Are there any useful train inventory software programs? I am looking for something a step up from Excel. A lot of the discussions I found on MR or google are really old, and links to many systems don't exist.
PRR01 I am looking for something a step up from Excel.
What do you consider a step up from Excel? What is your purpose in having a train database? Are you interested in having a nicer input screen, or are you looking for something that will track operations across you layout? Because if you are just looking to store data about your equipment, you are just going to have a data table--which is something Excel excels at.
Chip
Building the Rock Ridge Railroad with the slowest construction crew west of the Pecos.
I use Excel. It makes a data base that I can use. I keep things like prototype length in feet, purchase date, reporting marks, maintenance history, purchase price, and more. Excel will sort on anything in the database. And from using Excel in my old day job, I a pretty familiar with it. And you can embed BASIC code in an Excel spread sheet to do just about anything.
David Starr www.newsnorthwoods.blogspot.com
RR_MelI agree with Mouse
Take note people. Having someone agree with me just doesn't happen every day.
I did a multipage inventory using Excel (with some help from my daughter). I like the fact that I can update it at any time, even on my Mac, which doesn't otherwise seem to play very well with MS Word.
Here's a partial screenshot...(click on it for an enlarged view)
It also allows me to keep track of all of the home road cars I've owned over the years, so that a car number is never duplicated unless I know for sure that the original has been destroyed.
Wayne
I've used Excel too, and have found it to fill every record keeping need. I print a copy of the freight car inventory to take to train shows to avoid buying duplicates.
I'm in the process of programming Excel to inspect the cars, clean the wheels and correct coupler height as needed, but progress has been slow.
Jim
Excell spread sheet.
Just easy, and no extra software costs, as it came with my purchase of office.
I have one sheet loco's, one sheet freight cars, one sheet electronics and trackage, and one sheet "accessories", which is anything that doesn't fit the other categories listed. (Buildings, automotive models, tools, etc...)
Yes, other programs allow photos to be included, but, no big deal for me there.
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.
Excel is best, Access would be overkill. It would be pretty easy to write some simple VBA (i.e. macros) and use a basic userform to make data entry easier. That way you wouldn't have to put it all in rows and columns, the macro/userform would do it for you.
I go another step and use Google Sheets. That way I can look something up on the road.
At Boothbay Railway Village, we use Easy Model Railroad Inventory. It is a freeware program.
http://easy-model-railroad-inventory.software.informer.com/5.4/
George In Midcoast Maine, 'bout halfway up the Rockland branch
I use 'Yard Office'. It is a free inventory program designed specifically for model railroaders. I liked it enough that I bought the upgrade. The program is set up to allow you to store just about any information about each piece of rolling stock that you could want. It also allows you to attach multiple pictures to each listing.
http://www.musicmixradio.com/yardoffice/
Note that the Yard Office home page isn't displayed properly when I use Chrome. There is some overlapping text. You may have to try another browser.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
I use Dave Husman's CarCard Generator which does a whole lot more than car cards, it has a full and detailed inventory of locomotives and rolling stock as well as structures and other model railroad items. PLUS it does the car cards and waybills and switch lists for operation, if you so desire.
Old? So what? It's a model train inventory, what has changed in 10 years? Being a niche within a niche within a niche, model train inventory software isn;t under the pressure to add umpteen new features every couple of years like more mainstream stuff like word processors and spreadsheets. As such, the software is stable and relatively bug free as the authors concentrate on making sure it works instead of adding feature after feature that hardly anyone needs.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
PRR01Are there any useful train inventory software programs?
Wow, I wouldn't know where to begin doing this. I never have. So much has come and gone.
It just always seemed so unimportant to me, way too much "bookkeeping". I guess what shelves and boxes of stuff I have, must fail in volume comparison as to what many of you have, that you need an inventory program to keep track of it all.
I know one thing, that if I was to start a list, or inventory, I would use any one of the office programs, such as Excel, that I already have on my computer(s).
Good luck PRR01 with your "inventory control".
Mike.
My You Tube
I use free "My Railroad Apps" menu on Dallas Model Works website. Can be as simple or detailed as you want.
USAF (Retired)
I'm not sure what size of collection has to do with an inventory program (OK if you only have 1 loco and 4 cars, you probably DON'T need an inventory program). In addition to having a full list of everything I bought (which is stored on my server, which is backed up to a cloud backup, thus it will survive any disaster that should happen to my home), which would come in very handy for insurance purposes (some day I will get around to having a full photo roster as well), I added my own report to the database (which wasn't int he odler versions, but is now) that makes a small rather high density list of road names and numebrs that I can take along to train shows and keep from buying duplicate equipment.
There are fields in this database to record what you paid for a piece, what it might be worth now, and other stuff like what kind of couplers it has (I use all Kadee, but not everything takes a #5 or #148), what kinds of wheels (I repalce all plastic wheels with metal, but there are several kinds, plus a subset of my rolling stock has resistor wheelsets to active the detection system at the club - eventually all will be so equipped as I will be installing detection and signalling on my layout). Plus many other things that I don't necessarily use. When I come home with some new kits, one of the first things I do is enter them into the database, using one of the notes fields to indicate "unbuilt kit", which gets removed once I get around to building it. It's extremely useful to know what you have, and in many cases, when you got it.
Great questions!
I would go back a step, and ask why have an inventory at all? I used to keep my inventory (homemade Access tool), but I wasn't using the information for anything. My intent was to keep a maintenance history, so it could generate a list of pieces that were due for service, but I spent a lot of time entering info when I was just giving things an annual once-over anyway. And all the bad ordered bits are parked on a service lot anyway.
