A little help
for your next discovery.

Train Dex is an Android train spotting journal. Photograph trains, assign a class and build a collection of the different train models you have seen. Your own photographs turn catalogue cards into memories of your journeys.

Train Dex is being developed for Android and is intended for Google Play. It is not yet published. A genuine store link will be added to this website when the release is available.

Android is the current focus. There is no published iPhone version or announced iOS release date.

Manual collecting needs no account. Online AI identification uses Google sign-in to enforce your scan allowance across devices. Your collection and photos stay on your phone. Purchases also require Google Play; restore with the same Train Dex sign-in and purchasing Play account.

The starting catalogue contains 118 classes associated with 42 European countries, including western, northern, southern and eastern Europe. Russia and Ukraine are excluded from this catalogue. Country associations are not a complete list of everywhere a train might operate, and the catalogue does not contain every European class.

Yes. You can select a train class manually, save sightings and browse your collection offline. Online identification, ad loading and purchase verification need a connection.

Free users get two AI scans per UTC day, up to 20 per UTC calendar month. Train Dex Plus provides 100 scans per paid billing month, planned at €3.50/month. The checkout shows Google's actual local price. Unused scans do not roll over. An identification request sent to Gemini counts even if the train is unknown or the provider attempt fails; rejected uploads do not count. Manual collecting is unlimited.

Plus increases the AI scan allowance; permanent ad removal is a separate €2 one-time upgrade. Plus renews monthly until cancelled in Google Play. Use Manage subscription in Settings. Cancelling keeps access through the paid period; restoration does not refill scans. Payments are not available until Google Play setup and testing are complete.

Open Capture and take a photograph, or import one from your gallery. Review the selected image, class and optional sighting details, then press Save. Capturing a photo alone does not save a sighting.

After the upload explanation, online recognition sends a resized copy of the selected image and an optional country hint to the recognition service and Google Gemini. It compares the visible train against the catalogue. A returned candidate is assigned automatically; you can change it before saving.

No. Similar classes, unusual liveries, blur, reflections and hidden details can cause incorrect or unknown identifications. An AI result is a suggestion, not a verified identification. Check it against the visible features and change the class when needed.

Try to include the front cab and part of the side, with windows and doors visible. Use a clear image with good light and avoid excessive digital zoom. Make sure the actual train occupies enough of the frame to distinguish its shape. A country hint can help narrow possibilities but does not prove a class.

Save an unidentified draft rather than selecting an unrelated class. Recognition can return an unknown outcome for trains outside the catalogue or unclear images. You can assign a class later if a suitable entry becomes available.

Yes. Open the sighting and change its assigned class. Corrections update your collection progress; they do not create an extra sighting.

Yes. Recognition retries are explicit and require a connection. If the service is unavailable, keep the image as a draft or choose a class manually.

Collection progress counts distinct catalogue classes or model families, rather than individual fleet numbers. Your first saved sighting of a class adds that class to the collection.

Absolutely. Each saved photo becomes another sighting, with its own date and optional station and notes. Repeat sightings do not increase the number of distinct classes collected.

Green is Common, blue is Uncommon, purple is Epic and gold is Legendary. The tier is also shown as text so you do not have to rely on colour alone.

Rarity is a curated spotting rating based on documented fleets, operating routes and availability. It is not a live probability or the same in every country. Train details show a rationale and factual sources; a rare train may be easy to see on its usual route.

No. It is a cosmetic inset for collected photos. The outer border and rarity badge continue to show the train class's rarity.

Yes. Search for train names and aliases, filter by country or operator, and use catalogue sort options such as name, rarity and country.

Uncollected entries use a generic train silhouette tinted with the catalogue class's colour. It is a placeholder, not an exact drawing for identification. Collected cards display your photo.

Yes. Add optional station text, a date and notes to your sightings, and mark favourite classes. The station is entered by you; the app does not track GPS location.

No. This version focuses on a personal journal of real trains you photograph. It does not include accounts, cloud collection sync, trading, leaderboards or virtual train spawns.

They are kept in private app storage on your phone. The app makes a persistent copy of selected photos for the collection; your collection is not automatically uploaded or synchronised.

No. Only the photo you select for online recognition and an optional country hint are sent. The recognition service removes embedded image metadata before forwarding the image. Other photos, collection notes and station text are not sent for recognition.

The Train Dex recognition service processes uploads in memory without storing photos or logging their contents. Google's processing follows its Gemini API terms, and hosting providers may process network and operational information. See the privacy policy for details.

Use backup export in Settings. The ZIP includes collection metadata and photo copies. Keep it somewhere safe, then use import on the phone where you want to restore the collection.

The current importer accepts backups up to 64 MB and 500 sightings. If your collection is larger, do not rely on a single export/import until the backup limits are expanded.

Uninstalling removes the app's local collection. Export a backup first. Reinstalling does not automatically recover your photos; Google Play purchase ownership is restored separately.

Deleting a sighting removes its app-managed copy. It does not delete the original image from your phone's gallery. Exported backups are separate files and must be deleted separately if you no longer want them.

No GPS tracking is used. Optional country hints and station text are information you choose to enter. Advertising services may infer approximate location from network information as described in the privacy policy.

An already-loaded full-screen ad can appear after two new saved sightings. Browsing can also make an ad eligible after 12 navigation actions and at least three minutes, at a later screen transition. A two-minute cooldown applies. Ads do not open on launch, on a timer, during capture or over the sighting editor.

The app skips unavailable ads and leaves collecting accessible. An ad failure does not delete your sighting or require you to watch a replacement before continuing.

No. Rewarded videos are optional and unlock a cosmetic golden frame only after the ad service delivers its reward callback. Collecting trains never requires a rewarded video.

The planned Google Play upgrade is a one-time purchase, not a subscription. The intended euro price is €2; the app displays the actual local price supplied by Google Play. Purchase availability depends on the published app and store configuration. Verified ownership removes all in-app ads and grants the golden cosmetic without a video.

Use Restore purchases in Settings while connected, with the same Google Play account used for the upgrade. The app verifies ownership with Google Play. Pending, cancelled or refunded purchases do not qualify.

No. Backups preserve your collection, not Google Play purchase ownership. Restore the purchase separately with the purchasing Google account.

No. The upgrade covers advertising inside the Android app. This website does not have a Train Dex login or access to your Google Play purchase, so it cannot apply that entitlement to website advertisements.

Use the available advertising privacy options in app Settings. Website advertising has separate consent choices when enabled; consenting to app ads does not set website choices.

Check that Android grants Train Dex camera permission. Close and reopen Capture after changing permissions. You can use gallery import or manual class selection while checking the camera issue.

A recognition failure does not require you to discard the selected image. Try again when connected, choose a class manually or save an unidentified draft. The image becomes part of your collection only after saving.

Purchases need the Google Play product and verification service to be configured, and a supported Play installation. Personal sideloaded development APKs cannot establish production purchase availability. This website does not sell the upgrade directly.

Check the suggested class, add the correct date and optional station text, and use notes for uncertainty. Catalogue source links can help you compare classes. You can correct the class later without adding a duplicate sighting.

Export and check your collection backup before replacing or uninstalling the app. Import it on the new phone, then restore eligible purchases through the same Google Play account while online.