Hi Everyone, just wondered what everyone does to keep organised lists etc of their Railway Stock.
I came across this recently and have explored the manual and taken the Demo version and it really does look good, can even add photos, categorize everything and add PDF details of the Manufacturers Instructions.
http://www.modeltraincatalogue.com/manual.html (http://www.modeltraincatalogue.com/manual.html)
Are their any users on here?
Hi
I have never bothered cataloguing my stock, but seeing your post set me thinking, "suppose I had a burglary, I only have a vague idea of what I actually have got"
Perhaps I had better set to and at least make a list
Quote from: steve836 on November 01, 2014, 05:26:54 PM
Hi
I have never bothered cataloguing my stock, but seeing your post set me thinking, "suppose I had a burglary, I only have a vague idea of what I actually have got"
Perhaps I had better set to and at least make a list
Steve have a look at what that Catalogue can provide in info and reference, even allows you to enter where you keep the model or who you lent it to !
I use Excel* myself, and have different types of item on different tabs - engines, freight wagons, coaches, buildings etc. Works for me. If I could be bothered, I'd prep a database & expand what I do record !
Mike
* Other spreadsheets are rumoured to be available, and free
I use excel Spreadsheet, Simple and cheep, you can include any details you want very flexible.
I don't catalogue my stock per se, but I do catalogue my maintenance work. Seeing as that's my main interest in the hobby, that's what works for me.
I use Excel. Everytime a "new" loco needs servicing or maintenance work done, a new tab gets created. Within that tab (or sheet) an entry is made each time some work is carried out. I have columns to record current draw pre and post the work, columns to record where oiling has been carried out, columns for various parts of the mechanism to indicate if it was replaced / cleaned, a column to record all components changed, a column to record commutator segment resistance readings and a general comments box to put into words what was carried out and any outstanding work to be carried out. Some other columns in there too.
Completely over the top for most people, but as I said, seeing that's my main interest in the hobby, I like to do it. It's handy when you have to return to a loco, since you can look up what work has been carried out on it previously. Great for when you've worked on a loco so much in terms of fault finding, you've forgotten what you've tried and what you haven't.
Good luck with the stock cataloguing.
Dan
Excel here too. Locos, rolling stock, track and electronics go into it as soon as I purchase them, along with the cost to give me a total value to declare to my insurer (although I find myself trying to avoid looking at the total...)
JB
I do pretty much the same as JB.
East to maintain and keeps an eye on how much I've spent - so far :o
Dave G
Quote from: georgehgv on November 01, 2014, 05:05:14 PM
Hi Everyone, just wondered what everyone does to keep organised lists etc of their Railway Stock.
I came across this recently and have explored the manual and taken the Demo version and it really does look good, can even add photos, categorize everything and add PDF details of the Manufacturers Instructions.
http://www.modeltraincatalogue.com/manual.html (http://www.modeltraincatalogue.com/manual.html)
Are their any users on here?
Just downloaded the demo which allows you to put 10 records in before you have to pay for the registered version.
Looks very comprehensive, simple to use and inexpesive (about £11)
Will give this a try when i get a bit of time.
Will be paying my £11 soon as the programme is very comprehensive.
Quote from: georgehgv on November 01, 2014, 06:41:01 PM
Will be paying my £11 soon as the programme is very comprehensive.
Did you try the demo?
Quote from: austinbob on November 01, 2014, 06:45:02 PM
Quote from: georgehgv on November 01, 2014, 06:41:01 PM
Will be paying my £11 soon as the programme is very comprehensive.
Did you try the demo?
Indeed I did Bob and it is so simple to use and in my opinion pretty cheap as well, looking for instruction sheets will be thing of the past as can attach them as PDF to each loco.
By the way sent you PM
Quote from: georgehgv on November 01, 2014, 06:50:12 PM
Quote from: austinbob on November 01, 2014, 06:45:02 PM
Quote from: georgehgv on November 01, 2014, 06:41:01 PM
Will be paying my £11 soon as the programme is very comprehensive.
Did you try the demo?
Indeed I did Bob and it is so simple to use and in my opinion pretty cheap as well, looking for instruction sheets will be thing of the past as can attach them as PDF to each loco.
By the way sent you PM
George.
First impressions are goooood...
I too use Excel, separate tabs for Loco's, Multiple Units, Coaches, Wagons, DCC Codes and To Do Lists (includes planned Rolling Stock to build)
Steven
Excel spreadsheet for all my rolling stock and a Word document that contains detailed info on all my locomotives.
