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All about the community of model railroading and rail enthusiasm

COWCATCHER MAGAZINE

2013 Cowcatcher Magazine

 

All Issues Priced starting at $5.95

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.





 

Current Issue: July/August 2025

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Katy Flavor

Growing up in Central Texas in the 1980s, David Heyde loved big machinery. Only natural for a boy surrounded by a mighty river complemented by steamboats, an active Army airfield and regional airport, and equipment that tended row upon row of corn, soybeans and other grains. What loomed largest, though, was the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad. Heyde’s MKT Central Texas Subdivision, a compact but bold HO-scale layout, captures on two levels around the walls the zest of the iconic railroad that ran from Kansas City and St. Louis to Galveston, TX, and the Gulf of Mexico. All while maximizing space in what once was a one-car garage.

Holding Steady

This year’s National Narrow Gauge Convention is coming home, where it all began 45 years ago. The Mudhens will once again have a large presence at the convention Sept. 3-6 in St. Louis. Over the last four decades, their rise has been rather circuitous. While developing national appeal in narrow-gauge circles, these dedicated modelers from St. Louis to Arizona to Texas have persevered.

Personal Switcher

The Kansas City West Bottoms Railroad (KCRR) debuted in early March, with no small impact on a parcel of track along the former Missouri Pacific Railroad near the Kansas-Missouri line. What’s turning heads, says KCRR president Rich Duncan, is that the tiny Class III short line is rewriting the railroad marketing narrative on first-mile, last-mile service with a new level of dedicated switching so its three customers can better connect to the Union Pacific.

Plus

Columnist Michelle Kempema writes that model railroaders and railfans can preserve their legacy for a good cause, railroads once ran special trains in enormous size and variety and autonomous battery-electric rail cars are being piloted on two Georgia short line railroads. Also, one modeler looking for something unique for his layout found just the thing in an old model railroad magazine - plans to scratch build a rock bunker. And more!