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Taking Stock
for Now and Later
by Venita Lake
As self-declared Inventory Acquisition Agent for the El
Dorado and El Reno Railroad, I have a
pretty fair idea of what constitutes the company assets.
Part of this knowledge is based on the fact that I am an
accomplished shopper. If the NMRA had an Achievement
Award for Model Railroad Purchaser,
I would have points for spending in excess of $500 on a
single item as well as for exceeding the $500 level in a
single outing on items costing less than $50 each.
Double this skill with two model purchasers for the eL & eL,
and the necessity of developing an inventory becomes
evident. We needed to know what we had, how many, and
quite possibly who is planning to build an item and, in
the case of structures, where it's going to go on the
completed layout.
Developing a comprehensive inventory of a model
railroad's stock - cars, engines, structures, details,
books, and tools - serves a number of purposes, for the
present, for protection, and for your estate.
No one wants to think about what will happen to the
layout or those unbuilt kits when they die or how well
they are covered in case of fire, flood, or tornado. But
they should. I've seen men show off a great purchase at
a train show and then comment that it will have to be
sneaked into the house or that "she" doesn't
need to know how much this goody really cost. Well, if
you go first or if you have a fire, you or your heirs
will want a list of what is there and what its real
value is. With this mind, take a look at what you have.
Does it have sentimental value or is it worth real
money? Your will does not need to list each item, but
you can indicate that items in a separate list should be
distributed to designated recipients. Should a
particular item go to a grandchild or fellow modeler, a
club or to the NMRA or Museum of Transportation? Is it
of special value because of its age, limited
availability, custom paint or other special details, or
other factors?
The value of your purchases may increase or decrease
over time. An unbuilt craftsman-level structure kit may
increase in value or remain about the same if something
newer is a better quality kit. A car may be worth only
the value of its trucks and couplers to someone else.
When you are able, record the date of purchase and the
price you paid. Update fair market value periodically
when you can. (Check the current Walther's catalog for
the cost of unbuilt or like-new items.)
Talk with your family or friends about what should be
done with your layout when you die. The NMRA offers
estate counseling. They do not dispose of items but can
provide appraisers who will protect your model estate's
value. This service is offered even to non-NMRA members.
In the event of damage to your layout or equipment,
an insurance adjuster will be more likely to give you
something closer to replacement value if you have a good
inventory. Keep a copy in your safety deposit box, at
your office, or if it's on a computer program, e-mail it
to a friend with lots of storage space. The NMRA's
insurance program, promoted in the Bulletin,
also protects your assets at comparatively low cost.
What about the more immediate uses of an inventory?
The eL & eL inventory goes
to train shows. It helps to answer questions like,
"Do we already have Stewart's Rock Island hopper
89065?" or "Did we buy Korber's 1900 era water
tank?" Unfortunately it doesn't tell us how many
water tanks or Rock Island cars we really need to model
western Arkansas. We will, however, be using it to
assign structures to particular towns on the layout and
eventually we will be using the information about cars,
their numbers, type, and length to develop operations.
(Car type, road and number are needed for car card or
switch list operating systems.)
Inventories can be done in a number of ways. You may
wish to start with photos or videotape of your layout,
or, in our case, of the warehouse of kits on shelves. At
least you will have something to show for insurance
purposes. Old-fashioned 3x5 cards can contain the same
information as the newest version of software, but while
they are better than nothing, they do not offer the ease
of reshuffling information that a computer database
does.
Here is what we have done. Our inventory is currently
in Paradox, but may eventually
be transferred to Microsoft Access.
Most database and spread-sheet programs have the same
basic functions and will import information from other
programs. Otherwise no one would want to change programs
and have to re-enter everything.
Our car list records car type (box, caboose, flat,
gondola, etc.), road name, car number, car length,
color, wheel sets (included or not), wheel type, build
date, special notes such as commemoratives or custom
paint or door styles, our purchase cost, and the model's
manufacturer. We also note its status as an unbuilt kit,
in service, or in shop because it needs couplers,
weights or other attention.
The structures list contains the structure name or
description, its manufacturer, primary material such as
plastic or wood or plaster, status, cost, construction
notes, location notes (rural, town, or large city),
builder, skill level, and specific site intended.
The details list records the product, a description,
manufacturer, cost, and a code for the kind of detail:
building components like windows, building details such
as signs or roof details, figures, scenery, track, or
vehicles.
Engine records indicate road name, locomotive number,
loco type, manufacturer, paint scheme, wheels (for
steam), cost, and status. For any of these lists, other
categories might be added or left out, depending on the
preferences of the user.
The magazine inventory is a spreadsheet listing
months across and years down for each magazine for which
we might wish to fill in the gaps. It serves as a quick
reference for what is immediately available if we locate
something in our Data
Train program or if odd issues are
offered at a train show. We also have a list of many of
the train reference books we own.
Obviously, in a computer database, consistency is
very important in entering data. If abbreviations are
used, they should be standard. For example, in an
alphabetized list or report, American Model Builders
will be close to AMB, but CRI&P would be greatly
separated from Rock Island. Duplicates are harder to
spot, and counts would split between the two names.
For the inventory notebook, reports or lists can be
printed out several ways for easy reference. The car
list may list car type in the first column, followed by
road name. A second list might first organize cars by
manufacturer and then car type or road name. Of course,
if one wished, the list could be reordered by color or
length or status. (Unfortunately with over 300 cars, the
status of most of ours is "unbuilt." I'm
afraid to run the actual count.)
Our shopping inventory notebook also contains notes
on proposed paint colors, a list of the Rock Island
freight car roster in July 1952, a Model
Railroader chart of plastic HO diesels
available, and the occasional product list for mail
orders or 1-800-BUY-MORE calls between train shows and
hobby shop visits.
An inventory program does not take much time to set
up, although entering the data can be tiresome.
Eventually when everything is caught up, it becomes
easier to enter new items as they are purchased -
especially if you get someone else to do it. Consider
taking the time to develop an inventory. Someone may
thank you some time in the future and, who knows, you
may discover things you had forgotten you had.
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