© LocoTrack 2023
LocoTrack
The British Locomotive Database
Traction Magazine Review - February 2010 Edition:
So, the long dark nights are with us, and you finally decide it is about time you did something with those old spotting books,
haulage records, or photographic notes you have been keeping desperately safe from being otherwise disposed of...
Well, how about making a copy onto a proven database and store them safely on your own PC or laptop, for easy access?
Welcome to LocoTrack, now available as Version 3.0. LocoTrack has been very successful over the last ten years in providing
user-friendly software for the enthusiast to log sightings, haulage, and photographs of locomotives, diesel multiple units,
electric multiple units, coaches, non-passenger carrying stock and wagons.
This version includes a mass of core data with details of diesel and electric locos from Nationalisation and provides details of all
previous numbers and names carried; all heritage and current DMUs with number changes; withdrawn and current EMUs;
all Mk.1, 2, 3 & 4 coaches and NPCCS with renumbering details. In short, it does not matter if you have given up on the current
railway scene and are only interested in transferring your notes from the ‘good old days’ or are still making regular sorties to find
that newly-arrived Class 66, or newly-delivered ‘Javelin’ EMU, LocoTrack has it all! It has all the latest details on Livery, Pool and
Allocation codes and files are available to update this data every few months.
The software provides an excellent user interface, with simple forms which are navigated through logically constructed menus.
Data can be shown in form or spreadsheet format, and the user can set the facilities to search for specific data, filter records to
find designated areas of interest and record a wide range of details from sightings, to mileage hauled behind a particular loco or
unit. This can then be saved as a report, and printed out as required.
One special feature of LocoTrack is the ability to store links to photographs for specific numbers. Any photograph stored on the
user’s PC system can be linked into LocoTrack so that one click shows your favourite picture.
Updating LocoTrack is now much simpler than with previous versions. Historical data and TOPS data are in easily updateable t
ables which can be overwritten without affecting the user’s own data stored in the database. These updates are available every
three months or so, at a cost of £5. The software is designed to work with any Windows platform. Tools are provided to fix the
database should it become corrupted in anyway and also to keep data compressed to minimise space. The maximum hard drive
space needed for a typical installation is only 50mb. Your reviewer will be ensuring he transfers most of his historical sighting
details into LocoTrack over the next few months, whenever time permits, but will also be using the various forms to input current
sighting details of all the most recent Class 66s and the new Class 70s, plus DMU and EMU haulage. Further details, including
views of some of the forms are available at their website.
Now, how about a version covering JE and NIR?
GARETH DAVEY
Detailed Reviews:
Railways Illustrated Review - September 2003 Edition:
This is the latest version of LocoTrack software programme, having been updated on previous versions. The software is an
electronic edition of the enthusiasts number book, allowing a mass of details to be entered and stored about locomotives, coaches,
multiple units and wagons.
Installing the programme and datafiles is easy and the entire system revolves around Microsoft’s Access database. So if you know
how to find data in Access, you will adapt to LocoTrack quickly. If you are new to Access, there is an instruction manual provided
with the CD.
Data is entered using a series of forms, while retrieving information is just as easy thanks to Access’s built-in search and filter
procedures. Having all your data logged on computer is fine, but LocoTrack goes one stage further, and provides users report
functions which allow a hard copy of the information. LocoTrack does not only allow users to keep track of sightings. The programme
includes dedicated sections for recording haulage and photographs as well. The operator is able to create a webstyle ‘link’ to a
photographic file, enabling quick access to digital pictures.
Traction Magazine Review - January 2002 Edition:
The new version of LocoTrack is now available and has been updated and expanded to include details of coaches, non passenger
carrying stock, wagons and heritage DMUs.
For those who are unfamiliar with LocoTrack, it comes as an easily installed CD rom and is designed to work on any PC with
Windows 95 or later versions installed. (It needs about 30mb of disk space.) The software provides comprehensive data for all
diesel and electric locomotives, DMUs and EMUs. The flexibility of the various form views, which are brought up on screen by
simple click options will suit the vast majority of users. So, if you are into sightings, haulage or photographs, this is for you !
To summarise the version 2 improvements :
- Each number can be linked to a photo already filed in the user's own PC.
- ALL heritage DMUs are now included together with renumberings.
- A NEW database for Coaches Mark1, 2, 3 and 4, with all renumberings and current TOPS information.
- An additional database for NPCCS, covering all Mark 1 types with renumberings and current TOPS information.
- Additional databases for Wagons, which includes British and International wagons running in the UK ( in all some 40,000
vehicles !)
As before, by working through the various filter options, any amount of data can be accessed. For example, after your sighting
records have been entered, you may wish to view those locos or coaches seen on a specific date, or at a particular location. By
applying the filter, this information can be brought on screen and printed off as required. Similarly, the Haulage database
accumulates mileages, so you can check total haulage miles, or miles behind a particular class, or even an individual locomotive or
unit.
If you have often wondered whether to take the plunge and buy a programme for your home PC, then LocoTrack Version 2 will
definitely meet your needs. A fully detailed and easy-to-use Manual is provided, with plenty of useful hints to get the most out of this
versatile software.
