show list, so I could just have it on my phone, and even add new purchases and have them synced back in when I got home. Maybe one of these days. I also have a design to integrate the settings from JMRI so I don't have to enter loco roster information twice - Dave's program already has fields for basic stuff like decoder brand and model and address. Plus I just have this thing about using XML text files as a 'database'.
Years back when DOS and Windows 3.1 was all still a thing, I started a simple database for the club I belonged to, that would track some basic info about each loco and car, including who owned it and what color dot they were assigned (everyone had a color, stick a dot on the bottom of anything they owned, with their initials in it), plus it tracked member information and dues payment. Still have a copy floating around, not sure what it would run in these days, maybe that DosBox emulator that is used to play the old DOS games on modern computers.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
In regard to the original question of Spreadsheet or Software, I would say the answer is neither. A database is the answer. A spreadsheet is just a table that you can fill in. You can also do mathematical formulas like calculate the future value but it isn't very flexible and to move anything you move everything.
The problem with dedicated software is that operating systems change and software becomes out of date and by now I'm sure many of you know that a lot of old software doesn't like to run in new computers.
So building a database is the best answer. That is how businesses track their inventory. Each item is it's own record, or entry. You can sort the items by any field you have created. If you just want to see locomotives you can only show locos. If you only want to see Santa Fe locos you can sort it like that also. Plus you can print sorted lists or use the address merge feature to print car cards.
Database software like Excel or MS Works are always updated and have a history of being backward compatible meaning all of your old databases can always be read by the updated software. So when you get a new computer all your files still work.
p.s. The guy with the paper and binder is the smartest because he will still have his list when the power goes out.
Easy Model Railroad Inventory is available to download here. There is a comment pinned to the top with a link.
I made an Excel sheet, first page locomotives, and included manufacturer, model, road name, number, and paint scheme, along with places for what DCC decoder, sound, extra details, maintainance performed and when, price paid, and notes.
Second page is rail cars, including manufacturer, model, type of car, road name initials and number, paint scheme, loaded or not, what load if applicable, extra detailing, price paid, and notes.
Third page is accessories, including buildings, road vehicles, electronics accessories, and railroad specific tools. Includes price paid, manufacturer, type, and detail description of what it is.
Ricky W.
HO scale Proto-freelancer.
My Railroad rules:
1: It's my railroad, my rules.
2: It's for having fun and enjoyment.
3: Any objections, consult above rules.
Try Dallas Model works.com. You can inventory your cars and locomotives for free. And it works on a Mac which I use
I also use Easy Model Railroad Inventory. It is free and has more bells and whistles than I will ever use. Not only can you list your equipment, but also your library. I didn't realize I had so much stuff and I am not even finished listing.
Ken
Here's what's in my inventory file - Excel 2013
Manufacturer
Manufacturer#
Brand/Series
Car Type
Road Name
Road#
Car Description
Color
Truck Type
Coupler Type
Weathered
Scale
Bought at
Price
Have fun!
Dan
I too use Excel (actually Libre Office's version of it). And, like Wayne, I have tabs for each of my rolling inventory types (Locomotives, Boxcars, Gondolas, etc.). Mine is rather basic, I have columns for road name (or reporting marks), road number, description (e. g. 40 ft. single door boxcar), manufacturer and model number. I also have a last column for quantity, so that, when I add more to the list, all I need to do is add up the column so that I know how many locomotives, boxcars, etc. that I have. I am presently quite behind on updating the inventory, as I have acquired many new pieces over the last few years and have been busy spending my limited hobby time working on my layout. I only keep inventory on my rolling stock and motive power at this time, but adding the structures and accessories is only a matter of adding a new worksheet to the existing workbook.
Don - Specializing in layout DC->DCC conversions
Modeling C&O transition era and steel industries There's Nothing Like Big Steam!
