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All about the community of model railroading and rail enthusiasm

COWCATCHER MAGAZINE

2020 Cowcatcher Magazine

All Issues Priced $5.95 unless otherwise noted. Includes shipping in the U.S.

Rolling Thunder – January/February 2020: As carloads continue to decline, unit trains full of black diamonds keep rolling out of Powder River Basin to supply a larger portion of U.S. energy needs. PLUS, the Colorado Model Railroad Museum plans to expand and realize its vision of a campus-like setting for education; a San Diego O-gauge layout will keep its home at the Old Town Railroad Depot; new locomotives and announcements highlight the 48th rendition of Trainfest in Milwaukee; and the George Bush 4141 locomotive has been retired and will go on display in College Station, TX.

January/February 2020




Door to Door – March/April 2020: Every day almost 80 vessel calls are made at U.S. ports by massive ships loaded with consumer goods, which are transported by the nation’s railroads. PLUS, tourist railroads are booming and making an impact on passengers and local economies; new models are announced at the Amherst Society Railroad Show in January; a Michigan short line railroad gets crafty and finds a way to bring malt barley closer to a local brewery; and restoration on an ex-CNW steam locomotive picks up at the Mid-Continent Railway Museum.

March/April 2020




Unique and Mystic – May/June 2020: The HO-scale Mystic Branch, which depicts the Texas Hill Country, is proof that the best model railroads aren’t always made of champagne wishes and super-elevated dreams. PLUS, model railroad shops, museums bring modelers and rail fans together during the covid-19 pandemic; after years of work and planning, Big Boy No. 4014 captures the nation’s love and passion for trains; Micro-Trains Line CEO Eric Smith shares thoughts on model railroading and reveals his favorite actor; see a review on Grain Belt Models’ culverts and grain bins. And more!

May/June 2020 Publisher’s Special! $4.95




A Time to Build – July/August 2020 (100th Issue!): Special coverage of covid-19’s effect on model railroading and rail enthusiasm. Readers weigh in on progress they’ve made on layouts, collections and other rail pasttimes, and retailers report on ways they are keeping their businesses afloat. And, model railroading may just be good therapy in tough times. And more!

July/August 2020




Pass the Salt – September/October 2020: Long salt trains can be spotted on the Ithaca Central, which operates over a portion of the historic Lehigh Valley line from Ludlowville, NY, to Sayre, PA. Also, the Big Rock Cut hides switches while providing scenic relief on the HO-scale Mystic Branch model railroad; rebuilding a highly regarded O-gauge layout took a lot of time and patience, not to mention plenty of muscle; through scenery that “enchants the eye,” riding the Milwaukee Road’s Olympian Hiawatha was quite a trip; and MAC Rail’s HO static EOT devices offer operators options. And more! SOLD OUT!!

A Majestic View – November/December 2020: The HO Grand Pacific Northwestern Railroad is spectacular, but that doesn’t begin to describe Bob Bandy’s labor of love that has spanned at least two decades. Also, the NMRA has emerged during the pandemi with its popular NMRAx webcast series, which has attracted more than 250,000 viewers; LinkUp International has become a key player in Positive Train Control while building antenna farms; high-speed rail in Texas moved a step closer with recent Federal Railroad Administration approvals; and Union Pacific’s Portland Rose was the premier train between Portland and Chicago. And more!

November/December 2020




Current Issue: Jan/Feb 2025

$6.95 (U.S. Orders Only)

Throttling Up

Ever wonder why railroads chose certain locomotives to pull freight trains? Railroads have practiced multiple-unit train control since the 1890s when Frank J. Sprague developed a system to combine motive power in electric train operation. When assigning power and consisting locomotives today, railroads generally match the horsepower per ton and tractive effort ratings to specific locomotives designed to meet specific network needs. But other factors are involved, and it's not uncommon for railroads to mix makes and models of locomotives when consisting for trains.

State of Model Railroading

Response to the Cowcatcher’s 2025 State of Model Railroading survey was positive and many say the hobby is rolling along fine, maybe a bit complicated for some. The 31-question survey sent to readers across the U.S. in November earned a 42 percent response rate. Questions ranged from personal preferences and skill levels and layouts to how modelers buy and spend.

Joint Agency

Whether shuttling power, moving cars through interline carrier agreements or running on joint lines, North America’s largest rail providers interact. One of the more obscure examples is the Milwaukee Road’s Joint Agency Yard in Kansas City, MO, where the Milwaukee Road and Kansas City Southern coexisted for 40 years. On the N-scale Whitehurst & Pine Ridge Railroad, joint yard agreements in Kansas City and Dallas make sense, allowing KCS traffic to move in and out of both ends of the layout to service grain customers without the need for another yard.

Plus

BNSF posts record agricultural volumes on the heels of a good harvest. A Milwaukee Road stock car with a storied past is now on display at the Galveston Railroad Museum. And a United Kingdom retailer and manufacturer introduces its camera car, the Eye-Choo, to the U.S. And more!