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All about the community of model railroading and rail enthusiasm

COWCATCHER MAGAZINE

2015 Cowcatcher Magazine

All Issues Priced at $4.95 unless otherwise noted

GOOD CHEMISTRY January/February 2015: The San Antonio Central Railroad combines a youthful approach with an Alamo City landmark, the former Kelly Air Force Base. PLUS, we publish the winners of the Cowcatcher Gold Rail Awards 2014 contest; recreating Amtrak passenger trains in N and HO scales is getting easier; passenger rail service between Tulsa and Oklahoma City may get the green light in spring 2015 with the Eastern Flyer; and model manufacturers display their latest products at Trainfest in Milwaukee and the Oklahoma City Train Show.





STILL IN STYLE March/April 2015: Craftsmanship has a small but dynamic place in the world of ready-to-run model railroading. PLUS, the New Orleans and Gulf Coast Railway is in prime position to grow with the planned expansion of the Plaquemines Port; the Nebraska-Iowa model railroad club supercharges space at a Council Bluffs, IA, mall with several layouts in multiple scales; despite the drop in oil prices, the railroad industry sees a silver lining; and a mechanic for Watco Companies explains how he modeled a Kansas & Oklahoma locomotive that commemorates Wichita State University.





MODEL TRANSIT May/June 2015: Denver’s Regional Transportation District takes a three-legged stool approach to expanding the city’s light-rail and commuter-rail systems. PLUS, we review Kato’s new Sound Box system; visit with Hornby America’s Arvids Breikss about the comeback of Arnold and Rivarossi; detail how a Mexico, MO, club easily switched from DC to DCC; and recollect how the Cotton Belt’s Lone Star served Shreveport, LA.





TEAM PLAYER July/August 2015: Former big-league pitcher Dan Smith helps instill a team player mentality at Watco Companies, one of the country’s leading shortline railroad operators. PLUS, the former Houston Railroad Museum announces plans to relocate to Tomball, TX; steady investment and diversification position Farmrail and Grainbelt lines to better manage the resources of western Oklahoma; we review a WalthersProto HO-scale Santa Fe diesel locomotive and take a trackside look at the Colorado & Great Western modular model railroad. $5.95

Cowcatcher Sept-Oct 2015 Cover


ON RECORD PACE September/October 2015: Intermodal shipments on U.S. railroads in April outpaced carload traffic for the first time before hitting its highest point ever in June. PLUS, the massive Tehachapi Loop continues to be a big draw for the San Diego Model Railroad Museum; San Antonio’s Alamo Model Railroad Engineers settle into a new venue for it annual model train show; ScaleTrains.com announces it’s entering the model manufacturing business; and we go trackside with the San Antonio & Northern model railroad.$5.95





Cowcatcher Nov-Dec 2015 Cover

ON SPOT November/December 2015: Spotting cars at warehouses and industrial districts add realism to model railroading, especially when done properly. PLUS, the National Narrow Gauge Convention raises the bar on contests; an Illinois model railroad shop tirelessly promotes model railroading, including to the younger generation; the Wisconsin & Southern punctuates its 35th anniversary with new opportunities; and see how one former railroad was actually responsible for the creation of the country’s largest amusement park.





Current Issue: Jan/Feb 2025

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Throttling Up

Ever wonder why railroads chose certain locomotives to pull freight trains? Railroads have practiced multiple-unit train control since the 1890s when Frank J. Sprague developed a system to combine motive power in electric train operation. When assigning power and consisting locomotives today, railroads generally match the horsepower per ton and tractive effort ratings to specific locomotives designed to meet specific network needs. But other factors are involved, and it's not uncommon for railroads to mix makes and models of locomotives when consisting for trains.

State of Model Railroading

Response to the Cowcatcher’s 2025 State of Model Railroading survey was positive and many say the hobby is rolling along fine, maybe a bit complicated for some. The 31-question survey sent to readers across the U.S. in November earned a 42 percent response rate. Questions ranged from personal preferences and skill levels and layouts to how modelers buy and spend.

Joint Agency

Whether shuttling power, moving cars through interline carrier agreements or running on joint lines, North America’s largest rail providers interact. One of the more obscure examples is the Milwaukee Road’s Joint Agency Yard in Kansas City, MO, where the Milwaukee Road and Kansas City Southern coexisted for 40 years. On the N-scale Whitehurst & Pine Ridge Railroad, joint yard agreements in Kansas City and Dallas make sense, allowing KCS traffic to move in and out of both ends of the layout to service grain customers without the need for another yard.

Plus

BNSF posts record agricultural volumes on the heels of a good harvest. A Milwaukee Road stock car with a storied past is now on display at the Galveston Railroad Museum. And a United Kingdom retailer and manufacturer introduces its camera car, the Eye-Choo, to the U.S. And more!