I use a #2 Dixon Ticonderoga pencil and sheets of college ruled notebook paper to list my model railroad rolling stock. The boxcars are sorted alphabetically by reporting marks. All other cars are sorted by type. I have a separate section for cars run on my club layout. All is kept in a 3 ring binder.
kasskaboose Lone, How did you make the car card sheet? Using them would make train operations much more realistic. ~Lee
Lone,
How did you make the car card sheet? Using them would make train operations much more realistic.
~Lee
The car cards are printed on 3x5 note cards. Then I cut up ziplock baggies into 3x2 pieces and tape the plastic onto the cards to make the pockets for the waybills.
I use a separate database for my industries which send and receive shipments via rail to print the waybills. I use a seven day system so I can have variety and it allows me to have 'seasonal' freight in varying amounts on different days. I use colored paper to represent the different days.
Great idea w/ the Excel databases and taking them to train shows. Having a handy guide makes sense, but given that I have only 35 freight cars, it's highly unlikely I can find duplicates.
Here's a screenshot of a portion of my Excel-based inventory:
The page seen here is considerably longer than what's visible, and, as you can see at the bottom, there are tabs for other types of items, such as locomotives, passenger equipment, etc. Column width and height are whatever you set them at, and the number of them is unlimited.
Wayne
I created my own database for Mircosoft Works since it comes free with almost every new computer if you get the home bundle instead of the office bundle.
I have fields for everything imagined. And it’s easy to add more fields. I also made car cards to match which use the address merge feature to insert the car information onto the cards for printing car cards for operation. Also prints out my waybills.
Locomotives and rolling stock share one database. Figures, structures, vehicles, and books/magazines all get their own separate databases. All can be used for insurance.
This is an old picture, the new version also includes fields for the name and address where purchased, Date Sold.
trafficdesign Looking for an easy way to start tracking what cars and #s I've got. Have way too many cars to keep them in my head and initially just want to have an easy way to know what road numbers I need (and have) when I go to flea markets and shows. Am on a Mac so most of the Windows-based commercial programs are not an option for me. Hesitant to go the Excel route as I have no idea what fields are important to add. Looking for ideas and best practices... Ideally, (though it's probably too much to ask) does anyone have a source for a ready-made Excel spreadsheet or want to share their template???? Thanks! I USE EXCEL TO TRACK ALL MY MODEL TRAIN INVENTORY. I HAVE THE MANUFACTURE #, ROAD #, THE COST ETC. I KNOW HOW MUCH I BOUGHT FROM ALL MY SUPPLIERS, ALSO HAVE ALL ITEM IN A CATAGORY . ENGINES, ROLLING STOCK ETC. I ALSO WROTE A PICTURE PROGRAM USING EXCEL . IT HAS ALL THE PICTURES OF TRAIN SETS, ENGINES, ROLLING STOCK, TRANSFORMERS ETC. FORMULAS CONTROL WHERE ALL DATA IS TO GO. TRAIN GUY
Looking for an easy way to start tracking what cars and #s I've got. Have way too many cars to keep them in my head and initially just want to have an easy way to know what road numbers I need (and have) when I go to flea markets and shows.
Am on a Mac so most of the Windows-based commercial programs are not an option for me.
Hesitant to go the Excel route as I have no idea what fields are important to add. Looking for ideas and best practices...
Ideally, (though it's probably too much to ask) does anyone have a source for a ready-made Excel spreadsheet or want to share their template????
Thanks!
I USE EXCEL TO TRACK ALL MY MODEL TRAIN INVENTORY. I HAVE THE MANUFACTURE #, ROAD #, THE COST ETC. I KNOW HOW MUCH I BOUGHT FROM ALL MY SUPPLIERS, ALSO HAVE ALL ITEM IN A CATAGORY . ENGINES, ROLLING STOCK ETC. I ALSO WROTE A PICTURE PROGRAM USING EXCEL . IT HAS ALL THE PICTURES OF TRAIN SETS, ENGINES, ROLLING STOCK, TRANSFORMERS ETC.
