All about the community of model railroading and rail enthusiasm
All issues priced at $6.95 each unless otherwise noted. Includes shipping in the U.S. Call for international shipping rates.
Chock-full – January/February 2024:
Cover Story: The Cowcatcher once again takes the pulse of model railroading in the 2024 State of Model Railroading survey, and readers say the hobby has it all and they’re willing to pay the freight.
Respondents once again rate the value of the hobby high and most are not dissuaded by prices despite higher inflation in recent months. A record number of responses were received from readers throughout the country.
The 6th annual survey yields a slightly watery take: Modelers convincingly approve of the state of the hobby, but buyer fatigue could be emerging. But a big change is that significantly more readers rate the value of model railroad products for quality received higher than the 2023 survey.
PLUS, Bachmann Trains is pushing the envelope on quality and turning heads. The N and HO Siemens SC44 Chargers are proof as the company is working hard to appeal to more sophisticated tastes. Also, The Rochester Institute of Technology Model Railroad Club is plotting a new course, and the college club aims to promote model railroading, preserve railroad history, make new friends and have fun. Also, after six months of operation, the Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger (CPKC) is producing noticeable results. And, the California Zephyr was the most talked about train because of its beautiful views that included the Feather River Canyon.
January/February 2024 – $6.25 Publisher’s Special!
New Chapter – March/April 2024:
Cover Story: On Jan. 1, 2024, BNSF Railway took over operations on the storied Montana Rail Link after a lease agreement between the railroads dating to the late 1980s was cut short.
BNSF says operating as one railroad will bring benefits to customers and opportunities for freight growth in the region through enhanced capacity and stronger service. In some respects, the company views MRL’s integration as a reunion.
PLUS, Smaller components and Bluetooth technology are making battery operation for HO scale more plausible. See how the Texas-based CLRR has gone from DCC to dead rail. Also, KR Models’ long-awaited skeletal logging cars arrive and make a nice impression. And the Denver & Rio Grande Western’s Royal Gorge traversed mountains, traveled along rivers and glided through tunnels from Salt Lake City to Denver.
March/April 2024 – $6.95 Supply is limited!
Vibrant Future – May/June 2024:
Cover Story: A G-scale train weaving in and out of foliage, across rocky terrain and over bridges spanning water features in the backyard is a sight to behold. Yet it ranks behind its smaller counterparts. The NMRA lists the scale behind the more popular HO, N and O, respectively.
Some say G-scale, which was introduced in the 1960s, doesn’t have enough staying power, but many believe the future is bright. The scale is appealing to families in hopes of encouraging younger generations to get involved.
PLUS, the Connecticut Southern Railway is moving plenty of waste in and out of New England, setting the pace in a growing commodity segment – transporting America’s refuse to landfills by rail. Also, well-known railroad artist John Winfield is using the canvas to help raise money for restoration of a Santa Fe No. 93. And with its flexibility in design, Walthers’ N-scale Modern Lumber Transload is a good fit for the Whitehurst & Pine Ridge Railroad.
May/June 2024 – $6.95
In the Balance – July/August 2024:
Cover Story: Hopes of more unit coal trains rolling out of the Powder River Basin may be dashed after a Bureau of Land Management decision to again curb coal production on federal lands, issuing a blow to a key rail commodity that has significantly declined in the last 15 years.
The BLM announced in May that it will not allow new leases on federal lands in the Powder River Basin (PRB) for coal production until 2038 as the U.S. attempts to reduce its carbon footprint. More than 40 percent of the nation’s coal is produced in the PRB, which covers Northeast Wyoming and Southeast Montana.
The decision, which had been expected, was not well received by industry officials who see opportunities to boost U.S. exports. World coal consumption is at all-time highs.
PLUS, traveling by rail is as natural as the majestic peaks on Gordon Preller’s N-scale Alpenbahn. Reviewed is Athearn’s HO SD40 KCS locomotive that recalls a special time for the latest fallen flag. Rapido Trains is gauging the N-scale market with new Procor covered hoppers and Santa Fe RR56 mechanical reefers. Rail car builders report a strong start to 2024 as orders increase and fleet utilization grows. And Santa Fe’s Centennial State wasn’t a famous name train but got passengers from Chicago to San Francisco to San Diego to Texas.
July/August 2024 – $6.95
Center Stage – September/October 2024:
Cover Story: Telling tales, some of them tall, is nothing new on the Vida Division, Dean Smith’s
HOn3 tribute to the former standard- and narrow-gauge ET&WNC. The railroad, situated in 1925 between Johnson City, TN, and Boone, NC, is an open book to model railroad mastery and imagination.
Smith has parlayed his advanced modeling skills into a museum-quality, proto-lance rendition of a railroad in the same spirit that enabled the actual short line to become an integral part of mountain life in Eastern Tennessee and Western North Carolina.
True to the prototype, Smith’s ET&WNC is more than just a model railroad.
PLUS, two of the largest agribusinesses are working on a merger. A union between Bunge and Viterra would rival larger grain competitors by creating a company with an estimated value of $34 billion, according to industry insiders. The merger is subject to regulatory approvals. The large tire load on Micro-Trains’ new N-scale NOKL bulkhead flat car is a good fit in more ways than one. Six Flags New England guests got a taste of model railroading over the summer, thanks to the Amherst Railway Society. After a month of operation, Amtrak’s new daily run between St. Paul and Chicago met expectations, and Amtrak is on pace for all-time ridership. The Wabash Cannon Ball asks one question: What came first, the train or the song? Pat Hiatte reveals all in another chapter of the Golden Age of Travel. And more!
September/October 2024 – $7.25
Big Boy Bliss – November/December 2024:
Cover Story: In a deviation from normal cover content, the Cowcatcher features the latest in 4000 series Big Boys, Minitrix’s N-scale No. 4013. Why? It’s one smooth-running model and the mood was just right.
We took No. 4013 for a spin on Olaf Melhouse’s Dakota Northern at the same time Union Pacific’s Big Boy No. 4014 was rolling through North Texas on its latest tour across the Midwest.
Minitrix’s model pulled 26 cars and a caboose effortlessly around the layout, a heavy grain mover that was featured in the 2007 May/June Cowcatcher Round Up.
Like the 4-8-8-4 that has wooed America across UP’s network since 2019, No. 4013 made occasional whistle stops for photos. Both the model and prototype are equally impressive.
Minitrix’s model is representative of No. 4013’s operating condition around 1950 and follows parent company Märklin’s release of HO and One Gauge replicas. No. 4013 is Minitrix’s first offering in the modern Märklin era.
PLUS, Rapido Trains attributes its success over the last 20 years to relying on the knowledge of its model railroader-centric employee base. Founder Jason Shron’s persistence paid off after taking a big chance. He left behind his pursuits to teach art history and fulfilled a lifelong desire to make model trains. Also in the issue: Home Shops’ USRA boxcars are another example of the company’s high-quality freelance rolling stock; the new Bartlett soybean processing plant arrives at a time when multiple industries are finding value in the versatile legume; model train backdrops don’t always need to be an elaborate work of art to create the right effect; and passengers riding the Empire State Express on the New York Central from Detroit to New York City reveled in the luxurious accommodations. And more!
November/December 2024 – $7.25
