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All about the community of model railroading and rail enthusiasm

COWCATCHER MAGAZINE

2012 Cowcatcher Magazine

All Issues Priced at $4.95 unless otherwise noted

EMBRACING RAIL FANS – January/February 2012: Railroads open arms to rail fans with programs aimed at keeping another set of eyes on the rails. PLUS, we reveal our 2011 Cowcatcher Magazine Gold Rail Award winners; the Tulsa-based Kansas City Terminal railroad has multiple personalities; growth at the Hondo Railway is exceeding expectations five years after its inception; and Athearn revisits production on the GP7/9 with new tooling.





UNDECS UNPOPULAR – March/April 2012: With highly detailed ready-to-run products now the norm, demand is down for undecorated models. PLUS, what a difference a year makes for the North Texas Council of Railroad Club shows; Southwest Missouri club keeps chugging with solid involvement; the economy takes its toll on a long-time East Texas model railroad shop; DCTA opens its new maintenance facility and rail traffic returns to Blackwell, OK.





TALL ORDER ON THE TALL PINE – May/June 2012: Noted Lone Star Region/NMRA modeler Chuck Lind looks ahead to the end of an era on his model railroad to a new beginning. PLUS, the Amarillo Railroad Museum transformed from a model railroad club to an organization that preserves rail history; Union Pacific’s vaunted No. 844 has a flat tire while touring Texas; actor Michael Gross is the Master of Fakery with highly detailed weathering; Watco Companies goes Down Under by providing grain movements for Western Australia road; and Woodland Scenics tidies track with new cleaning line.





JOINT EFFORT – July/August 2012: North Texas regional agencies work together in pursuit of creating a seamless rail system that adequately meets future demand. PLUS, our Railroad in Focus feature debuts with an inside look at the South Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad (SKOL); R.D. Moses’ layout returns to life with opening of museum in Jefferson, TX; BNSF layout is a hit at stockholder’s meeting; and a Missouri layout asks what might have been if the Frisco had kept trackage rights on the MOPAC.





TIME FLIES ON THE T&P – September/October 2012: Whether it’s 1947 or 1952, a Texas & Pacific layout is ready to please visitors on the Dallas/Fort Worth home and club layout tours. PLUS, the Blacklands Railroad in East Texas is our Railroad in Focus subject; the St. Louis Museum of Transportation is a paradise on rails; the Louisiana Steam Train Association has sights on a new home; preparing a layout for an open house requires housekeeping and hospitality; and Athearn and Intermountain announce Norfolk Southern Heritage runs.





SIGNATURE SCENERY- November/December 2012: The Vandalia Rail & Hobby layout is filled with distinctive elements of a line between western Illinois and central Missouri. PLUS, carloads of crude oil are increasing in the U.S.; the Louisiana Southern is a Tale of Two Lines; a North Texas G-scaler remembers his days helping his dad deliver the news by recreating an Alabama bridge along the route of his backyard layout; the Kansas City Society of Model Engineers is focused on the big picture; and cork roadbed supply levels begin to return of shortages left retailers scrambling to meet customer demand.





Current Issue: Nov/Dec 2024

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Big Boy Bliss

In a deviation from normal cover content, the Cowcatcher features the latest in 4000 series Big Boys, Minitrix's N-scale No. 4013. Why? It's one smooth-running model and the mood was just right. No. 4013 pulled 26 cars and a caboose effortlessly on Olaf Melhouse's Dakota Northern at the same time Union Pacific's Big Boy No. 4014 was rolling through North Texas on its latest tour across the Midwest. Both the model and prototype are equally impressive. Check out the full review in the November/December 2024 issue.

Celebrating 20 Years

Rapido Trains attributes its success over the last 20 years to relying on the knowledge of its model railroader-centric employee base. Plus, founder Jason Shron's persistence paid off after taking a big chance. He left behind his pursuits to teach art history and fulfilled a lifelong desire to make model trains.

Featured Product

Home Shops' USRA boxcars are another example of the company's high-quality freelance rolling stock.

Plus

The new Bartlett soybean processing plant arrives at a time when multiple industries are finding value in the versatile legume. Model train backdrops don't always need to be an elaborate work of art to create the right effect. Passengers riding the Empire State Express on the New York Central from Detroit to New York City reveled in the luxurious accommodations. And more!