About

About DASH (that's our nickname)

DASH is the world’s best resource for the community of model train lovers. We provide an integrated experience for collectors’ needs. We connect buyers and sellers. We help collectors learn. We promote the hobby. Our platform delivers information and technology to make collecting more fun, efficient and affordable.

DASH is a community that celebrates the fun of model trains and collecting. We actively seek to strengthen the hobby, connecting enthusiasts with characters, stories and memories enriching their lives.

The DASH Story

DASH was conceived by Bill Jones and first launched with several co-founders in late 2009. Tens of thousands of collectors manage a million items on the DASH platform to date.

We make our money by hosting the Marketplace, and we charge our sellers fees when they sell items. While most of the core collecting functionality on the site is free, we also offer a set of premium features for collectors.

Learn how to get the most from DASH

About the DASH Platform

DASH provides an integrated software platform for collectors. Its core features are:

A wiki-enabled “Catalog” - The Catalog is the best structured, comprehensive resource for collectors. It consolidates the ambiguity of item naming and identification, helps collectors learn, share and grow their interest in the hobby, and serves as a living foundation for making collection management and selling easier.

Simple collection management - Because it is based on the Catalog, DASH’s collection management is a simple matter of finding their items and clicking “Add to Collection” or “Add to Wanted”. When a collector buys an item, it is automatically added to his collection.

Structured and Active Marketplace - With a common platform to identify all items for sale, sellers save time in researching their items for sale, and buyers appreciate the inherent specificity of the listings. Items are found not only through blind searches, but instead also through a familiar structure tailored for model trains. Wanted Items are flagged and provide alerts when new items are listed for sale or reduced in price. An innovative Trading feature is also available for upgraded users enabling them to find "smart" partners for trading based on items willing to trade and wanted.

Anytime, anywhere access - As a web-based solution, DASH is accessible from any browser. Additionally, DASH has applications for the iPhone and Android mobile platforms.  These apps are free and enable anytime/anywhere searching of the DASH Catalog as well as access to the DASH Flash news. Upgraded members can use the mobile apps to look up values, add and remove items from their collection and wanted lists, sync their collection to their mobile devices, and easily take and upload photos of their items from their device wirelessly.

Community features - DASH strives to bring collectors together. Collecting is often a social activity, and DASH helps collectors share. Send an item to someone. Post to your social network. Rate an item. Review an item. Post a video about an item. Share your entire collection with your friends...and make new collecting friends through DASH.