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All about the community of model railroading and rail enthusiasm

COWCATCHER MAGAZINE

2017 Cowcatcher Magazine

All Issues Priced at $4.95 unless otherwise noted

Cowcatcher Jan-Feb 2017 Cover

Lagniappe January/February 2017: The Crescent City Model Railroad Club is opening its doors and offering New Orleans a little something extra. PLUS, young Japenese modelers send a message of peace through an award-winning N-scale module; the race of the Gold Rail Awards best model railroad product comes down to the wire; the Kaw River Railroad and Kansas City Transportation Co. are getting creative to attract new business.

January/February 2017





Cowcatcher Mar-Apr Cover

Loaded March/April 2017: OmniTRAX has a plan to rejuvenate the historic Sand Springs Railway in Tulsa by developing the site of a former steel mill; the Texas State Railroad Authority and operator of the Texas State Railroad are trying to find common ground to keep the tourist line running; Colorado Narrow Gauge has been a crowd-pleaser at Wisconsin shows; and Part 1 of “Designing an N-scale Layout for Operations” gets under way. SOLD OUT!

March/April 2017


Cowcatcher May-June Cover

Got to be right May/June 2017: The Fort Worth-based HO Black Bear & Bayou captures everyday life with high detail and relentless craftsmanship. PLUS, a near-record crowd fills the Denver Mart for the Rocky Mountain Train Show; Part 2 of “Designing an N-scale Layout for Operations” focuses on determining what kind of trains and when will run on the Sedalia Subdivision; and we review InterMountain’s long-awaited N-scale SD40-2.

May/June 2017





Cowcatcher July-Aug Cover

Replicating Change July/Aug 2017: Denver’s Lockheed Martin Recreation Association modelers maintain Rio Grande’s historical course by easily adjusting the era of the layout. PLUS, new load technology helps The Eastern Idaho Railroad get potatoes to market faster; Part 3 of “Designing an N-scale Layout for Operations” focuses on establishing a car-forwarding system; and Rapido Trains is driving change through its new model bus line.

July/August 2017





Cowcatcher Sept-Oct Cover

Street Run and Done September/October 2017: It’s the end of the line for street running in Houston, at least for now with the departure of one short line, but what’s left behind is inspiration for a shelf layout. PLUS, in Part 4: Operations on the Sedalia Sub, Pat Hiatte works out the bugs with help from his friends; the Newburgh & South Shore Railroad is rocking Cleveland; the Milwaukee Electric Traction Club layout recalls travel days of old; and InterMountain’s GP10 Paducah lives up to the hype.

September/October 2017





Cowcatcher Nov-Dec Cover

History Professor November/December 2017: American Heritage Railways CEO All Harper is on a mission to inspire others about railroad history – the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad is in the business of preserving history and telling a story that people will remember. PLUS, the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railway’s Christmas 1872 arrival was the birth of Denison, TX; Transforming the Dakota Northern from DC to DCC wasn’t as hard as it might sound; and BNSF is leading a railroad industry effort to use unmanned aerial systems, or drones, to get a bird’s-eye view of rail infrastructure. One of our most popular issues!

November/December 2017





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!