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All about the community of model railroading and rail enthusiasm

COWCATCHER MAGAZINE

2008 Round Up

All Issues Priced at $5.95 unless otherwise noted. Includes shipping in the U.S. Call for international shipping rates.

ANTHRACITE BLENDS CNJ, LV – Jan/Feb 2008: The Tulsa, OK-based Anthracite Lines offers a unique perspective of freelance and prototypical industrial options on Tom Fausser’s HO-scale layout. PLUS, the “Moccasin”, the Texas & Pacific 2-8-2 Mikado, gets a new home in Marshall, TX; Waco’s Warden Shops kept freight and passenger trains moving across the Katy and the Southwest; and Houston METRO celebrates a milestone with the 40 millionth rider boards.





HAVE YOU MADE YOUR RESERVATION? – Mar/Apr 2008 – Limited Copies Available: A Cowcatcher reporting original! An inside look at how the model railroad industry plays a numbers game to juggle supply and demand through requiring dealers and consumers to make reservations before runs begin. PLUS, the Rock Island’s Twin Star Rocket had one of the longest passenger runs in North America at 1,363 miles; a father-son duo in Oklahoma load up their G-scale layout and hit the show circuit; and robbers leave their mark on a Dallas train store.





ARKANSAS HILLS ALIVE WITH TRAINS – May/June 2008: Modelers migrate to a Northwest Arkansas community to set up some big-time model railroad operations with Hog Rails. PLUS, model maker Athearn and the Trinity Railway Express sign a licensing agreement and production will resume on the popular commuter rail models; a long-time piece of the model railroad landscape in Oklahoma City shutters its doors; and today’s high-energy refrigerator cars ensure dependable delivery of perishables.





PRESERVATION ON THE MOVE  – July/Aug 2008: A pair of East Texas steam locomotives are relocated, sending preservation on the move. PLUS, a vintage railroad car will be home to an O-scale group’s permanent layout; Atlas adds the its GP30 locomotive line with its latest Phase I release; the Texas & Pacific Westerner rolled through the night to destinations west; and the green light is given to Houston METRO’s Phase II plan.





OPERATIONS ON THE KCS IN HO – Sept/Oct 2008: Plenty of detail and operations awaits on Jim Norwood’s Kansas City Southern HO-scale layout in North Richland Hills, TX. PLUS, a North Texas modular club builds its image and membership; columnist Steve Willis continues his series on building the Rocky Mountain; ridership on Amtrak’s Heartland Flyer climbs; and the Rock Island’s Choctaw traveled 762 miles from Memphis to Amarillo.





MOTORING ON DOWN THE LINE – Nov/Dec 2008: A group of North Texas motor car enthusiasts take to the rails and show off how railroad crews moved down the line in the day. PLUS, Hurricane Ike slammed into the Texas coast and takes out the Galveston Railroad Museum; Atlas delivers gold with a finely detailed HO-scale model of a GP40-2 locomotive; and Athearn’s Blue Box bay window caboose is transformed into a Missouri Pacific transfer caboose.

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Calling Card

There’s no shortage of history on the Murphy Branch, one of the most compelling stories of the Southern Railway’s system in the Southeast U.S. Historians speak of the perseverance and dedication of the men who built the 111 miles through the mountains and along rivers in Western Carolina. Passenger business flourished by the turn of the 20th century with four daily trains between Asheville and Murphy, NC. Today the only passengers who ride the former line are on a 63-mile stretch from Dillsboro to the Nantahala Gorge, considered the most scenic on the Murphy Branch. Bryson City lies between them. The whistles, horns and bells echoing through the valley are from the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad, operated by American Heritage Railways. The train has become Bryson City’s calling card.

To the Trains

Trainz.com has parlayed new and used model trains into a big business north of Atlanta, GA. In March, Trainz opened a 73,000-square-foot warehouse in Flowery Branch and much of the shelf space is already consumed.

Slowing Pace?

Readers who participated in the Cowcatcher's annual State of Model Railroading survey in November indicate the hobby remains in good shape, but its value appears to be slipping amid a changing landscape that is pushing prices higher.

Plus

InterMountain Railway's latest HO and N grain cars pay tribute to one Iowa grain company and elevator that a played a role in the U.S. agriculture industry's rise. Chicago's elevated railroad, better known as the 'L', spreads in every direction and touches many lives along the Windy City's lakefront. Also, Atlas Model Railroad Co. say its role is clear after buying Micro-Trains Line Co.: Preserve the company's product line. And more!