x

All about the community of model railroading and rail enthusiasm

COWCATCHER MAGAZINE

2018 Cowcatcher Magazine

All Issues Priced at $4.95 unless otherwise noted
Cowcatcher Jan-Feb Cover

Tying It Together January/February 2018: After going through his attic in 1999 following retirement, a Boulder, CO, modeler begins a journey to run trains again that leads to the popular Trout Creek & Western. PLUS, tough times meant even tougher decisions for a pair of Alabama railroads but they proved that good things can happen from hard work; the McKinney Avenue Trolley will debut a PCC-type streetcar in 2018; manufacturers roll out the goods at Trainfest in Milwaukee; and the Museum of the American Railroad receives three locomotives that salute the legacy of first-generation Santa Fe diesels.

January/February 2018





Cowcatcher Mar-Apr Cover
Action Packed March/April 2018: An Orland Hills, IL, modeler makes the most of the 8′ x 10′ space in a spare bedroom with the Swallow Cliff railroad, which features heavy industry serviced by the Wisconsin Central in a a simple, compact modular orientation. ALSO, the Texas Bullet Train is fast charting a path for high-speed rail between Dallas and Houston; WGH on Tour continues to promote model railroading to the masses and draw new folks into the hobby; and after more than 40 years of creating building kits, Bob Lunde still gets a kick out of pulling that first cast from a rubber mold.
March/April 2018





Cowcatcher May-June Cover
Like New May/June 2018: GE Transportation fills a void in the locomotive marketing by modernizing older AC4400s and Dash-9s. ALSO, a veteran Houston modeler offers tips on making realistic lumber loads for any scale; OmniTRAX CEO Kevin Shuba shares thoughts about short line railroading and fried chicken in the return of Trackside Folks, which allows readers to get to know railroad and model railroad personalities; and Fairbury, NE, may be off the beaten path but the presence of the Rock Island is alive and well at the city’s old depot which is now a museum.


May/June 2018


Cowcatcher-July-Aug-2018-CoverGood Fit July/August 2018: The Albuquerque Society of HO Module Engineers, early pioneers of modular railroading, are right at home with their traveling layout. ALSO, CN gets aggressive with its capital spending program in 2018, marking a new direction for the Canadian Class I; St. Louis Union Station was an appropriate backdrop for the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society meeting; Athearn plans a run of Norfolk Southern’s SD60E “Honor Our Veterans” locomotive; and meet Kadee President Alan Vezzani.


July/August 2018


Cowcatcher-Sept-Oct-2018-CoverGreen Goddess New September/October 2018: The G-scale Centennial Railway Garden, originally planned as a temporary attraction, has sustained a place at the San Diego Model Railroad Museum in more ways than one. ALSO, model manufacturers are picking up the pieces after a major factory in China suddenly closed its doors; the railroad played a key role in delivering milk on the Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Railway; the Cowcatcher’s project layout, the Northwest Tarrant & Pacific, debuts; and new locomotives and rolling stock once again dominated the National Train Show in Kansas City.


September/October 2018





Cowcatcher-Nov-Dec-2018-CoverNew Path November/December 2018: Watco’s latest railroad charts a new direction on historic lines in Eastern Illinois and Western Indiana. ALSO, the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad is back on track after fire and heavy rain halted operations over the summer; the charismatic Jason Shron, president of Rapido Trains, talks about the model railroad business and his favorite movie of all time; Preserving Central Florida rail history and educating the public is the mission of the Ocala Model Railroaders; and make a cybernetic visit to Dallas Union Terminal in 1958; the Cowcatcher’s project layout, the Northwest Tarrant & Pacific, begins to take shape in Part II; and relive historic passenger trains of the Katy, Frisco, Santa Fe and others. SOLD OUT!


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!