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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: Mar/Apr 2025

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Coal Stragglers

North American railroads have hauled coal in quantity ever since the anthracite roads were built on the East Coast. Decades later and despite many changes that have diminished production, coal remains a top (but declining) commodity. While it has weathered shifts in power generation and other factors leading to its decline, coal still accounts for 28 percent of total rail tonnage and 12 percent of revenue. Watch a coal trains roll by and you’ll notice that most cars are painted a stripe or block of color on one end. The color doesn’t matter, but the painted end has a rotary coupler, the non-painted end a solid drawbar. Learn how this combination of couplers enable railroads to move coal efficiently.

Record Turnout

Manufacturers roll out the red carpet at January's Amherst Railway Society's Railroad Hobby Show in Springfield, MA. The show set an attendance record of 27,535 at what has become the big daddy of train shows. Several manufacturers came out in full dress to tout their latest products and announce new runs. At times it appeared to be a battle of the booths, something show chairman John Sacerdote anticipated leading up to the show. Lionel and Walthers did not disappoint.

Spirit of St. Louis

After almost 20 years of top-line service, the Pennsylvania Railroad's St. Louisan and New Yorker were rechristened Spirit of St. Louis after the custom-built Ryan monoplane in which Charles Lindbergh made the first transatlantic flight. PRR’s advertising and publicity forces wasted no time capitalizing on transatlantic frenzy. The Spirit’s christening was celebrated June 15, 1927, less than a month after Lindbergh’s May 21 landing in Paris. Take a ride on the train in the Cowcatcher's ongoing series, "The Golden Age of Passenger Travel."

Plus

CN rolls out a medium horsepower hybrid locomotive that will be deployed this year across several of the railroads's yards and branch lines. Watching trains circle a layout adds a warm touch to modeling and relieves stress, say modelers. And more!