N Scale Model Trains

PLEASE read both the Rules and Notes sections before committing to adding items to our N-scale database.

We want everyone to have a full and clear understanding of how to participate in the Rewards program and earn a free train / train set or a 1-year subscription to N-Scale magazine.

Please click here to view the trains you can earn.

If anything is unclear, please do not hesitate to contact us at admin@trovestar.com.

If you don't already have a TroveStar log-in, please log-in here.

RULES

Please click here to view the trains you can earn.

Please read Directions on how to enter train data into our database.

Please send an email to admin@trovestar.com with the following information:

• The train you would like to earn (so we can reserve it for you).
• Which trains you will enter into the database.
  

This is a very important step. Please do not begin entering any data until you have received an e-mail that confirms we have reserved your train, approved the type of trains you plan on adding to the database and includes a deadline for entries to be added. We want to avoid excessive overlap, but the type of trains you specify can be fairly general. Examples are 'Early Bachmann Rolling Stock', 'MDC Box Cars' or 'Intermountain Kits' or 'Aztec Limited Runs'. We will use the date and time of this confirmation e-mail to track the beginning of the time allotted for you to add trains to the database. We need to be able to free up the item for someone else in case you change your mind about participating in the Program.

Please read Directions on how to enter train data into our database.

Required data* for each train entry

You must specify certain key features (listed in bold below) for each train. These include:

• Body. This corresponds to the mold / tooling of the item.
  If the body style does not exist, use 000, and e-mail us so one of our admins can create it for you.
  Choosing a body style will automatically populate certain fields, including Vendor, Type, Subtype, Variety and Class for you. If you choose body style 000, please populate these fields to the best of your ability by using tags consistent with similar items. In the case that multiple vendors used the same mold (Aztec and NSE are two good examples), it is important to override the Vendor field to set it correctly.
• Product Code. The manufacturer's own part number or product code.
  If multiple vendors use the same code, prefix the code with a short-hand acronym.
• Release Date (approximate). The month and year the product became available for purchase.
  Do not confuse this with announcement date. Always use the 1st of the month. Examples 1967-01-01, 2016-03-01. Be sure to use the format YYYY-MM-DD or it will not work. For older items, this date may be approximate but at the very least, please try to get the year correct.
• Reporting Mark, Number and Road Name. The reporting mark for the train should be whatever is printed on its side.
  If no mark is available, use the most common reporting mark known for that road. Example (ATSF for Santa Fe). If you don't know, please look it up.
  
  If no number is available, use 'N/A'.
  
  Try to use consistent spelling for the road name as is already in the database. Example: use 'Chicago & Northwestern' instead of 'Chicago and North Western.'
• Image**. This is the URL of an image of this item you found on the Internet.
  It should read something like 'http://www.goodtrainpics.com/images/trainpic.jpg'. Try to find a good-quality image. Please spend at least a few seconds Googling the item for a picture before leaving it blank. We have standing approval from most of the vendors to use their stock imagery. We really prefer to see pictures of your own items, so if you have a picture of your own item that is linked, you will receive double credit.

*If any of the critical data is missing or you don't bother to find an image that is readily available, the entry will be considered INCOMPLETE and not count towards your tally.

**If you cannot find an image, that field may be left blank.

How to receive your trains
Once you have created enough qualified entries for your reserved train, please e-mail admin@trovestar.com. We will check your entries and send you your train!

Please read Directions on how to enter train data into our database.

NOTES

Please read Directions on how to enter train data into our database.

If you do not complete your entries by the deadline, you do not lose your credit. We do require you to re-express your interest in completing a reward in order to keep that item reserved for you. Your entries never expire. However, if someone else wishes to earn the exact same item, and we do not have multiple copies, then you might not get the item you wanted. For example, you are working on a MTL weathered car for 150 entries. You finish 100 and your time is up. Simply email us and ask for an extension. As long as nobody else was in queue for the same item your extension will be granted. If somebody else was in queue, and we have no more of that particular item, then your entries may apply to any other item in our program.

***Prerequisites for the two big rewards. The A-B Santa Fe set (already earned) and the Centipede set will require you to first qualify for one of the smaller prizes. We need to avoid tying up expensive items for 20 days for people who lose interest half way through. Once you finish qualifying for a smaller reward, you may "trade-in" your entries to go as credit for a larger item, provided nobody else has already requested it. We really want to avoid anyone keying in a few hundred entries only to find out "sorry that item is already gone...." That would lead to bad feelings.

Effort involved. Even the Atlas Box Cars will require many entries. Given that some of the recent Athearn and Trainworx releases contain 100+ variations, this is not a ton of work, but it isn't push-three-buttons and get a free box car either. In the case of 3-packs, 12-packs or whatever, each item counts. A single 12 pack can therefore count as 13 entries, but you must create an entry for each item with the correct road number. You must also make sure that all 13 items (each car and the multipack) all share the same multipack product code so they get linked together for search purposes. So far, our active participants are completing an entry every 30 seconds or so.

Initial response to our Rewards program has been very positive. Read our blog.

What qualifies? Entries with a mistake here and there will still count. Downright sloppy entries will not. If you fix errors in someone else's entry that WILL count, so if you simply wish to watch other people create stuff and you can be the "fixer," that would be very much valued. It is certainly possible for two or more people to get credit for the same item if each person adds more value to the entry by adding critical details.

At the bare minimum you will need to specify the manufacturer product code, road name, road number, paint scheme, vendor, body style info and approximate date of issue. This sounds like a lot of data, but often times when you are creating a bunch of items in a multipack, you can use the 'copy item' function that will duplicate everything and allow you to simply change the road number and the product code, which takes about 10 seconds to do. The body style, road name/number, vendor and paint scheme will likely be identical for all entries. If you do create entries like this, you must provide the accurate road numbers for each item in the pack. You cannot simply list them as Car A, Car B, etc. Micro-Trains multipacks contain a separate product code for each item in the package. Other vendors do not. We recommend for other vendors you use the product code for the multipack entry itself and then put a -A, -B, -C for each of the components. For example, I own a Broadway Limited 6-pack of coal hoppers. If the product code is 3110, then the entry for the multipack should be 3110. For the first car in the pack, the product code should be called 3110-A. The second 3110-B etc.

Photo Uploads. If you own one of whatever it is you are creating, we will provide double credit if you snap a picture and upload the photo somewhere and then link it to your entry. Photobucket accounts are free! The system will automatically copy the photo over to the server so you don't get into trouble with bandwidth issues.

Please read Directions on how to enter train data into our database.

Questions? Comments? Please feel free to contact us at admin@trovestar.com.