This program was started in 1988 as a storage method for rollingstock data. Until this time the accepted method was spreadsheet or a ledger based system which duplicated the VR Rolling Stock Registers. Even I followed this method. The downside to this method was the enornous amount of time cross referencing the data and the potential for mistakes. One of the biggest handicaps, which plagued the VR as well, was allocating space for all the history for a vehicle. The ledger method was not set up for information obtained "out of order"; ie, a 1930s history before a 1900 entry.The work required to obtain information precluded sharing information. A method was needed to provided fast data entry based on minimal information and without knowledge of the prehistory of the vehicle.
It took six months for figure out a database method. Inspiration came from Peter Medlin's history notation as one line per item in chronological order. The aim was to provide a program that would allow quick data entry, reduce errors and provide cross reference capability.
The program was in continuous development until 1998. It was developed in DOS from version 2.11 using dBaseII and progressed to a superset of dBase instructions called Clipper, then moving to a variable length field system with information stored in binary format. It functions best in the Windows 98 environment but can run easily in Win95 and WinXP. In Win98 the program can be unzipped and run in a DOS "window" that can be expanded full screen. The program can run in XP Home or XP Pro with the following XP files installed: "Config.nt", "Autoexec.nt" and "Command.com" and located at " c:\Windows\system32\"
Note: The program 'Register' makes direct hardware calls to printers and the keyboard. This functionality is disabled under XP due to the operating system preventing direct hardware access. Some fields require use of CapsLock and NumLock which was previously done by the program
The program runs without a mouse and uses keyboard controls for selection and data entry. The program was developed during the early DOS years and had to incorporate file functions, text editing and printing within the same layout.
Download 'pjv_reg.zip' (aka 'Register') with this link
In this manual, all fields are described and the methodology is explained.
Description of sample vehicle history output
Unpack the zipfile to a directory location such as '\reg' and then run the file called 'reg5.exe'. Change the properties of the application to run full screen and close the window on exit. Files may need to have the properties on disk changed to 'read/write'.
This file contains the data on about 82,000 vehicle identities, cross referenced across some 225,000 history items; ten years of data entry. The project was only about 70% complete. This was sufficient to understand the basic vehicle and class movements across 100 years. The research was stopped because an obsessive hobby of this nature prevents project completion as more and more data is found.
The most interesting impact on program use has been the processor development. Taking the same size and routine request from the whole database, an XT would take 4-8 hours, a 486 processor would scrape in for an hour and the latest machines zoom through at about 90 seconds.
Written by Peter J. Vincent, updated 2/4/2026
pjv@pjv101.net