I guess there's an attraction to having a nice list. Or if you do a lot of buying and selling, being able to keep track of what is available to sell/barter. I've gotten over wanting a nice list and don't do a lot of equipment changes.
Keep an inventory if you like, but only if you have a good use for the data. Otherwise you're pounding in info and updates with no return benefit.
Genesee Terminal, freelanced HO in Upstate NY ...hosting Loon Bay Transit Authority, run through Amtrak and CSX Intermodal
CP/D&H, N scale, somewhere on the Canadian Shield
CanalligatorsI would go back a step, and ask why have an inventory at all?....
I had a couple of reasons for creating an inventory. One was to keep track of all my free-lanced home road equipment. Stuff suitable for the '50s, '60s and early '70s has all been sold-off or given away, but I don't want to re-use numbers, just in case I do another era change and the same friends (or strangers) buy stuff with numbers identical to what they bought last time.
My other reason for an inventory was to aid in disposal of stuff after I go for that last train ride. A friend and I have a mutual agreement to take care of that for the first one of us out of the picture. It just makes things a little simpler, and that's the only reason I included prices in mine - not as if he has to get that price, but only to ensure that he doesn't over-value things, as he's commented, more than once, that the numbers are too low. The whole idea is to get rid of it, so I disagree.
A minor consideration, especially for the models of prototype rolling stock and locomotives, is the record of car types and, more importantly, car numbers. It's much easier to check the written record than to go through hundreds of boxes just to make sure that I'm not lettering a new boxcar with the same number as one already on the layout.With my luck, I'd post a photo here of a train on my layout, with two identically-numbered cars coupled to one another, and not notice it until 27 others had pointed out my error....sorta negates the reason for choosing to letter almost all of my rolling stock, rather than go with factory paint and lettering.
I use a program called RRTrains2000.
It provides a listing/form that includes Model, RoadName,Number, Color, Scale, Era, Category, Type, Coupler DCC?, Manufacturer, Catalog Number, Date purchased, and Value. There is also a place for a photograph.
The program is easy to use and best of all its free. Here is the link, just scroll down the page to RRTrains2000.
http://www.gregorybraun.com
Remember its your railroad
Allan
Track to the BRVRR Website: http://www.brvrr.com/
Canalligators I would go back a step, and ask why have an inventory at all?
I would go back a step, and ask why have an inventory at all?
For me, it's mainly to keep a record of what all I have should the unthinkable happen and I have to replace anything.
Several years ago, I purchased a model railroad database program called Train Track. It worked great, but I could only install it on either my PC or my laptop. I chose my laptop since I could take it down to the basement with me. Last year, I had to upgrade my PC and later my laptop since they were unable to go past Windows XP. I got a new PC and laptop running Windows 10. I went to contact the place I'd gotten Train Track from before, but they're apparently no longer around. I was going to keep my old laptop for just the database, but video going out on the laptop forced me to get screenshots of the rolling stock records before retiring the laptop.
When I'd purchased the new laptop, I'd also purchased the full version of Office 2016 through my company's home use program where we could get one copy of it for only $10. With it came Access 2016. I'd never used Access before, but after watching tutorial videos for Access on YouTube, it really isn't difficult to use. I've been able to recreate the original database with little effort, even customizing it to include maintenance/service records for my locomotive fleet. By learning Access, I've also found other uses for it with my inventory of books, DVDs, CDs, etc. around home, which I already had on Excel spreadsheets but have since converted.
Kevin
http://chatanuga.org/RailPage.html
http://chatanuga.org/WLMR.html
G Paine At Boothbay Railway Village, we use Easy Model Railroad Inventory. It is a freeware program. http://easy-model-railroad-inventory.software.informer.com/5.4/
I was really surpried that this one was only mentined once in this subject thread? On another forum it came highly recommended.
https://easy-model-railroad-inventory.software.informer.com/5.4/
Brian
My Layout Plan
Interesting new Plan Consideration
Having started to inventory my small fleet, I found Excel works fine. Excel provides what I need to then convert the list to car cards and way bills. These tools help me to create more operations than simply keeping track of the cars.
The questions to ask are why you need an inventory system? How much time you plan on spending in updating it? Want something free or with a cost? Should you want something quick, flexible, and free, go with Excel.
This is an old thread that has been brought back to life so l will throw in my approach. Like many, I used Excell for many years and it worked well for me. But then I started implementing JMRI OperationsPro. Since OpsPro also has a car inventory feature included and it is a required element to run OpsPro, I decided I did not want to maintain two seperate inventories. I am still in transition but when I am done, my OpsPro inventory list will be my only list. I can still export my OpsPro list to an Excell sheet any time I want if I want an Excel version to look at. The only flaw in this approach is that the OpsPro file does not allow as many fields to play with as I do in Excel.
Paul D
N scale Washita and Santa Fe RailroadSouthern Oklahoma circa late 70's
I have used JMRI and Easy Model Railroad Inventory (EMRI). EMRI is also freeware available on the internet. I have been frustrated with both, so I have gone back to using Excel and am happy as a clam.
Bear "It's all about having fun."
I don't think anything can do a better job of a simple inventory sheet than Excel does.
.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Another vote for Excel. I can also use it on my cellphone, which makes it handy and convenient to check when I'm out n' about at a train show or LHS.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
What would the equivalent program be in Open Office suite?
Brian,
You want Calc:
https://www.openoffice.org/product