Paddy
OneNote notebook with all other information, split by era and has all cv values in embedded excel spreadsheets
OneNote is Microsoft's second greatest app
Excel spreadsheet for me too - listing details of loco by region, number, name etc. Separate pages for rolling stock and pre-orders (of which there are many :-[)
Quote from: steve836 on November 01, 2014, 05:26:54 PM
Hi
I have never bothered cataloguing my stock, but seeing your post set me thinking, "suppose I had a burglary, I only have a vague idea of what I actually have got"
I guess if someone stole all my railway stuff they'd also have it away with my laptop so I just hope they don't find the external back up :uneasy:
Having used up all the free space rather swiftly in my opinion it was well worth splashing out with the £10.99. to expand the programme to accommodate all my stock.
Never mind Excel which is OK if you are any good with PC but MTC does all the work for me and allows alterations to tailor it to suit my exact requirements, and all simple enough for me to actually understand and use.
Good for me anyway.
:ngauge:
Quote from: Zakalwe on November 01, 2014, 08:41:22 PM
OneNote notebook with all other information, split by era and has all cv values in embedded excel spreadsheets
OneNote is Microsoft's second greatest app
Ah - what is OneNote then, kind of like a spreadsheet, or database? Think I have that on my computer - will have to have a play.
Zakalwe, good for you if it works. There's no right and wrong and if you've found something that you like, then that's all that matters.
Nobby, haven't you got a bicycle chain from your Chopper from days gone by ... chain the computer to the desk! :P
Cheers
Dan
Meh.
QuoteFor Windows 2000/XP/Vista/Windows 7/Windows 8/8.1
When you don't know how to use Excel, Model Train Catalogue makes it so easy.
Hello rmille!
Welcome to the NGF! :thumbsup:
I use Excel.
But then I already have it. And am used to using it.
I'm just going to upload it onto 'the cloud' so that I can access it if the worst happens..
Quote from: DesertHound on November 02, 2014, 11:03:39 AM
:ngauge:Quote from: Zakalwe on November 01, 2014, 08:41:22 PM
OneNote notebook with all other information, split by era and has all cv values in embedded excel spreadsheets
OneNote is Microsoft's second greatest app
Ah - what is OneNote then, kind of like a spreadsheet, or database? Think I have that on my computer - will have to have a play.
Zakalwe, good for you if it works. There's no right and wrong and if you've found something that you like, then that's all that matters.
Nobby, haven't you got a bicycle chain from your Chopper from days gone by ... chain the computer to the desk! :P
Cheers
Dan
Onenote is a notebook, organized into books, tabs and pages and saves on the go so no need to save early, save often. It allows all other office apps to embed seamlessly so i have embedded spreadsheets, pictures, snips, links, etc. For eg if you snip from a web page it keeps the hyper link against the snip so you can get back to the web page
coolest thing is it has a brilliant search facility including all text in (for example) pdf's etc and can also be used to OCR documents this way.
also share mine onto the cloud so i can get to it on my phone and on other PC's
Also with using excel and word. I have a app on my phone Evernote this is linked to my computer and I save the lists and pages to that and the I have access to them when out and about at the Shop. Show. Club or mates.
I use Excel as a cheap (Free) and cheerful inventory.
I decided to build it when I started taking Southbridge Mk1 (The current is Mk2) to exhibitions and was asked about the value of the layout and stock.
My wife doesn't do much computing. I really hope she never finds the spreadsheet :-[
Another Excel user here, and as a designer also, mine's very neatly and tidily structured.
Quote from: newportnobby on November 01, 2014, 09:37:22 PM
I guess if someone stole all my railway stuff they'd also have it away with my laptop so I just hope they don't find the external back up :uneasy:
You could also backup to DVD once every few months. That's much less likely to go missing along with your laptop. True, you'd lose a couple of months of work, but the rest would still be there as a backup to the backup.
Quote from: Luke Piewalker on November 02, 2014, 12:27:39 PM
I'm just going to upload it onto 'the cloud' so that I can access it if the worst happens..
And anyone else can also access it if the worst happens (such as hacking, which is not that infrequent). ;)
I also use Excel.
I've defined the following fields:
-> Scale / Stock type / Brand / Reference / Model / Country / Company / Livery / Comment / Coupler type.
The intention here is not to follow my stock, but to help my family when the time comes to sell my stuff.
I'm just at the beginning of fulfilling it.
For the stock type, I've defined several possible values for the stock type (they are so many...):
-> Multiple unit / Electric railcar / Railcar (diesel or steam) / Caboose / Snow plow / Set / Rail motor car / Diesel locomotive / Electric locomotive / Electro-diesel locomotive / Steam locomotive / Coach / Sleeping car / Wagon / CIWL sleeping car / Building / Vehicle / Other
The only drawback with Excel is the impossibility to properly handle pictures.
Quote from: ohlavache on November 03, 2014, 02:12:51 PM
The only drawback with Excel is the impossibility to properly handle pictures.
