2011 Gold Rail Awards

Cowcatcher readers recognized 13 who represent the best of model railroading and rail enthusiasm in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and Kansas and Missouri in the 2011 Cowcatcher Magazine Gold Rail Awards, announced in late December.

Best Regional Freight Railroad | Fort Worth & Western

Categories and nominations were selected by a panel of model railroad and rail enthusiasts. Write-in votes were accepted in all categories, and not all respondents voted in all categories.

Reader response was the highest since magazine began the annual awards in 2009. For the first time, votes were accepted via online balloting in addition to traditionally being mailed to subscribers.

Best Excursion Railroad | Texas State Railroad

“We are pleased with participation from our readers,” Cowcatcher Magazine Editor/Publisher Tim Blackwell said. “We saw a higher number of write-in votes than in the previous years, which tells us that voters are truly expressing what they regard to be the best of model railroading and rail enthusiasm in our six-state coverage area.”

Once again, the Texas State Railroad proved to be a fan favorite, but there were some other returning winners. For the third straight year, the TSR was named the Best Excursion Railroad and Best Excursion Railroad Theme Train. TSR is the only nominee to win more than one category each year since 2009.

Best Club Layout, Modular | Ark-La-Tex Model Railroad Club, Shreveport, LA

Five other winners from 2010 held on to their crowns for a third straight year, and one shared a piece.

The winners: Oklahoma City Train Show (Best Train Show); Ark-La-Tex Model Railroad Club, Shreveport, LA (Best Club Layout, Modular); “24 Hours at Saginaw,” North Texas Chapter/NRHS (Best Rail Special Event); Fort Worth & Western, Fort Worth (Best Regional Freight Railroad); Saginaw Depot, Saginaw, TX (Best Railfanning Spot); and Discount Model Trains, Addison, TX (Best Model Train Store).

Best Railroad Museum | Museum of the American Railroad, Dallas, TX

The Lockheed Martin Recreation Association’s reign as the Best Club Layout, Permanent didn’t come entirely to an end, but the club must share that distinction with another across town, Texas Western.

In a twist, the 2011 Gold Rail Awards split the Best Passenger Rail category to recognize the top passenger rail and commuter/light rail lines. Amtrak’s Texas Eagle was the favorite for Passenger Regional, and Trinity Railway Express took top honors for Commuter/Light Rail.

SoundTraxx DCC Mobile Decoders were voted Best New Model Railroad Product.

This year was the first for nominees from Kansas and Missouri, but none took home the gold. However, six entrants received votes, including Show Me Model Railroad Co. for Best Model Train Store.

Also, Museum of the American Railroad CEO Bob LaPrelle captured the 2011 Gold Rail Achievement Award.

For more on the 2011 Cowcatcher Gold Rail Awards, pick up the January/February 2011 Cowcatcher Magazine at a location near you.

WINNERS AND NOMINEES

Best Train Show
1. Oklahoma City Train Show,
2. Dallas Area Train Show.
Other Nominees – SANJAC Greater Houston Train Show, SAMRA Jamboree, Big Texas Train Show, Wichita Train Show Others Receiving Votes – Cotton Belt Train Show, LMRA Train Show, Centr-A-Mod Train Show.

Best Club Layout, Permanent
1. (TIE) LMRA Gulf & Denver Railroad Authority and Texas Western Model Railroad Club.
Other Nominees – All Points North Model Railroad Club, Baton Rouge Model Railroad Club, Green Country Model Railroad Club, SAMRA San Antonio & Northern. Others Receiving Votes – Spring Creek Model Railroad Club, Wichita Free-Mo-Nutz, HTOS.

Best Club Layout, Modular
1. Ark-La-Tex Model Railroad Club,
2. Oklahoma N-Rail.
Other Nominees – Central Arkansas Model Railroad Club, 35/45 Z-Bend Track, Trinity N-Trak, Mac Trax, McPherson, KS. Others Receiving Votes – Lone Star Flyer, Tex-N Plano, Spring Creek Model Railroad Club, Houston Tinplate Society.

Best Excursion Railroad
1. Texas State Railroad,
2. Austin Steam Train Association.
Other Nominees – Arkansas & Missouri Railroad, Eureka Springs & North Arkansas Railway, Columbia Star Dinner Train. Others Receiving Votes – Golden-Blackhawk & Central City.