FORMULAS CONTROL WHERE ALL DATA IS TO GO.
TRAIN GUY
I use Excel but I dont get into as much info as tstage. Very basic w/car type including abbreviation, rad name and number.
Bear "It's all about having fun."
Another vote for Excel. My columns are car type, road name, road number and color. Then, I've got a few extra columns that I put micellaneous stuff in, like whether it's a high-wheel boxcar, or whether it's an unbuilt kit still in the box. I try to put kits in as soon as I get them, because a primary use of the spreadsheet is to sort by road number and then use it to avoid buying duplicates at train shows.
I use a separate sheet for locomotives, which contains mostly decoder information. It's a convenient place to keep a record of CVs.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
I use an Excel template which my daughter created, and it contains folders for various types of equipment, such as Locomotives, Home road freight cars, Interchange freight cars, Non-revenue equipment, Passenger Equipment, etc., etc.
The number of categories is unlimited, as are the number and size of both the rows and the columns. I include reporting marks and car numbers, car type, length, manufacturer, modified or not, value, and include whatever comments apply to each item. Because I've sold a lot of home road (freelance equipment) over the years, I also keep track of those cars and locos - reporting marks and numbers - so that I don't inadvertently number a new item for a number already belonging to someone else (simply a matter of respect for anyone who liked my work enough to buy it). Sold items within the list have a coloured background to differentiate them from what's still in my possession.The programme will sort the items as you wish - mine are alphabetically by reporting marks and numerically within each similar group. You can add items as they're acquired, in their proper order, and each folder can be customised as to the categories, number and size of columns, etc. I'm sure that there are lots of other things it can do, too, but for me, the important thing is that it does what I need and it's simple to use - if it's simple for me, it should be simple for anybody.
stokesda Edit: I just remembered Dallas Model Works has some free web-based model rr management stuff on their website. You might want to check out what they have to offer. Look under the "My Railroad Apps" link on their website.
Edit: I just remembered Dallas Model Works has some free web-based model rr management stuff on their website. You might want to check out what they have to offer. Look under the "My Railroad Apps" link on their website.
Thanks for the Link to Dallas Model Works. Their online Railroad Apps look to be very useful and a source of great ideas for what I want to do!
I use Excel, and in addition to the fields mentioned, I also use:
Running (or operational), meaning - can the car be used in operations, or is it part of my unbuilt kit collection? Enter 1 for running, 0 for not ready.
I calculated the approximate number of the different types of cars I need for operations, to identify what I should be looking to acquire, and those where the inventory is sufficient.
Jim
I, too, use MS Access, but if you don't already own it, it is too expensive to buy for just this one task.
Dave
Lackawanna Route of the Phoebe Snow
Brought to you by the letters C.P.R. as well as D&H!
K1a - all the way
I have templates for this very exact reason. Do know they are in MS Works, not MS Excel. I highly recommend if you are able, use Works. It is much more suited to this very exacting task than Excel. I have used this method for decades. It is highly adaptable, changeable, and efficient. If your stuck with Apple, then disregard this post, I cant help you there.
I dont mind sharing my templates, but I think they may be more than what you need. Besides, only YOU know what YOU want to keep track of in your own files. I track almost 50 items of data per model. You might only want to keep a log of 10 items of info for your models. So that part is really up to you.
You mentioned yourself - 'road numbers'. That's one field of info right there. I bet you can think of others that would make each model uniquely identifiable to you. How about road number AND 'road name', car type, manufacturer, when and where and for how much did you buy it, and definately add a 'notes' column. That is an valuable field of info to track in inventory programs.
Once youve made your template, saved it, MADE A BACK UP COPY(!), you should copy it to your cell phone. When at a show, swap, or shop.... just pull it up and verify if you already have the car or not.