Incredibly, the price has been maintained at a bargain £20 which includes postage and packing in the UK. What are you waiting for?
Rail Express Review - January 2002 Edition:
The LocoTrack CD first appeared in 1999, providing a database of all diesel/electric locos and current multiple units with livery, pool
and allocation codes, and the ability to include details of personal sightings, haulages, etc. Once installed, the data can be easily
amended and updated by the user.
Version 2 of the CD has been greatly expanded and in addition to all of the above, now includes all Heritage DMUs (previously,
only current stock was listed), as well as all Mk.1, 2, 3 and 4 coaching stock, plus current British and International Wagons. The
accuracy of data on current operating stock is very good - the information on locos, units and coaches has been taken from the
Unofficial GB Railway Enthusiast Website, while Wagon data has been provided by RE’s expert, Bob Wallace. For many preserved
locos and coaches, locations are provided in a notes field, although some of these are rather out of date, and there are one or two
glaring errors! However, updating the system is no problem, and some readers will no doubt wish to add other information in the
notes section, such as disposals or withdrawal dates.
One other criticism is the exclusion, for some unknown reason, of most shunters, with only members from Classes 08 and 09 listed
in the loco database. Again, adding these is not difficult.
A new feature of Version 2 is the ability to link records to a photo on your PC. With more and more people using digital cameras
and storing their photos on computer, this feature should be extremely popular. Also popular will be the haulage databases, where
full details of journeys made (with fields for headcode, route, etc) can be inputted and mileages summed to give total distances
travelled behind particular locos or classes.
The CD comes complete with a 21 page user manual, although the program is very user friendly and simple to work with.
Information can be filtered, sorted and printed as you require. Despite a couple of criticisms regarding the data, this CD is an
extremely useful product and at £20 it remains excellent value for money.
and allocation codes, and the ability to include details of personal sightings, haulages, etc. Once installed, the data can be easily
amended and updated by the user.
Version 2 of the CD has been greatly expanded and in addition to all of the above, now includes all Heritage DMUs (previously,
only current stock was listed), as well as all Mk.1, 2, 3 and 4 coaching stock, plus current British and International Wagons. The
accuracy of data on current operating stock is very good - the information on locos, units and coaches has been taken from the
Unofficial GB Railway Enthusiast Website, while Wagon data has been provided by RE’s expert, Bob Wallace. For many preserved
locos and coaches, locations are provided in a notes field, although some of these are rather out of date, and there are one or two
glaring errors! However, updating the system is no problem, and some readers will no doubt wish to add other information in the
notes section, such as disposals or withdrawal dates.
One other criticism is the exclusion, for some unknown reason, of most shunters, with only members from Classes 08 and 09 listed
in the loco database. Again, adding these is not difficult.
A new feature of Version 2 is the ability to link records to a photo on your PC. With more and more people using digital cameras
and storing their photos on computer, this feature should be extremely popular. Also popular will be the haulage databases, where
full details of journeys made (with fields for headcode, route, etc) can be inputted and mileages summed to give total distances
travelled behind particular locos or classes.
The CD comes complete with a 21 page user manual, although the program is very user friendly and simple to work with.
Information can be filtered, sorted and printed as you require. Despite a couple of criticisms regarding the data, this CD is an
extremely useful product and at £20 it remains excellent value for money.
Traction Magazine Review - December 1999 Edition:
"Now that the long autumn nights are drawing in, what better way of passing the time than updating all those locomotive records
and saving them on computer !
Locotrack is available on CD Rom or on floppy disks and is quickly and easily installed onto most modern computers having
Windows 95 or later.
The comprehensive data contained in Locotrack covers most diesel and electric locomotives , plus current DMU’s and EMU’s. As
well as providing space for all those sightings, there are forms for the haulage enthusiast and also for recording photographic
details of locomotives. The information is easily updateable, and as one would expect, locomotive status, livery, pool code and
depot allocations are provided. By working through the various filter options, any amount of data can be accessed, for example,
after sighting records have been entered the user might wish to view all those locos seen on a particular date, or at a particular
location. By applying the filter, this information can be brought on screen and printed off as required.
Special thought has been put into Locotrack with a view to securing the interest of the haulage fanatic, and a separate Haulage Log
database is provided – not only for locomotives, but also for diesel and electric multiple units. Besides all the usual important
haulage details like reporting code, route and number of miles, there is even space to record in which coach you travelled ! This
can be used to record just the coach number, or maybe the set number ( eg XC 21 ) or even “front coach behind loco”!!
The facility for entering photographic data will also be appreciated by many users, as this will allow cross-referencing between
locomotives, locations and the photographer’s own indexing system.
All in all an extremely well thought out and easy to use database which can be quickly tailored to suit the individual’s needs.
An absolute bargain at £ 20 !"
Railway Magazine Review:
"EVER made a mess filling in your Combined Volume and wished you could start again?
Ever run out of margin space while trying to squeeze in the numbers of locos and units that hadn't been ordered when your edition
was published?
Well now fellow enthusiast Steve Richard's has come up with the answer to your prayers. It's called LocoTrack and it's essentially
an electronic spotting book.
