2018 Cowcatcher Magazine

All Issues Priced at $4.95 unless otherwise noted

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

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

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.

Good 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.

Green 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

New 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!

Spring is when large-scale model railroaders with their green thumbs plant and prune colorful foliage grown nearly to scale. In some areas, maintaining outdoor layouts is quite challenging because of changing weather. Nancy Norris, an author who builds garden railroads professionally, says some plant varieties have become more difficult to grow in certain Hardiness Zones. In some cases it means garden railroaders having to put more emphasis on growing native plants rather than relying on varieties more susceptible to extreme conditions. She recommends new gardeners consult with their local nurseries for the best choices for an outdoor layout. Norris also has a few recommendations of her own.

Sweeping tariffs imposed on goods imported into the United States are stirring model railroad manufacturers. As a result, model railroading and other hobbies will cost more. In February the U.S. applied a 10 percent tariff on goods imported from China, and the tax has since escalated. Suppliers – including Athearn, InterMountain Railway Co., Broadway Limited, Rapido Trains and ScaleTrains – have been putting dealers and customers on notice that prices will increase tariffs are implemented.

The first rule of railroading is “expect movement on any track at any time in any direction.” This may seem like an overabundance of caution, but railroading is a dangerous sport. Always expect a train when you’re around the tracks. The second rule of railroading is that there is an exception to every rule. The North American freight car fleet in 2023 consisted of 2.03 million rail cars, according to Railinc’s Umler Equipment Index. Rail car fleet management — how empty cars get dispatched to move to their next loading point — is an ever-moving process and often requires fleet car managers to be nimble.

2018 Cowcatcher Magazine

Current Issue: May/June 2025

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Tuned In

Tariffs Cause Concern

Managing Freight Cars

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