I am looking to find out who all insures thier layout, and related hobby stuffs. Also does anyone else inventory your rolling stock/locos? Look forward to hearing your stories. THE ROCK
Welcome to TRAINBOARD. I have my N-Scale layout, and Special-Run Micro-Trains collection insured. I have a rider on my homeowner's insurance policy. The hard part about the whole deal was getting my insurance company, Farm Bureau Insurance, to understand what I wanted to insure. The insurance agent and company kept coming back with the statement that "Toy Trains" would be covered on the standard policy. Had trouble getting them to understand the concept of collecting SPECIAL-RUN MICRO TRAINS CARS. I took about a dozen high value cars into the agents office. I had with me 3 value guides also, to prove what the average value on the cars were. I asked the agent, that if these cars were stolen, destroyed, or burned up, Farm Bureau would have no problem payng a $5,000 claim on just the dozen cars that I had put on his desk. That got his attention! Then asked about the rest of my 300+ car collection. I asked about how do the stamp/coin collectors insure their collections? This got the insurance company into the right thinking about my collection. Thus I have a rider added to my homeowner's policy for about $10.00 extra a year for home layout and MTL car collection. If you are a NATIONAL MODEL RAILROAD ASSOCIATION member (which I am), you can get a group insurance policy through them also. I keep a running inventory of all my Special-Run collector cars, and used to keep inventory of the rest of my rolling stock on the layout. I use one of the train collecting inventory software programs, I think mine came from Brooklyn Locomotive Works, www.buynscale.com sometime ago. I just really keep a good count of my Special-Run cars now. It got to be too much hassle to have to put all the information for each piece into a program. I am going to try a spreadsheet for my rolling stock now, the KISS principal will apply. It was eating up my modelling time to have to stop and add all the little details into the program for every car and locomotive that I have.
This has been something I have beenn thinking about. I have inventoried my locomotives and nearly gagged when I realized how many I have . As for rolling stock that can be expensive too. I was running my N&W coal train at an open house. I had 3 ho Atlas SD35's pulling 30 coal cars and a caboose. A club member had a smilar BNSF coal train. He remarked that he had about $600 worth of train he was running. I realized I had about the same amount. Let's say $110 for each loco x 3 = $330. 30 coal cars at about $13 each, if equipped with metal wheels and kadee couplers, and a dummy load. $30 x13 = $390. $390+$330=$720. Also the caboose if detailed costs about $20. You are talking $740+ for a thirty car train. Yeah this could get expensive and maybe I should get some insurance.
Having an inventory is a great idea, especially for the insurance company. i put mine into groups, engines, cars (and they are sub categorized), scenery, building kits, accessories, materials, all the DCC stock and tools. You don't want to know the cost. And insurance, well just say the premium isn't small. i don't worry about theft, you would need a moving truck but fire is my concern. i have it all on a couple of CDs, one at home and the other at someone elses place. The insurance is at replacement cost no depreciation. The CDs also have a home inventory on them to. Take pictures too.
I have all my rolling stock in an Excel spreadsheet for inventory purposes. It's divided into Power (with DCC info if installed), freight cars, passenger cars, and cabooses (cabeese?). Whenever I'm going to a train show I print out a copy to take with me to avoid buying duplicate numbers on cars, etc. I also have a link to it on my taskbar so when I'm surfing eBay and come across something that looks interesting I can check if I have one at a click. At the moment it's showing 66 locomotives and 337 freight cars, though in all honesty, I'm not sure all those still exist. One of these days I need to go through and do a real inventory, but that sounds like work.
Hmmm ... you guys have raised an excellent point! We have other stuff on insurance riders, but I never considered how much money is tied up out in the train room .... Thanks .... I think .... [ 26. November 2002, 02:30: Message edited by: Hank Coolidge ]
i use a spread sheet notebook on my computer i put the model number, makers name, road name, the price, abd date of purchase in the spread sheet .
I inventory my trains, by loco type, railroad, and car type, some is listed as part of a preticular train even. I list the type loco/car, manufacturer, if its custom painted, who or where it was purchased, and price, all on a 3 by 5 card that all are stored in a 3 by 5 card steel file cabinet thats made for the 3 by 5 card size. Thats almost like a library index, but only 6 drawers, these are stackable cabinets, thats 2 drawers each. Just to keep track of what I have, and what I've customized, and all. I make one card at a time, when I get the car or loco, look it over for possible repairs, and or custom painting, etc and then once done with that a 3 by 5 card is made out for that car. I also have one of these cabinets with 2 drawers full of decals for various custom painting work. Stores them out of sunlight, and being a steel cabinet, it keeps them cool and dry in the basement as well.
I keep an inventory via a simple MS Works spreadsheet. Primarily to know what I already have. Or don't have... Good point about insurance. After all these years, I'd never even thought of it. But how do I go back, and try to figure out value? What I paid for an item? What it's present (replacement) value might be? Boxcab E50
thank you for the responses so far. Good to hear there are other folks out that keep tabs on the equipment. It's also good to see some eyes may well be opened to the value of insurance. Seems like a small price to pay for piece of mind, maybe an ATLAS loco, or 2 would cover a year of coverage???? Well wishes to all remember to go back for seconds on turkey day THE ROCK
I use the 3 by 5 card system like John. I also have an inventory on disk stashed at work. My insurance company has on problem insuring everything as long as I have the records. Its all insured at current value with no deprieciation.
