Competition expected to toughen as field grows for 6th Annual Cowcatcher Gold Rail Awards

November 5, 2014

Will the dynasties continue?

The Oklahoma City Train Show, Discount Model Trains and the Fort Worth & Western Railroad have much to live up to in the Cowcatcher Magazine’s 6th Annual Gold Rail Awards for the best of the best in model railroading and rail enthusiasm in the publication’s coverage area. Each have won Gold Rail Awards in each of the five years that the reader’s choice awards have been given, including last year when the playing field grew with the magazine’s expansion.

And once again, with a growing Cowcatcher footprint, the competition is getting stiffer. The addition of Colorado into the Cowcatcher community means some big railroad attractions are now in the game.

Subscribers and other readers may cast a ballot beginning Nov. 15. Votes will be accepted through midnight Dec. 10, with winners announced in the January/February 2015 issue.
Subscribers who have provided the Cowcatcher an email address will receive an invitation to vote electronically. Other readers and subscribers who have not provided an email address can go to www.cowcatchermagazine.com and download a printable ballot, or request an electronic copy of the ballot by sending an email with the subject line “Gold Rail Awards Ballot Request” to [email protected] .

Up for grabs are 13 awards in 12 categories for nominees from Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Arkansas, Louisiana, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska and Illinois that will be chosen by a selection process composed of Cowcatcher staff and readers. Also, a Gold Rail Achievement Award will be given to a person, group or operation that has made a significant contribution or achievement to the rail landscape.

The 2013 Gold Rail Achievement Award went to the Grapevine Vintage Railroad for the return of “Puffy,” the former Southern Pacific 4-6-0 steam locomotive that had been sidelined since December 2010.

Last year’s Gold Rail Awards had a distinct Midwest flavor. Readers embraced attractions from Missouri and Illinois in the 5th Annual Gold Rail Awards.

Kansas City’s Union Station was voted “Best Railfanning Spot” and the Museum of Transportation in St. Louis the “Best Railroad Museum.” The Illinois Railway Museum, which finished second in voting, made it a sweep for the best places that have captured railroading heritage. The one-two Midwest punch marked the first time that no Texas museum finished in the top two.
The Oklahoma City Train Show was voted “Best Train Show” for the fifth year, Addison, TX-based Discount Model Trains held its crown since 2009 for “Best Model Train Store,” and the Fort Worth & Western Railroad again took “Best Regional Freight Railroad.”

Awards also were given for “Best Club Layout, Permanent,” “Best Club Layout, Modular,” “Best Special Event,” “Best Excursion Railroad,” “Best Excursion Railroad – Theme Train,” “Best New Model Railroad Product” and “Best Passenger Rail – Commuter/Light Rail” and “Best Passenger Rail – Passenger Regional.”

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.

Competition expected to toughen as field grows for 6th Annual Cowcatcher Gold Rail Awards

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