2013 Cowcatcher Magazine

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IN THE MIDDLE – January/February 2013: Surrounded by Class Is, the Fort Worth & Western has a hometown flavor with a big stake in Dallas/Fort Worth rail transportation. PLUS, the Cowcatcher Magazine announces its 2012 Gold Rail Awards winners; trains may run through Bonham, TX, once again with a new lease from TxDOT; The St. Louis-San Francisco (Frisco) Railway operations leading up to the Burlington Northern merger are examined and Manufacturer’s Row at the Oklahoma City Train Show had to plenty to offer.

LIVING ROOM ADDITION – March/April 2013: A Dallas/Fort Worth Sn3 traveling layout looks good enough to blend in with the rest of the household furnishings. PLUS, the Museum of the American Railroad recently moved part of its locomotive collection to the new site in Frisco, TX; the Eads Bridge that links St. Louis, MO, with Illinois across the Mississippi River is getting a makeover; the Arkansas & Missouri Railroad is retracing history through the hills of Western Arkansas and we review Athearn’s GP38-2, which has new tooling with plenty of details specific to the Southern Pacific.

UNIQUE VISION – May/June 2013: An N-scale line depicts a different perspective of Oregon and pays homage to a Decatur, TX, owner’s favorite railroads. PLUS, fans of the Fort Worth & Western can match the short line’s colorful scheme when paint from Arizona-based Tru Color Paint arrives in June; the uptick in the economy and improved relations overseas is feeding optimism among U.S. model makers who are finally receiving consistent shipments of products; and the Brownsville & Rio Grande International Railroad plays an integral role in moving goods from the U.S. to Mexico. $7.95

CHALLENGES AHEAD – July/August 2013: With nowhere to go, the Lockheed Martin Railroad Activity is intent on continuing its Dallas/Fort Worth legacy. PLUS, the Illinois Railway has positioned itself to take on new business in the “Sand Capitol of the World” in north central Illinois; the Lone Star Region/NMRA convention in June set the bar for conventions to come; the Frisco Railway provided a quick winter escape for passengers in the Midwest to Florida in the 20th century; and severe weather across the Midwest slowed operations on Class I and short line railroads.

GROWING STRONG – September/October 2013: Watco’s commitment to improvement has become the foundation for success in the company’s first 30 years of operation. PLUS, clubs and organizations often have to take a business approach to putting on annual fund-raising shows and events; the RockRails Invitational in Rockford, IL, provided operators an opportunity to learn about prototype model railroading and how modelers interpret local operations; crowds gathered and cheered as the Museum of the American Railroad delivered on its promise to move the collection’s massive Union Pacific “Big Boy” locomotive; and model railroaders can feed their hungry crews with Blair Line’s roadside café.

FUTURE OF RAILROADING – November/December 2013: The next test at the Transportation Technology Center in Pueblo, CO. could make a huge impact on tomorrow’s U.S. railroads. PLUS, memories of steam abound on the Big Creek & Southern, a live steam railroad that occupies more than 13 acres outside of Kansas City, MO; ballast maker Dennis Brennan goes direct to nature to get the materials to produce his version of O-gauge ballast; and the Nebraska, Kansas & Colorado railway is poised to handle the benefits of a wet spring and summer.

Spring is when large-scale model railroaders with their green thumbs plant and prune colorful foliage grown nearly to scale. In some areas, maintaining outdoor layouts is quite challenging because of changing weather. Nancy Norris, an author who builds garden railroads professionally, says some plant varieties have become more difficult to grow in certain Hardiness Zones. In some cases it means garden railroaders having to put more emphasis on growing native plants rather than relying on varieties more susceptible to extreme conditions. She recommends new gardeners consult with their local nurseries for the best choices for an outdoor layout. Norris also has a few recommendations of her own.

Sweeping tariffs imposed on goods imported into the United States are stirring model railroad manufacturers. As a result, model railroading and other hobbies will cost more. In February the U.S. applied a 10 percent tariff on goods imported from China, and the tax has since escalated. Suppliers – including Athearn, InterMountain Railway Co., Broadway Limited, Rapido Trains and ScaleTrains – have been putting dealers and customers on notice that prices will increase tariffs are implemented.

The first rule of railroading is “expect movement on any track at any time in any direction.” This may seem like an overabundance of caution, but railroading is a dangerous sport. Always expect a train when you’re around the tracks. The second rule of railroading is that there is an exception to every rule. The North American freight car fleet in 2023 consisted of 2.03 million rail cars, according to Railinc’s Umler Equipment Index. Rail car fleet management — how empty cars get dispatched to move to their next loading point — is an ever-moving process and often requires fleet car managers to be nimble.

2013 Cowcatcher Magazine

Current Issue: May/June 2025

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Tuned In

Tariffs Cause Concern

Managing Freight Cars

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