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All about the community of model railroading and rail enthusiasm

COWCATCHER MAGAZINE

2016 Gold Rail Awards Nominees

BEST TRAIN SHOW

Oklahoma City Train Show – Oklahoma City, OK

Dallas Area Train Show – Plano, TX

Great Midwest Train Show – Wheaton, IL

San Antonio Model Railroad Association Jamboree – San Antonio, TX

Trainfest – Milwaukee, WI

Rocky Mountain Train Show – Denver, CO

BEST CLUB LAYOUT, PERMANENT

Colorado Model Railroad Museum – Greely, CO

San Antonio Model Railroad Association San Antonio & Northern – San Antonio, TX

Crescent Lines – New Orleans, LA

Kansas City Garden Railroad Society – Olathe, KS

South Canadian Ntrak Club – Oklahoma City, OK

Elmhurst Model Railroad Club HO – Elmhurst, IL

BEST CLUB LAYOUT, MODULAR

Ark-La-Tex Model Railroad Club – Shreveport, LA

Oklahoma N-Rail – Oklahoma City, OK

Colorado Narrow Gauge – Milwaukee, WI

Elk Canyon & Western – Dallas, TX

Trinity N-Trak – Fort Worth, TX

Gulf Western Modular Railroad Society – Corpus Christi, TX

North Shore & Western Modular Club – Chicago, IL

Colorado & Great Western – Lakewood, CO

BEST EXCURSION RAILROAD

Durango & Silverton – Durango, CO

Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad – Chama, NM

Arkansas & Missouri Railroad – Springdale, AR

Austin Steam Train Association – Cedar Park, TX

Grapevine Vintage Railroad – Grapevine, TX

Texas State Railroad – Palestine/Rusk, TX

BEST EXCURSION RAILROAD, THEME TRAIN

North Pole Express, Grapevine Vintage Railroad – Grapevine, TX

Fall Foliage Express, Arkansas & Missouri Railroad – Springdale, AR

Polar Express, Texas Sate Railroad – Palestine, TX

Ghost Train, Jefferson Steam Train – Jefferson, TX

North Pole Flyer, Austin Steam Train Association – Cedar Park, TX

Polar Express, Durango & Silverton – Durango, CO

BEST RAILFANNING SPOT

Saginaw Depot – Saginaw, TX

Kansas City Union Station – Kansas City, MO

Rosenberg Railroad Museum – Rosenberg, TX

Golden Spike Tower – North Platte, NE

Rochelle Railroad Park – Rochelle, IL

UP/BNSF Joint Line – Denver, CO

BEST RAILROAD MUSEUM

Illinois Railway Museum – Union, IL

Museum of Transportation – St. Louis, MO

National Railroad Museum – Green Bay, WI

Rosenberg Railroad Museum – Rosenberg, TX

Colorado Railroad Museum – Golden, CO

Galveston Railroad Museum – Galveston, TX

BEST SHORTLINE/REGIONAL RAILROAD

Fort Worth & Western Railroad – Fort Worth, TX

Arkansas & Missouri Railroad – Springdale, AR

Farmrail – Clinton, OK

Austin Western Railroad – Austin, TX

Burlington Junction Railway – Burlington, IA

Great Western Railway – Loveland, CO

Red River Valley & Western – Breckenridge, MN

BEST RAIL SPECIAL EVENT

National N Scale Convention – Kansas City, MO

Galesburg Railroad Days – Gailsburg, IL

“24-Hours at Saginaw” – Saginaw, TX

Railfest – North Platte, NE

Mid-Continent/NMRA Convention – Omaha, NE

LSR/NMRA Convention – Arlington, TX

BEST NEW MODEL RAILROAD PRODUCT

ScaleTrains.com HO UP “Big Blow” Turbine

Athearn HO Genesis Mt. 4-4-8-4 Daylight Steam Locomotive

Kato N 4-8-4 UP Steam Locomotive

Rapido HO Amtrak F40-PH Locomotive

InterMountain HO Bathtub Gondola

Trainworx N Scale Tractors and Trailers

Lionel O Train Set With Lion Chief Control

Broadway Limited HO 2-10-4 T&P Steam Locomotive

Tangent HO Steel Coil Loads

BEST PASSENGER RAIL, REGIONAL

Amtrak Texas Eagle

Amtrak Southwest Chief

Amtrak City of New Orleans

Amtrak California Zephyr

Amtrak Sunset Limited

Amtrak Heartland Flyer

BEST PASSENGER RAIL, COMMUTER/LIGHT RAIL

Trinity Railway Express

Dallas Area Rapid Transit

Denver RTD

MetroLink St. Louis

Chicago METRA

Houston MetroRail

Chicago Transit

Minneapolis/St. Paul METRO

BEST MODEL TRAIN STORE (WRITE-IN)

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!

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