New to the site and Train Watching. Wonder how others log the trains, log books or computer programs. Thanks
I would guess from the lack of responses, that not a lot of forum posters log trains. I understand ther is an app that tracks trains in real time, so perhaps there is less incentive to log trains today. I don't log trains, but I have made lists of railroads I rode, and used a spreadsheet on computer.
I used to try to log engine numbers that I saw... wrote them on a piece of paper and transfered the numbers to an Excel spreadsheet later.
I found I seldom to never looked at the spreadsheet to see what I had seen before or how often...
AND...
I spent way too much time looking at the piece of paper writing down numbers and often missed the 2nd, 3rd and any other engines in the consist.
Not only that, but I was there to look at the trains, not the piece of paper!
Similar to the reason I stopped taking photos of trains... I was looking at them in the tiny, limited-view of the viewfinder and missing the joy of seeing them "in person".
Don't mean to discourage you, but, for me, logging trains was a waste of time and detracted from the fun.
Semper Vaporo
Pkgs.
If you're new to train-watching, just put down what interests you most. You may want to count cars, you may want to record the numbers off locomotives. If you're looking to determine a schedule of sorts for the trains you see, you need to note the time and direction, and perhaps a description of the types of cars seen in a train (all coal cars, stack cars, passenger cars, etc., or a mixed freight). If you want to learn about what you're seeing, write back with some of your observations, and ask questions if you need to. There are lots of willing people on the Forum who will try to answer your questions and keep you interested and curious.First of all, where are you? Do you know what railroad you're looking at (look at the identification plate on a grade crossing if you have doubts)? Do you have anything you are looking to see, or are interested in seeing or learning?My notes have to do with freight cars. I was about 12 when I decided that I wanted to see how many different railroads I could see freight cars from, what types of cars, and their number series (I guess some signs of Asperger's Syndrome are being interested in numbers and in trains). Of course, this morphed into something far more sophisticated over the past 50 or so years, and I keep track of builders and dates, changes in ownership, and all sorts of neat things. I get more information off some trains than I know how to handle!As for how you keep your records, that's entirely up to you. Write things down for now; keep them handy and organized. When you decide all of the things you're interested in, set yourself up on a computer. I don't know the first thing about spreadsheets, but that might be a way to go. There are many "toys" that will make train-watching a better experience for you. I don't use them often, because I'm too busy writing notes. But a camera of some sort is useful, as is a portable scanner (where they're legal) tuned in to railroad frequencies (let us know which railroad and where, and someone will be able to supply the frequencies). Or a computer program like an ATCS Monotor for your line might be useful, especially if it's a busier line. I also don't know how young or mobile you are. If you are able to get around, someone might be able to suggest a place near you where more trains can be seen. If you want an example of a fairly busy train-watching spot, check out the webcam at Rochelle, Illinois, which can be accessed using this home page.The most important thing is to have fun. If it becomes a chore, you might be in the wrong hobby. Until then, welcome!
Carl
Railroader Emeritus (practiced railroading for 46 years--and in 2010 I finally got it right!)
CAACSCOCOM--I don't want to behave improperly, so I just won't behave at all. (SM)
Even if all you do want to do is log locomotives, a camera will make the task just that much easier. Decent digital point-and-shoot cameras, with exceptional resolution, aren't all that expensive these days.
Just shoot pictures of the motive power (or whatever) as it passes (all the units) and pull the info off later for your log/spreadsheet/database. Not only will you have a photographic record, but you'll be able to spend more time actually watching the trains, instead of having your head buried in a notebook.
If that is what you want to do, I'd recommend a database, as you can sort it to see if you have multiple sightings. I'd probably log the location as well. As you range further out, you may see a given locomotive in a variety of locations, which could prove interesting.
If all you're doing is logging equipment, you can probably delete most of the pictures once you log the information, although keeping the images (storage is pretty cheap these days, too) might prove useful some years down the road when you find you've still got a picture of some now-significant locomotive in your files.
As has been said, the important part is to have fun. Don't lose sight of that.
And welcome! You'll find a variety of skills and interests here - real railroaders, long-time fans with a plethora of knowledge, photographers, and just plain people who like railroads.
There are no stupid questions - as witnessed by a long-running thread a few years ago entitled "Nora's Stupid Question Thread." A lot of people learned a lot from the thread, and Nora went on to a job or three with the railroad...
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
I'm finding it interesting what others are doing. I log in 2 different ways when railfanning. Surprisingly, I do reference both from time to time. First, while railfanning I log the date, location, type (mixed, coal, etc.) direction, & time. Secondly, after downloading the photos at home, I use a spreadsheet to record engine number, railroad, location, any special notes & date.
Right now, there are about 2,250 different locomotives that I have seen & taken photos of. Bear in mind, I'm not a very good photographer, so not many would be what you could call "publishable".
Tom
Pittsburgh, PA
Thanks for the reply, sound like a good system. I will look for a spreadsheet program. Sounds like you have a great collection. Don Somonauk Il.
Thanks for the reply, good info. I'm only 1 hour or so away from Rochelle and plan to drive there soon. Mostly watch in the Somonauk, Sandwich, Ottawa, Braidwood IL. area now. BNSF and UP are the main lines and I see alot of traffic. Plan on also getting a scanner soon. Enjoy logging the loco's the most, great stuff. Thanks again. Don
If you are saving your list on computer, there are 3 usual methods: table, database, and spreadsheet.
Tables are usually found in word processors (eg. Microsoft Word) and are easy to set up. Because they are in a word processor they often enable fancy fonts. However, it's lmited what you can do with them other than to look pretty.
Databases (eg. Microsoft Access) are the safest way to store data. They have tools like queries that help you search entries or sort records. However, they are hard to set up and the software can be expensive to buy.
Spreadsheets (eg. Microsoft Excel) are tables that are easy to set up, use, and modify. Plus you can sort and filter records, and do calculations on the data (for example, if you record the number of cars in trains, you could easly figure the average number of cars in a train)
Word and Excel come in the Microsoft Office package. MS Access is more expensive and is more than you want for hobby projects. There may be freeware on the internet, however, if that loses support your list is lost.
Will try Excel, Thanks for the advice.
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