We've just completed a major import of Athearn product data extracted directly from their official product announcement PDFs. Athearn is one of the most prolific manufacturers in HO and N scale, and this import brings a large batch of their locomotives, rolling stock, and sets into the database with factory part numbers, road names, and release details. A big thank you to Athearn for providing such high quality imagery in their product announcement PDFs — it makes a real difference for the database. As with any automated import, many entries need cleanup — if you spot a missing detail or an error, jump in and submit a revision. Every correction helps make MRRDB more accurate for everyone.
We've just rolled out comprehensive dark mode support across the entire site! Whether you prefer the sleek 'g100' theme or the classic light view, MRRDB now respects your preference. We've also polished the UI with new loading skeletons and smoother transitions to make browsing the database faster and more enjoyable than ever.
You can now organize your model railroad items into personal collections! Create wishlists, inventory your current roster, or categorize items by project. Collections can be private for your eyes only or shared with the community. Look for the new 'Add to Collection' button on any item page to get started.
Our commitment to data integrity continues with major upgrades to the Revision History system. Contributors can now see real-time validation feedback when editing items, and moderators have new tools to bulk-accept changes or 'undo' specific edits. We've also added user emojis to the revision logs, making it easier to see who's helping build the database!
We've optimized our backend to deliver search results faster than ever. By implementing faceted search and request batching, the database grid now updates instantly as you apply filters. We've also refined our global search to better handle complex queries, ensuring you find that specific locomotive or car in record time.
MRRDB is built on community contribution. With our latest update, you can now create a user account to contribute to the database. We've also implemented a comprehensive revision history system. Every change is tracked, allowing us to maintain data integrity and revert changes if necessary. This transparency is key to building a trusted resource for all model railroaders.
As our database grows, finding specific items becomes crucial. We've just rolled out our new advanced search and filtering system. You can now filter by scale, road name, manufacturer, and era. The text search is powered by MongoDB's full-text search capabilities, ensuring you find relevant results instantly. Try searching for "GP38-2" or "Santa Fe" to see it in action!
We are thrilled to introduce the Model Railroad Database (MRRDB), a community-driven project dedicated to cataloging every model train item ever produced. Our initial launch features a robust backend built with Rust and a modern SvelteKit frontend. We've imported thousands of items to get started, and we're just scratching the surface. Stay tuned as we refine our data model and add more features!
