2023 Cowcatcher Magazine

All issues priced at $6.95 each unless otherwise noted. Includes shipping in the U.S.

Natural Merger – January/February 2023:

Cover Story: The national Mudhens modeling group, which started in the 1980s, is one of the oldest clubs in the country devoted to HOn3 modular narrow-gauge railroading. On a busy Saturday afternoon at Milwaukee’s Trainfest, all members appeared clean and upright.

At the show, George Pierson and Craig Crombar seamlessly melded modules representing East Tennessee & Western North Carolina Railroad and Tuscarora Valley Railroad. They are the signature scenes and seamlessly transition into the modules of the Denver & Rio Grande Western’s narrow-gauge operation, where trains pass the depot at Telluride, CO, at one end.  

The Illinois chapter displays at shows two or three times a year. At Trainfest the Illinois Mudhens lashed 14 modules and had a steady stream of steam engines running loops. The modules mostly conform to narrow-gauge module standards, although track placement has been improvised on the two Pennsylvania and North Carolina sections.

PLUS, Cowcatcher subscribers say times are still good in model railroading but they may spend a little less in 2023 because of the economy. Also, the railroad industry in the late 1940s hummed as steam transitioned to diesel; it was also a time when railroading faced some of the same obstacles that railroads do today. And, Trainfest came back strong in November in Milwaukee after being sidelined by the pandemic for two years. Elsewhere, Toronto-based Rapido Trains has been ramping up production of its N-scale line and has several products in the hopper.

January/February 2023 – $6.25 Publisher’s Special!

General Purpose – March/April 2023:

Cover Story: Nearly 75 years after the first General Purpose locomotive rolled off the assembly line at General Motors’ Electro-Motive Division, the workhorse diesel is still doing the job it was meant to do.

The four-axle “Geep” is making main line moves, switching industries and doing short road work on mostly secondary railroads. Introduced in 1949 as the “ugly duckling” GP7, it has settled into a comfortable role and is always in demand, whether by lease or purchase.

Over the years, nearly 7,000 General Purpose locomotives in about 20 variations have hustled over the North American rail network and in other countries.  They have worn the colors of many roads, been repainted and repainted again, rebuilt inside and out, modified with new technology and anything else that kept them on the road. Their four-axle design offers better maneuverability than other switchers, and a 16-cylinder diesel engine has been a tried and true power plant for moving cuts of cars, long or short.

In this issue, the Cowcatcher takes an up-close look at some of the most popular models of this venerable diesel, many of which still operate today.

PLUS, some things get better with age. Fifty years later, NTRAK has defined N scale. In most areas of the U.S. Canada and other countries, NTRAK organizations – some without clubhouses – and individuals assemble their mix-and-match modules on the go and run trains at public and industry events. Also, M.T.H. Electric Trains, on the verge of closing during the pandemic, has reinvented itself with a new business plan. And, BNSF Railway goes big on intermodal, plans to build a massive facility in Barstow, CA, to expedite container shipments. Meanwhile, the Rock Island’s Memphis-Californian went west to El Paso and took a lot of good company.

March/April 2023 LIMITED COPIES AVAILABLE!

Steady as a Rock – May/June 2023:

Cover Story: One might expect a former track engineer and assistant superintendent with a Class I railroad to be a little stodgy about the track on his layout. Mike Armstrong knows the buck stops there when trains don’t move because of track issues.

From a distance, the rail and roadbed on his HO-scale Rock Island Lines look solid and true. Track geometry is smooth, and high-speed curves on the main line are perfectly super-elevated. Ballast is uniform throughout. But those dark patches scattered inside and outside the rail on the main, in yards and on sidings are intriguing. Too many intense grime and oil spots left by passing trains, it seems.

The Rock Island had a lot of jointed rail. Often the remedy was to just add more ballast to the track in anticipation of making repairs, but mud would eventually resurface. Brownish goo seeped between the ties and out from under the rail onto the ballast on either side of the track, leaving large dark muddy spots, a result of neglect as the railroad neared the end of its life.

Be assured, the track integrity is genuine on Armstrong’s rendition of the Rock Island from Minneapolis/St. Paul to Kansas City, KS.

