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All about the community of model railroading and rail enthusiasm

COWCATCHER MAGAZINE

2016 Cowcatcher Magazine

All Issues Priced at $4.95 unless otherwise noted

Cowcatcher Jan-Feb 2016 Cover

For Love of Cabooses January/February 2016: The Frisco cabooses that Paul Slavens admired as a kid are coming back to life on his Sapulpa, OK, property. PLUS, see the winners of the Cowcatcher Gold Rail Awards 2015 contest; enjoy recaps of the Oklahoma City Train Show and Trainfest; take a ride on Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad; and learn how one mule became a local legend for tugging streetcars in El Paso her own way.     SOLD OUT!

 

 

Cowcatcher Mar-Apr Cover

Crookedest Railway March/April 2016: Oklahoma O Scalers take a straight line on the Colorado Utah railway, which was once known for its zigs and zags through the mountains of Colorado and Utah. PLUS, the Twin Cities Model Railroad Museum gets a new lease; a look at the TNW Corp.’s trio of railroads serving Texas; a former troop sleeper and kitchen car is transformed into meeting space at the Arkansas Railroad Museum; and a quick lesson in applying graffiti decals to an HO-scale boxcar.





Cowcatcher May-June Cover

Ultimate Model Railroad May/June 2016: The Colorado Model Railroad Museum has accomplished what many can only dream as the ultimate model railroad, and we explore this Gold Rail Award winning pike. PLUS, an East Coast buyer of collections hints just what your model railroad items could be worth; “Let’s Talk Trains” blog radio has become a cyber place where rail enthusiasts gather; and in 1956 passengers could arrive and depart from Kansas City Union Station from all points of the compass.





Cowcatcher July-August Cover

Muscle on Demand July/August 2016: OUR FIRST GLOSSY COVER! Lease locomotives meet short-term and long-term goals of railroads of all sizes, depending on economic conditions and other factors. PLUS, the Red River Valley & Western has proven to be a major U.S. hauler of U.S. grain exports; freight and passenger rail proponents say that TXDOT rail is missing opportunities; and Built-Rite kits provide craftsmanship with ease.     5.95!





Cowcatcher Sept-Oct Cover

Dreams Do Come True September/October 2016: The Houston area has rallied behind Gil and Virginia Freitag to keep the 50-year-old Stony Creek & Western model railroad a fixture in the model railroad community. PLUS, prototype modelers gather across the country, and they mean business about model railroading; the N Scale Enthusiasts assemble for their annual convention in Kansas City and show some unique models; and the story of railroad legend Kate Shelley is relived.      SOLD OUT!





Cowcatcher Nov-Dec Cover

Driving Results November/December 2016: OUR FIRST ALL-GLOSS ISSUE!SUPPLIES ARE LIMITED! A milestone locomotive produced at Fort Worth’s General Electric plant is a reminder of how far modern train technology has come. PLUS, the Great Western Railway is picking up pace with investment in Colorado; we review ScaleTrains.com’s HO-scale “Big Blow” locomotive, and it lives up to the hype; and see a way to model piggyback cars for the Kansas City Southern.     6.95!





Current Issue: Sept/Oct 2025

$6.95 (U.S. Orders Only)

Sprucing Up

It’s easy to not see the forest for the trees on a model railroad, so the Colorado Model Railroad Museum won’t mind if visitors focus closely on the towering firs and glowing aspens on the Oregon, California & Eastern Railroad. A panoramic scan is most appropriate now that many of the 28,000 trees are getting a makeover. One of the country’s top model railroad museums, CMRM is refreshing scenery along its Pacific Northwest-based signature HO-scale layout with laborious help from staff and volunteers. For the past year, trees, ground cover and other scenery have been cleaned or replaced on the 15-year-old masterpiece inspired by museum founder David Trussell.

Railroad Structures

Freight stations and engine service facilities are the most common assets for railroads, and Gene Mangum's HO-scale Mystic Branch is no exception. In the first of a two-part series, Mangum details the many railroad-owned structures on the layout.

Seamless Railroad

Two years after Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern became North America’s first continuous north-south railroad, Union Pacific Railroad Co. and Norfolk Southern Railway Co. are working to stitch a seamless east-west transcontinental railroad. Leaders from UP and NS say a seamless railroad devoid of interchanges creates valuable synergies for shippers and the Union Pacific Transcontinental Railroad.

Plus

Pat Hiatte takes a ride from Chicago to Milwaukee on the Chicago, North Shore and Milwaukee Railway's Electroliner. Plus, Kadee Quality Products follows its successful run of the Nickel Plate Road AAR 50-ton flatcar with an undecorated model - see the review. Also, construction on BNSF's bridge over the Missouri River near Bismarck-Mandan, ND, is nearing the halfway point. And more!