LocoTrack allows you to record onto a single database not only sightings and haulage, but photographs too. All current locos,
DMUs and EMUs are listed on a compact disc (CD-ROM) or floppy disks, together with livery, pool and depot codes. For locos (but
not units) the 1957 numbering scheme is also included, along with locations of preserved and industrial locos.
Various options are available. For example, the user might wish to view all those locos seen on a particular date, or at a particular
location. By applying a filter, such information can be brought on screen or printed off.
Besides all the usual important haulage details like reporting code, route and number of miles, there is even a space to record in
which coach you travelled!
The only mild criticism is that details of vehicle ownership are not shown and the livery codes are those of the Rolling Stock
Library, not those in common use among enthusiasts.
A facility for entering photographic data will be appreciated by many users, as this will allow cross-referencing between
locomotives, locations and the photographer's own indexing system.
LocoTrack is easily installed onto most modern computers having Windows 95 or later and is highly recommended. An updated
version will be available soon, allowing users to access photographs of individual locos stored on their PC directly from
LocoTrack."
Rail Express Review:
"LocoTrack is a pretty comprehensive system for recording sightings, haulage and photography of the British railway scene onto a
single database. All current locos, DMU’s and EMU’s are listed on the CD as supplied, together with livery, pool and depot codes,
and by completing various blank fields, the user can record such details as is their personal wont. Up to five sightings and five
haulages can be recorded for each item of rolling stock as well as haulage distances and a photo reference and location. All data
is totally updateable, and records may be sorted, filtered, printed out or exported elsewhere.’
For locomotives, records are supplied for locos numbered in the 1957 or subsequent numbering schemes, including all TOPS
numbers as appropriate. However, the user may add other records if necessary. Locations of preserved and industrial locos are
also shown.
For DMU’s and EMU’s coverage is less comprehensive on the data front, with only the current fleets shown. However, the user
can of course extend this as necessary if required.
The data used is from Robert Volland's 'Unofficial GB Rail Enthusiasts Site' on the Internet, and is pretty accurate even if on
occasions aping TOPS rather than reality.
Overall, this is an excellent CD which has been well thought out to meet the recording needs of most enthusiasts. Being menu and
form driven, it is pretty easy to use, and within less than five minutes of installation your reviewer had the system fully operational
(without having read any of the instructions!). Just two criticisms - no details of vehicle ownership are shown, and the livery codes
used are the Rolling Stock Library codes, which are used by no one except the RSL. Perhaps the PIatform 5 livery codes might
have been more appropriate to use in this case. Very highly recommended."
The LocoTrack British locomotive database was first released in 1999.
The database program, which is intended for PC Windows users and is based on a cut down version of Microsoft Access, helps to
log and manage all locomotive, DMU, EMU, coach and wagons sightings within Great Britain, and also allows the recording of data
and links to photos within your own photo library. The software provides a comprehensive and relatively user-friendly program to
keep the most discerning enthusiast busy and indeed can be thought of as an offline electronic edition of the UK combine books
available from various publishers.
The latest version release contains over 90,000 records of UK Railway stock dating back to 1948 including locomotives, DMU,
EMU, Mk1, Mk2, Mk3, Mk4 coaches along with non-passenger carrying vehicles 40,000 wagons, on-track plant and even steam
locomotives.
The program can be viewed in one of two ways, either by the clear easy to navigate forms or by the ‘datasheet view’ that provides
more of a spreadsheet approach which can be easy to use and changing or entering data, while standard printable reports are also
available for sightings and haulage. But for many the real power of the software will be in the filtering of information through the
spreadsheet views and the helpful manual, which is included with the software explains to users how to filter information based on
input criteria, for example, when seeking information such as sightings by date, locomotive type or haulage between some dates.
There is also an ability to filter via the datasheet view providing a multitude of ways to view your information. A complete “log” of all
sightings and haulage can be kept in one easy location, for quick reference and use. There are also options to use advanced
filtering through variable criteria. This however will take the average user some learning, despite the manual explanations and it is
suggested that these filters would definitely fall in the advanced user category. Those who have a good knowledge of Excel and or
Access would, without doubt, get the best out of the advanced filters.
While a great piece of software and one that different people will use in different ways, the system does currently have one small
drawback. When installed, there is no haulage section within the steam locomotives sightings, although this can be overcome by
manually adding a steam locomotive record into the diesel section, it does go slightly against the method of organisation that the
software has.
This latest version of LocoTrack, like previous versions, includes detailed haulage databases for loco’s, DMUs and EMUs, where
full details of all haulage, including start and end locations and times ,miles, route coach, photo, total miles, can be added.
LocoTrack sums the mileage hauled depending on the filters selected, which can then be viewed as a grand total or a total for the
filter selected. For example, you can view your haulage by loco, by date, by class or you can organise your haulage in mileage or
date order.
Overall, the program is very simple to use and would be a great addition for anyone looking to start recording their sightings and
haulage information in a digital environment.
© LocoTrack 2023
LocoTrack
The British Locomotive Database
Detailed Reviews:
For detailed reviews of LocoTrack please visit the
non-mobile website