PLUS, when a bright 14-year-old wowed model railroaders decades his senior with custom O-gauge switches in his Illinois basement, it heralded the second coming of three-rail – and Ross Custom Switches – more than 50 years ago. Also, GVT Rail has big plans for its new ALCO PA “Nickel Plate Road No. 190.” The railroad company recently purchased the restored locomotive from a top rail preservationist. The Rocky Mountain Train Show accomplished its mission of increasing attendance and adding more exhibitors with its show in April. And, The N-scale Whitehurst & Pine Ridge Railroad solves a switching puzzle for a cement distributor in Pine Ridge with help from its Class I parent.

May/June 2023

Breaking 700 – July/August 2023:

Cover Story: Brady McGuire of Sherman, TX, never imagined that his Laurel Valley Secondary of the Pennsylvania Railroad Pittsburgh Division would celebrate 700 operation sessions. He didn’t really think about the milestone until three months after another 25 sessions were in the books.

The Laurel Valley Secondary started not long after McGuire retired in 2000. He constructed a building in the backyard to house the railroad, which depicts the long secondary track from Pitcairn Yard near Pittsburgh to Connellsville, PA, in October 1957. Intermingled with Pennsylvania Railroad trains are the Western Maryland and Baltimore & Ohio.

McGuire uses a random car card and waybill that is forgiving and doesn’t require reconciling of the railroad between sessions, which keeps the Laurel Valley Secondary at the ready.

PLUS, ScaleTrains travels the nation to promote its products and meet model railroaders in their own backyard. Also, the Kiamichi Railroad helps Tyson Foods establish a new mill in Hope, AR, and garners a shortline industry award. Author Ed Davis short story, “Rhapsody in Steel,” documents how he began hitchhiking and hopping trains in the Pacific Northwest. And Amarillo Depot, a local development group in the Texas Panhandle, is stepping forward to build a destination spot in downtown around the endangered Santa Fe Depot.

July/August 2023 SOLD OUT

New Car Feel – September/October 2023:

Cover Story: North American rail car manufacturers are experiencing a rise in orders and deliveries as the pandemic recovery progresses. During covid-19, rail car orders and deliveries significantly dropped from those recorded in 2018 as rail traffic declined.

New orders and deliveries were up in 2022, according to the Railway Supply Institute. The orders include covered and open-top hoppers; gondolas; general service and intermodal flatcars; tank cars; and articulated and single double-stack well cars from more than a half-dozen North American manufacturers. Boxcars are not included.

In recent earnings calls, publically traded Trinity Industries and The Greenbrier Companies were optimistic. Also, Freight Car America financials are trending up.

This issue looks at the offerings of top five North American rail car producers TrinityRail, FreightCar America, The Greenbrier Companies, National Steel Car and UTLX.

PLUS, computer-based applications that complement DCC are driving the new frontier of model railroad operations. Also, the Sunset Limited ranks as Amtrak’s worst train in on-time performance, prompting a Surface Transportation Board investigation. Southern Pacific’s Coast Daylight, with its brilliant colors, was the most beautiful train during the golden era of passenger rail. And an Athearn 50-foot boxcar from an obscure Kansas shortline adds local flavor and something different for the N-scale Whitehurst & Pine Ridge Railroad.

September/October 2023

Heavy Duty – November/December 2023:

Cover Story: Model railroad manufacturers are intent on bulking up their locomotives, but they aren’t sending them to the gym.

HO-scale long-haul and switch engines recently released have been upgraded to meet demand for more pulling power. At least two manufacturers have repowered motors and added a few more ounces for dependability to move long cuts of cars.

InterMountain’s GE ET44AC Tier 4 GEVO and several Athearn switchers and long-haul locomotives signal a shift in the companies’ marketing of high-quality locomotives. The products are arriving as modelers demand more pulling power for long-haul and switching operations, according to manufacturers.

PLUS, the Arizona Eastern Railway increases capacity with the new Summit Yard in Lordsburg, NM, to handle more copper traffic out of Arizona. Also, a Colorado N-scale model railroader put her work to the test and took home top honors at the NMRA National Convention in Grapevine, TX. The Nebraska Central Railroad will begin hauling crushed soybeans and soybean oil, to be used in producing renewable energy, in 2024. And the Altoona Association of Model Railroaders salute the late founder of the Altoona N-scale Weekend with a special award.

November/December 2023