One more thing that most folks dont know..... your inventory sheet can be used by your home insurance provider for assessments should something happen to your collection. Pictures are a perfect item to combine with the inventory info. This should give you some thought towards the info you want to add to your spreadsheet.
Great list...thanks.
Part of the problem is that what you want to use the list for determines which fields and their order. For example if I wanted a list to take to a show to decide what models I needed or had, I might want a list that was ordered:
Model number
Type of equipment
Road name/initials
Number
Slogan
Couplers
Special equipment (DCC, etc)
On the other hand if I wanted a list for use on my home railroad I might want a list ordered like this:
Initial
Type
Length
Capacity
Home road
Special assignment
For my own inventory I would want all the above plus:
Coupler brand
Wheel type and brand
Weight
DCC decoder model
Sound equipped?
If I wanted a list for my insurance records I would have all the above fields, plus the following:
Purchase date
Purchase price
Current value
Added details
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
trafficdesign dehusman For most people who just want a list to take to shows and swap meets, a spreadsheet will provide all the power they need. For all of those who use spreadsheets for tracking their model railroad inventories, would there be an interest in sharing fields to create a master spreadsheet template that we can post online? I'd be happy to take a stab at programming one and sharing it - if everyone wants to provide ideas and input??? My thinking is that providing a free Excel template of the fields that we all feel is important we can create a 'best practice' and help newbies like me to start in the hobby. tstage tstage has suggested: Type - i.e. Diesel, Steam, boxcar, gondola, etc. Builder - i.e. Lima, Balwin, Schenectady, etc. Type/Length/Size/Capacity - i.e. HH600, 4-8-2, 6-panel wood, 10K gallon, etc. Road - i.e. NYC, PRR, Erie, etc. Road#/Name - i.e. 80515, Imperial Crown (passanger) Sound - (Only for locomotives) Manufacturer - Accurail, BLI, Stewart, etc. Comments Any thoughts on this project?
dehusman For most people who just want a list to take to shows and swap meets, a spreadsheet will provide all the power they need.
For most people who just want a list to take to shows and swap meets, a spreadsheet will provide all the power they need.
For all of those who use spreadsheets for tracking their model railroad inventories, would there be an interest in sharing fields to create a master spreadsheet template that we can post online? I'd be happy to take a stab at programming one and sharing it - if everyone wants to provide ideas and input???
My thinking is that providing a free Excel template of the fields that we all feel is important we can create a 'best practice' and help newbies like me to start in the hobby.
tstage tstage has suggested: Type - i.e. Diesel, Steam, boxcar, gondola, etc. Builder - i.e. Lima, Balwin, Schenectady, etc. Type/Length/Size/Capacity - i.e. HH600, 4-8-2, 6-panel wood, 10K gallon, etc. Road - i.e. NYC, PRR, Erie, etc. Road#/Name - i.e. 80515, Imperial Crown (passanger) Sound - (Only for locomotives) Manufacturer - Accurail, BLI, Stewart, etc. Comments
tstage has suggested:
Any thoughts on this project?
Your enthusiasm is appreciated, but a spreadsheet is so simple to create, I'm not sure it's really necessary to "crowd source" a generic template to post to the web for others to use. Tstage had a pretty good start on suggested fields, and others have chimed in with other helpful suggestions. Like someone else mentioned, what's "important" is what's "important" to you. You can very easily go back and add another column later if you decide you need to keep track of one more piece of information.... or delete a column if you think that particular bit of information doesn't turn out to be that useful.
If you get to the point where you want to keep track of more than a dozen or so fields, I'd recommend taking a look at EMRI, which was previously mentioned. It's a simple database program that has more fields than you can probably ever use, and you can create reports and extract data to a spreadsheet. A word of caution, as of a few months ago, it would only let you create a spreadsheet if you had Excel installed on your machine. It didn't work with LibreOffice. It's a very basic program, and kind of rough around the edges, but it's simple to learn and gets the job done. Here is a link.
Dan Stokes
My other car is a tunnel motor