(2) We develop, "Real Time", "Full Life Cycle", "Multi-user", Custom Designed Software to help solve complex business problems. Here is a partial list of some of the programs available: "PROJECTS MANAGER", "CLIENT MANAGER", "CALL MANAGER", "ADDRESS MANAGER", "EMPLOYEE LOCATOR", and other business software. However, not all of these programs have been converted over to the Windows environment yet.
(3) We try (in our small way) to promote an awareness of American Railroad History (both with Toys and Real Trains) and the role they played in the building of the character of the United States of America. Ken Kelley's THE GREAT TRAIN ROOM along with the help of local railroad artist, Wayne Scarpaci, has pleased visitors with some of the history from California's Central Coast Railroad (Pacific Coast Rail Road), and the Southern Pacific's Coast Route through this area (now owned by the Union Pacific).
The name THE THIRD RAIL was chosen to represent "power" as represented in the early trolly days when such transportation received its electricity from a hidden third rail. From the electricity in the third rail came the statement: "Look Out For The Third Rail" as this was a dangerous place should anyone touch this "hot rail". In addition to real trains and trolleys getting electrical power from the third rail, nearly all toy trains that were marketed from the early 1900's to 1942 were sold with a third rail running in the middle of the rails. This allowed toy trains to likewise get their power to run the small electrical motors which were quite a novelty at the time.
THE THIRD RAIL was started in the mid to late 1970's by Ken Kelley who has stuck with the name and concept of the company for 30 years. The company was registered in 1979 as a software development firm dedicated to those who collected Antique Toy Trains. While starting on an APPLE II computer (48k Ram memory), the programs developed were somewhat limited in scope, but never the less they provided those early APPLE users a means of recording and tracking their Train Collections in a way which prior to that time required much note taking.
Shortly after 1981 with the introduction of the IBM PC, and a whole lot more memory (64k Ram memory), the program was expanded to hold up to 1000 items that were totally "user defined". By the mid 1980's, the mainstay of THE THIRD RAIL was a program called "THE COLLECTOR" which now could hold several thousands of items and the program was no longer restricted to Toy Trains, but could manage any collection of items that were "unique".
As with any software product, what drove the development of "THE COLLECTOR", "COLLECTOR ADDRESSES", and several other programs was the need to manage the growing number of items and associations that were fueling the collecting hobby. All programs developed by THE THIRD RAIL were "designed to make life easier", for collectors in general, but especial for Ken's own collection. What came as a secondary event was the many unsolicited request from fellow collectors for this "neat way to catalog your collectable". From this humble beginning, there are collectors all over the globe who are now using our products.
Converting the stable DOS programs into full WINDOWS releases (Windows 3.x and Windows 95) has taken more time than anticipated. For this upgrade, THE THIRD RAIL did not want to lose any functionality of the older programs, in fact, there was a need to improved the usefulness that only the WINDOWS environment could offer. This has now been accomplished and is available to the general public starting the first week in November, 1997.
Please review our current Products to see if there is any thing that interest you. If you decide to try one (or more) of our products, we guarantee that you will be 100% "satisfied" or you can send the product back. Serious Collecting is worth trying, and using, a good program for helping your business or hobby which is more than the cost of the program(s). Satisfaction is required, or you return the program! By the way, If you have read all of this, you are to be commended for your patience.