x

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: March/April 2026

$6.95 (U.S. Orders Only)

FW&D Aura

Keith Brewer’s HO Wichita Falls Division, Fort Worth & Denver Rwy. is not just the culmination of years of research of his hometown railroad but the backstory after he took up model railroading. It wasn’t until several years after leaving Bowie, TX, that he understood the importance of the FW&D beyond its everyday whistles. Today Brewer's point-to-point 14x20 layout, a scaled down version of a much larger pike in another home, pays homage to the freight business. Short main line trains haul cattle, grain, gravel and agricultural products along the route from Fort Worth, Decatur, Bowie, Henrietta and Wichita Falls, TX. The action is heavy but eases when the crew breaks midway through an operating session. A tasty cobbler, cake or banana pudding is just the right recipe for fun.

Modular N Growing

With a variety of options, N-scale modular model railroading is enjoying growth.This summer in Chattanooga, TN, NRail, which embraces all forms of N scale, will head the hobby’s quest to build the world’s largest modular layout at the NMRA National Convention. It’s all but assured that the previous record will fall to a connected layout that will occupy 10,000 square feet of the city’s convention center.

Packing the Aisles

A fierce winter storm brought out model railroad and rail enthusiasts by the thousands for the opening day of January's annual Railroad Hobby Show in Springfield, MA. A single-day record of 18,432 filled the aisles at the Eastern States Exposition before some 18 inches of snow blanketed New England. U-series General Electric locomotives topped new product announcements.

Plus

Coordinated run-throughs that connect two or more Class I railroads is a proven solution for moving freight from coast to coast; one of Micro-Trains last N-scale releases, the Greenville Railgon is worth its weight in hauling heavy loads; the elegance and food of the dining car experience spoiled hungry riders during the heyday of passenger rail transportation; Union Pacific inks a record deal to upgrade its locomotives. And more!

© 2026 Cowcatcher Magazine | No content from this site may be copied or re-used without permission | Site powered by East Texas Web Services