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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: Jan/Feb 2023

    Due to printer issues, the January/February issue is running behind. We expect it to be at stores by Jan. 11.

     

     

    INSIDE THIS ISSUE

  • Natural Merger

    The Illinois Chapter of the Mudhens Modular HO Narrow Gauge Society’s layout makes a seamless transition from the mountains and hills of Pennsylvania to the Colorado plains. Through an eye-catching blend of scenery, modules transition from North Carolina’s East Tennessee & Western North Carolina Railroad and Pennsylvania’s Tuscarora Valley and on to the Denver & Rio Grande Western. Highly detailed trees and foliage swallow the terrain; tree leaves seem to jump off the layout in this superb interpretation of portable narrow gauge model railroading.

  • 2023 State of Model Railroading

    Modelers say times are still good in the hobby but they may spend a little less this year because of the economy. The Cowcatcher’s 2023 State of Model Railroading survey polled readers last fall to get their insights on everything from the quality of models to sustaining the future of the hobby. They had a lot to say.

     

  • Railroading in the 1940s

    The railroad industry in the late 1940s hummed as steam transitioned to diesel. Interesting, some things don’t change much. Pat Hiatte reflects on a time when railroads were high-balling across the U.S.

    – DeGolyer Library, SMU/Railroads: Photographs, Manuscripts and Imprints

     

  • PLUS…

    Milwaukee’s Trainfest came back strong in November after being sidelined by the pandemic for two years. More than 20,500 attended one of the nation’s top shows. …

     

    InterMountain Railway Co. and ScaleTrains announced recently that each will produce EMD’s short-lived SDL39, due later this year. …

     

    The sun has set on Fort Worth’s Tower 55, which for decades was the guardian of maybe the busiest railroad junction in the country. …

     

     

    THESE STORIES AND MORE, PLUS A FULL CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS AND THE BUSINESS PULSE OF THE RAILROAD INDUSTRY!

     

  • Order Issue

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    SPECIAL OFFER! Order this issue or subscribe/renew and receive the Cowcatcher’s 2023 calendar! While supplies last!

     

     

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  • Back Issues

    Be sure to check out our Back Issues page for any issues you may have missed. We have expanded descriptions for issues published beginning in 2007. Click here to order.

     

    See our most recent issues and order today!

     

  • Product News & Review

    InterMountain HO ADM Corn Syrup Car

     

    The Cowcatcher reviews InterMountain Railway Co.’s newly released HO-scale Trinity Industries 19,600-gallon corn syrup car. The tank car is one of several in the company’s second release.

     

    More product reviews!

     

    See product news!

     

  • Railroad in Focus

    Cowcatcher Magazine routinely features short lines and regional railroads that roam the Midwest and Southwest. Features include color photographs and maps, but an overview of operations and latest business trends.

     



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    UPDATED! Visit the new N-scale Whitehurst & Pine Ridge Railroad, the official model railroad of the Cowcatcher Magazine, and track progress. All aboard!
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