Best Excursion Railroad Theme Train
1. Polar Express, Texas State Railroad;
Other Nominees – Ghost Train, Jefferson Steam Train; North Pole Flyer, Austin Steam Train Association, North Pole Express, Grapevine Vintage Railroad.

Best Railroad Museum
1. Museum of the American Railroad,
2. Temple Railroad & Heritage Museum.
Other Nominees – Arkansas Railroad Museum, Houston Railroad Museum, Texas Transportation Museum, T&P Railway Museum, Oklahoma Railroad Museum. Others Receiving Votes – Giddings Railroad Museum, Giddings, TX; Galveston Railroad Museum, Galveston, TX; Great Overland Station, Topeka, KS; Cotton Belt Museum; Tyler, TX.

Best Rail Special Event
1. “24 Hours at Saginaw”, North Texas/NRHS,
2. “Railfest 2011”, Texas State Railroad.
Other Nominees – “Caprock Express/LSR Convention”, “National Garden Railway Convention/Kansas City”.

Best Regional Freight Railroad
1. Fort Worth & Western Railroad,
2. Arkansas & Missouri Railroad.
Other Nominees – Dallas, Garland & Northeastern, Austin Western Railroad, Farmrail, Stillwater Central Others Receiving Votes – Arkansas & Oklahoma Railroad, Blacklands Railroad.

Best Railfanning Spot
1. Saginaw Depot, Saginaw, TX;
2. (TIE) Railroad Pavillion, Flatonia, TX, and T&P Railway Museum, Marshall, TX.
Other Nominees – Temple Railroad & Heritage Museum, Temple, TX; Others Receiving Votes – Tower 55, Fort Worth, TX; UP Davidson Yard, Fort Worth, TX; Depot Inn & Suites, LaPlata, MO; Tyler Train Station; Tyler, TX.

Best New Model Railroad Product
1. Soundtraxx DCC Mobile Decoders;
2. (TIE) InterMountain AC-12 N Locomotive and Athearn U50 HO Locomotive.
Other Nominees – Blackstone Models C-19 HOn3 Locomotive, Bowser TTX HO 53′ Spine Car, ExactRail ARMN HO TRINCool 64′ Reffer, Kato KCS Southern Belle SD70ACe N Locomotive, Walthers SW9/1200 Cotton Belt HO Locomotive. Others Receiving Votes – Atlas KCS Coil Car, Rokuhan Z Scale Track, Athearn Genesis GP7/9 Locomotive, American Flyer by Lionel Challenger, Bowser RDG C-630 2102 HO Steam Locomotive, Atlas O California Zephyr, Lionel Hudson Seale Vision Line O Locomotive.

Best Passenger Rail

 (Regional Rail)
1. Amtrak Texas Eagle,
2. Amtrak Heartland Flyer.
Other Nominees – Amtrak Sunset Limited, Amtrak Crescent. Others Receiving Votes – Amtrak Missouri River Runner.

(Commuter/Light Rail)
1. Trinity Railway Express;
2. Dallas Area Rapid Transit.
Other Nominees – Austin Capital MetroRail, Denton A Train, Houston METRORail.
Others Receiving Votes – McKinney Avenue Transit Authority.

Best Model Train Store (Write-in Vote Only)
1. Discount Model Trains, Addison, TX;
2. Papa Ben’s Train Place, Houston, TX.
Others Receiving Votes – Silver Spike Hobbies, Denton, TX; Show Me Model RR Co., Grandview, MO; King’s Hobbies, Austin, TX; Mike’s Hobby Shop, Porter, TX; Model Train Crossing, Hurst, TX; Spring Crossing, Spring, TX; Hobby Time, Amarillo, TX; Dibble’s Hobbies, San Antonio, TX; Hobby World, Fort Worth, TX; Wild Bill’s, Irving, TX; Arkansas Traveler Hobbies, Bald Knob, AR; Trends & Trains, Shreveport, LA; Whistlestop Trains, Oklahoma City, OK.

Cowcatcher Achievement Award:  Bob LaPrelle, CEO, Museum of the American Railroad, Frisco, TX

MAKE YOUR NOMINATIONS FOR THE 2012 COWCATCHER GOLD RAIL AWARDS!

DETAILS COMING SOON!