It's far from ideal, but there are a few tricks that make putting pictures into Excel more manageable.
For Example: you can insert a picture into a 'coment box' so that you see the picture when you hover over that cell
I use JMRI Rosters
Even if you don't use DCC it is model railway related, has a notes section and you can add pictures.
It is effectivly a free unlimited database that runs on a variety of operating systems.
Was going to put 'variety of platforms' but thought better of it.
I use LibreOffice Calc which is truely free. (Son has MS Excel on his laptop but you have to pay an annual fee to Microsoft of £89!).
Quote from: Pete33 on November 03, 2014, 01:14:05 PM
And anyone else can also access it if the worst happens (such as hacking, which is not that infrequent). ;)
I was going to do the 'where everyone can access it' joke... :D
Quote from: Luke Piewalker on November 03, 2014, 06:10:48 PM
Quote from: Pete33 on November 03, 2014, 01:14:05 PM
And anyone else can also access it if the worst happens (such as hacking, which is not that infrequent). ;)
I was going to do the 'where everyone can access it' joke... :D
That's the Cloud for you. :D
Quote from: georgehgv on November 01, 2014, 06:50:12 PM
Quote from: austinbob on November 01, 2014, 06:45:02 PM
Quote from: georgehgv on November 01, 2014, 06:41:01 PM
Will be paying my £11 soon as the programme is very comprehensive.
Did you try the demo?
Indeed I did Bob and it is so simple to use and in my opinion pretty cheap as well, looking for instruction sheets will be thing of the past as can attach them as PDF to each loco.
By the way sent you PM
Just bought the full version at £10.99 and got the registration key within a few minutes (never seen such a long registration key though!) Looks like a good deal.
I appreciate the fact that you can use excel and other progs to perform this function, but this program is ready made, comprehensive, works and is not expensive. I'd rather use this than develop my own spreadsheet or use OneNote (I'm not sure that this a good choice for this application anyway!)
Hmm , this is an interesting little thread ! Obviously , lots of Excel users + other options . Also ties in with insurance cover to some extent maybe ? Personally , I use a card index file for all my loco details (including costs , CVs , problems , reliability issues etc) .These cards I use ALL the time for reference . Never got round to listing all the other rolling stock , but periodically I do take photos of my stock storage trays for this reason.....but not as often as I should ! Also , all my locos (DCC) are on Decoderpro & on Railmaster which is my operating system .Cheers , Ric
Quote from: austinbob on November 03, 2014, 08:02:05 PM
Quote from: georgehgv on November 01, 2014, 06:50:12 PM
Quote from: austinbob on November 01, 2014, 06:45:02 PM
Quote from: georgehgv on November 01, 2014, 06:41:01 PM
Will be paying my £11 soon as the programme is very comprehensive.
Did you try the demo?
Indeed I did Bob and it is so simple to use and in my opinion pretty cheap as well, looking for instruction sheets will be thing of the past as can attach them as PDF to each loco.
By the way sent you PM
Just bought the full version at £10.99 and got the registration key within a few minutes (never seen such a long registration key though!) Looks like a good deal.
I appreciate the fact that you can use excel and other progs to perform this function, but this program is ready made, comprehensive, works and is not expensive. I'd rather use this than develop my own spreadsheet or use OneNote (I'm not sure that this a good choice for this application anyway!)
Glad you like it Bob, that is why I thought worth sharing, very easy to add items and edit, very impressed that I have all the details to hand and searchable. Great for locating stored items etc that are listed.
I did have pictures in my excel, but I took them out as I decided I didn't need them.
Quote from: steve836 on November 01, 2014, 05:26:54 PM
Hi
I have never bothered cataloguing my stock, but seeing your post set me thinking, "suppose I had a burglary, I only have a vague idea of what I actually have got"
Perhaps I had better set to and at least make a list
I have never bothered cataloguing my stock either, but seeing George's OP set me thinking " wow, here's a whole new level of stuff that I've not thought of - I can truly horrify the family with this!"
I'm looking forward to grappling with this new and obscure element of the hobby - thanks! ☺😨
Donald
if it comes to my passing and my wife sells my n gauge stock i hope she gets what they are worth, not what i said i paid for them......
same applies to my bikes as well
and the laptops
and at least one car
I`ve been using MTC for the last two or three years after seeing it advertised in the N-Gauge Journal, suits me down to the ground simple to use and keep track of stock. After sales service is brilliant too, I managed to corrupt my short cut link to the program one email later I had the info to retrieve my lost data. Would highly recommend this to any one. :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Help, just received the registration key :claphappy: but for the life of me can't figure out how to find the page to insert the registration key :veryangry:. Any help greatly appreciated. :thankyousign:
Tony
For me the advantage of using Excel is that I am not tied in to a proprietary application. I know Excel is from Microsoft but all being well it is going to be around for many years to come. I have spreadsheets dating back to 1991 that I can still access today with the latest version of Excel.
