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The MI Trains System was designed using a modular concept.
What does that mean, you ask...
It means MI Trains may be purchased as a complete system by
ordering one of the following full functional systems:
(a) MI Trains Full Inventory & Database System
(b) MI Trains Full Inventory & Database System with Lionel
Catalog & Price Guide
(c) MI Trains Full Inventory & Database System with MTH
Catalog & Price Guide
(d) MI Trains Full Inventory & Database System with K-Line
Catalog & Price Guide
OR if you would like the Lionel, MTH , and K-Line
Catalogs & Price Guides, order any of the
full systems listed above, and then order the additional plug-in catalog module(s). So
you can get the MI Trains Full Inventory and Database System now, and buy the Lionel,
MTH, and K-Line updates later... or buy all Now.
How MI Trains works:
To enter an item in Your Inventory Database, click the "Add New Item" button and
enter the piece descriptive information, keyed to the Manufacturer and Category of the
piece. MI Trains has 309 Manufacturer names loaded
and 95 Train Categories, allowing you to
easily manage and segment your entire train collection, including your train memorabilia!
You can also save some time and typing, by searching for Your item in the
MI Trains Optional Pre-loaded Catalogs & Price Guides.
Including many Non-Cataloged, Variations, and Rail Road Club pieces.
- The optional Lionel Catalog and Price Guide
features Pre-War, Post-War, MPC, and Modern era items appearing in Lionel
Catalogs and Flyers from 1900 through 2007 (including the latest Lionel Classic Trains Catalog - Volume
2 - 2007) over 11,100 Lionel Catalog items. Further, MI Trains
provides Road Marking Number links to the actual Manufacturer Model Number - what might be called "alias links".
When you include these "alias links", there are over 14,200 Lionel database entries.
- The optional MTH Catalog and Price Guide features items appearing in MTH & Rail King Catalogs
and Flyers, including the latest MTH 2007 Volume II Catalog
over 13,000 MTH & MTH Rail King Catalog items.
Further, when you include the MTH "alias links", there are over 19,700 MTH database entries.
- The optional K-Line Catalog and Price Guide features items appearing in K-Line Catalogs and
Flyers, through to the latest K-Line by Lionel 2007 Volume 2 Catalog
nearly 5,700 K-Line Catalog items. Further, when
you include the K-Line "alias links", there are nearly 8,400 K-Line database entries.
Click the "Add Item to Inventory" button, and automatically the pre-loaded piece
descriptive information is copied to Your Inventory Database. Fields include manufacturer, road name, gauge,
model number, year manufactured...
Then enter the detail information specific to Your piece - purchase date,
price, condition, box, set box, any parts needed, maintenance date, multiple comments fields, multiple purchase
& sale information data fields, more! For items in the Catalog, use the
pre-loaded Market Value Price Guide as reference to judge and value the item.
MI Trains also provides for multiple photos to be automatically linked to each inventory piece - side view, top view,
bottom view, etc.
Use the MI Trains pre-loaded photos (Over 4,000 on CD-ROM and downloadable from
our MI Trains website, which continues to
grow) as reference for your items, OR
load your own! Flip back and forth between each, if you'ld like!
Photos can be loaded in bit map image format (.bmp), AND for those with
digital cameras, JPEG image format (.jpg).
In addition,
MI Trains has exceptional reporting functionality, with 10 different reports,
viewable both on screen and in hard copy print.
MI Trains operates with the most widely used current computer technology,
and is compliant within these environments -
Windows 95, 98, & 2000, Windows NT, Windows ME, and XP, using the Windows standard
800 x 600 screen resolution (or higher).
An email address is required.
Catalog & Price Guide information is updated multiple times per year, and is
offered to provide collectors with the most up-to-date additions to Lionel, MTH, & K-Line
products and the most up-to-date changes in piece market value.
Finally, you may notice that the advertisements
appearing in the Train Collectors Association (TCA) National Headquarters News
Magazine, the Classic Toy Trains Magazine Product News, in the Model Railroad News, and in
the Toy Train Operating Society (TTOS) Bulletin may be for differing versions of MI Trains.
This most recent version is level 5.5. As per the
above, this latest version includes pre-loaded Catalogs and Price Guides for Lionel
(Pre-War/Post-War/MPC/Modern), MTH & MTH Rail King, and K-Line
with many uncataloged variations, boosting the total available number of MI Trains Cataloged
items to over 29,800. And including the
Piece Number to Model Number "alias links", there are over 42,300
MI Trains database entries. Plus this
most recent MI Trains version has added system enhancements.
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