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All about the community of model railroading and rail enthusiasm

COWCATCHER MAGAZINE

2015 Cowcatcher Magazine

All Issues Priced at $4.95 unless otherwise noted

GOOD CHEMISTRY January/February 2015: The San Antonio Central Railroad combines a youthful approach with an Alamo City landmark, the former Kelly Air Force Base. PLUS, we publish the winners of the Cowcatcher Gold Rail Awards 2014 contest; recreating Amtrak passenger trains in N and HO scales is getting easier; passenger rail service between Tulsa and Oklahoma City may get the green light in spring 2015 with the Eastern Flyer; and model manufacturers display their latest products at Trainfest in Milwaukee and the Oklahoma City Train Show.





STILL IN STYLE March/April 2015: Craftsmanship has a small but dynamic place in the world of ready-to-run model railroading. PLUS, the New Orleans and Gulf Coast Railway is in prime position to grow with the planned expansion of the Plaquemines Port; the Nebraska-Iowa model railroad club supercharges space at a Council Bluffs, IA, mall with several layouts in multiple scales; despite the drop in oil prices, the railroad industry sees a silver lining; and a mechanic for Watco Companies explains how he modeled a Kansas & Oklahoma locomotive that commemorates Wichita State University.





MODEL TRANSIT May/June 2015: Denver’s Regional Transportation District takes a three-legged stool approach to expanding the city’s light-rail and commuter-rail systems. PLUS, we review Kato’s new Sound Box system; visit with Hornby America’s Arvids Breikss about the comeback of Arnold and Rivarossi; detail how a Mexico, MO, club easily switched from DC to DCC; and recollect how the Cotton Belt’s Lone Star served Shreveport, LA.





TEAM PLAYER July/August 2015: Former big-league pitcher Dan Smith helps instill a team player mentality at Watco Companies, one of the country’s leading shortline railroad operators. PLUS, the former Houston Railroad Museum announces plans to relocate to Tomball, TX; steady investment and diversification position Farmrail and Grainbelt lines to better manage the resources of western Oklahoma; we review a WalthersProto HO-scale Santa Fe diesel locomotive and take a trackside look at the Colorado & Great Western modular model railroad. $5.95

Cowcatcher Sept-Oct 2015 Cover


ON RECORD PACE September/October 2015: Intermodal shipments on U.S. railroads in April outpaced carload traffic for the first time before hitting its highest point ever in June. PLUS, the massive Tehachapi Loop continues to be a big draw for the San Diego Model Railroad Museum; San Antonio’s Alamo Model Railroad Engineers settle into a new venue for it annual model train show; ScaleTrains.com announces it’s entering the model manufacturing business; and we go trackside with the San Antonio & Northern model railroad.$5.95





Cowcatcher Nov-Dec 2015 Cover

ON SPOT November/December 2015: Spotting cars at warehouses and industrial districts add realism to model railroading, especially when done properly. PLUS, the National Narrow Gauge Convention raises the bar on contests; an Illinois model railroad shop tirelessly promotes model railroading, including to the younger generation; the Wisconsin & Southern punctuates its 35th anniversary with new opportunities; and see how one former railroad was actually responsible for the creation of the country’s largest amusement park.





Current Issue: Jan/Feb 2026

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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!

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