Paddy
Quote from: hawkeye on November 07, 2014, 02:49:14 PM
Help, just received the registration key :claphappy: but for the life of me can't figure out how to find the page to insert the registration key :veryangry:. Any help greatly appreciated. :thankyousign:
Tony
Tony go to the top of the screen and click on the right hand 'Maintenance' Tab
Then click on the 'Registration' tab at top right
You will then be asked for your email address (I think) and the registration key which you can copy and paste from your registration email so you don't have to type a 1000 characters in!
Make sure you do the email or user name first and then the registration key. If you do it the other way round it sticks a computer two fingers up at you!!
Regards and happy catalogueing.
Quote from: Paddy on November 07, 2014, 05:02:28 PM
For me the advantage of using Excel is that I am not tied in to a proprietary application. I know Excel is from Microsoft but all being well it is going to be around for many years to come. I have spreadsheets dating back to 1991 that I can still access today with the latest version of Excel.
Paddy
Paddy
MTC allows you to export all or some of the data to an Excel spreadsheet if you need to. Problem solved!!
I'd like to see the option to add more than two 'self named' data fields, and I was a bit disappointed to realise that the 'maintenance' tab wasn't to record my stock maintenance efforts, but to maintain the database itself...
Generally quite effective though.
Donald
Bob many thanks, all registered :thankyousign:
Tony
I use numbers, apples version of excel. Works perfect on my i-pad, and I can e mail any document to work and print it as required. I have used a could tabs one for loco's including dcc location. Another for rolling stock, and the most important one, the wish list.
Numbers is not as in depth as excel but suits my needs, even use it for planning, badge work, personal and financial details for my Cub pack
I don't catalogue my rolling stock but I have kept the invoices for everything I've bought since 1996 in case of burglary.
I do however have a list of my road vehicles (Scale Link/R Parker/Oxford Diecast etc.) to help me match the cars with the rolling stock when I change era (1920s/1930s/1940s).
Best regards,
Joe
Quote from: pete284 on November 03, 2014, 05:00:14 PM
(Son has MS Excel on his laptop but you have to pay an annual fee to Microsoft of £89!).
I have used excel for years never paid an annual fee, whats that even for?
Quote from: Tom@Crewe on November 14, 2014, 08:06:26 AM
Quote from: pete284 on November 03, 2014, 05:00:14 PM
(Son has MS Excel on his laptop but you have to pay an annual fee to Microsoft of £89!).
I have used excel for years never paid an annual fee, whats that even for?
Office365 subscription.
Details of version for families http://office.microsoft.com/en-gb/office365home/ (http://office.microsoft.com/en-gb/office365home/)
Cheers
Dave
Although I did schedule out all my stock into an Excel spreadsheet for insurance purposes when I moved back to the UK from China, I have been using a programme called Yard Office for several years now. Unfortunately the guy who developed it has now passed away so there are no more updates or support. The thing I really liked was the ability to generate different types of report for different criteria but it looks as if the Model Train Catalogue is very similar so I might give it a go.
instead of paying, just use openoffice or libreoffice, both free...
Recently my laptop crashed and with it Railmaster and Model Train Catalogue which lists all my stock, my loco details inc DCC Codes and storage locations. As I have MTC installed on both laptops it was a simple task to access all the details and upload to the new laptop along with Railmaster and all is up and running again.
Quote from: georgehgv on June 24, 2015, 08:56:15 PM
Recently my laptop crashed and with it Railmaster and Model Train Catalogue which lists all my stock, my loco details inc DCC Codes and storage locations.
That intrigues me, George. Do you have items of stock stored at other peoples' houses? :uneasy:
Quote from: newportnobby on June 24, 2015, 09:41:18 PM
Quote from: georgehgv on June 24, 2015, 08:56:15 PM
Recently my laptop crashed and with it Railmaster and Model Train Catalogue which lists all my stock, my loco details inc DCC Codes and storage locations.
That intrigues me, George. Do you have items of stock stored at other peoples' houses? :uneasy:
Not exactly NN but if you lent something your mate it would be a good idea to know who and how long ago. :D No not an offer to plunder my locos for your own use before I get asked.
Actually I use JB Storage boxes and trying to find a specific item in 25 of them can get tiresome so I number the boxes and list on the MTC catalogue :claphappy:
You maybe lucky enough to remember but I cannot.
Quote from: georgehgv on June 24, 2015, 09:56:25 PM
You maybe lucky enough to remember but I cannot.
Remember what? ???