Groupware, Software and Hardware

Following a hardware upgrade some months ago, and subsequent software corruption, I lost a lot of the source code for the model railroad management software I created using FreeBasic. I also took over ownership of a Virtual Interchange group that I am a member of.

I had the idea that I could replace the FreeBasic software I has authored with a web based application, that uses MySQL databases and PHP. So I set about building it. As I was building it I thought it would be good to allow everyone in the Virtual Interchange group to have access to it as well, and to allow car interchanges through the application. I put that to the group and got quite a few good responses, and so I set about building the application with multiple users in mind.

To date it allows a user to manage the following:

• Waybills
• Railroads
• Trains
• Commodities
• Industries
• Train Sheet
• Switchlists

And the plan is to add even more abilities including CSV uploading and downloading for various modules, an Available Cars Pool, and Rollingstock management. Eventually it will have everything the previous FreeBasic program had, and more. And, the source code will be in two places (my computer and my webserver) so it's unlikely that the code will be lost like the FreeBasic program code was.

The web based application, which I call MRICF (Model Railroad Interchange Cars Facility), has made operating my railroad a whole lot more fun (if it hadn't then it would have failed in it's purpose). And the Virtual Interchange group seems to be enjoying using the application too.