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Creating Insurance Reports

Generate a professional insurance documentation report for your model railroad collection in one click — the kind your insurance agent actually needs.

A serious model railroad collection is a significant financial asset. A 500-piece HO layout with quality brass, sound-equipped locomotives, and decades of careful acquisition can represent $20,000, $50,000, or more. Standard homeowners insurance typically covers "hobby collections" at a blanket limit of $1,000–$2,500. The gap between that limit and what your collection is actually worth is your exposure.

The solution is scheduled personal property insurance — a rider on your homeowners or renters policy that covers your collection at its actual appraised value. Your insurance agent needs documentation to underwrite it. RailScanPro generates that documentation.

What an Insurance Report Includes

A RailScanPro Insurance Report contains, for each insured item:

  • Item description — manufacturer, model number, road name and number, scale, era
  • Condition — standardized condition grade with the condition notes you've entered
  • Current estimated value — sourced from completed market sales for that specific model/condition combination
  • Valuation date — when the estimate was generated
  • Photos — up to 3 photos per item, embedded in the PDF (critical for claims documentation)
  • Acquisition information — purchase date and original price, if you've entered it

The report ends with a Summary Table: total items, total estimated value, value by category (Locomotives, Freight Cars, etc.).

Generating an Insurance Report

  1. Sign in and go to Reports → Insurance Report
  2. Choose what to include:
    • Full Collection — everything in your inventory
    • By Category — just locomotives, just rolling stock, etc.
    • By Collection — if you've organized items into named collections
    • By Location — items stored in a specific place (useful if only some items are at a show or club)
  3. Set the valuation date — use "Current" for today's values
  4. Click Generate Report — takes 15–30 seconds for large collections
  5. Download the PDF

Getting Your Insurance Agent's Signature

Some policies require an appraisal by a certified appraiser for higher-value items (typically brass or items valued over $500 each). For most collections, RailScanPro's market-data-sourced valuations are sufficient for scheduling personal property coverage.

Bring the PDF to your insurance agent and ask specifically about:

  • Scheduled personal property rider
  • Agreed value vs. actual cash value — agreed value pays the stated amount in a loss; actual cash value subtracts depreciation
  • Replacement cost coverage — pays to replace the item with a like-kind replacement at current retail prices

For collections over $25,000, some insurers require an independent appraisal from a certified personal property appraiser. The NMRA's dealer/appraiser network can connect you with someone qualified to appraise model railroad collections.

Keeping Your Report Current

Insurance reports should be regenerated annually, or after significant additions. RailScanPro can remind you:

  1. Go to Reports → Insurance Report → Schedule Reminder
  2. Set a frequency (annually, or 60 days after each major purchase)
  3. You'll receive an email with a direct link to regenerate

After a Loss

If you ever need to file a claim:

  1. Regenerate the Insurance Report immediately (captures current values)
  2. Note which specific items were lost or damaged
  3. Your insurer will ask for the itemized list — the report provides it

The photos embedded in the report are especially valuable in a claim — they prove condition before the loss.

Next Steps

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