All about the community of model railroading and rail enthusiasm
COWCATCHER MAGAZINE
Cowcatcher Complete Sets
From the 2023 set, the May/June issue features Mike Armstrong’s Rock Island HO model railroad. The issue also takes an inside look at how Ross Custom Switches has become a premier O-gauge track builder.BUY THIS ISSUE ONLY
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Prior to 2011, the magazine was known as Cowcatcher Round Up.
2004 Cowcatcher Round Up
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2005 Cowcatcher Round Up $14.95
2006 Cowcatcher Round Up
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2007 Cowcatcher Round Up $14.95
2008 Cowcatcher Round Up $14.95
2009 Cowcatcher Round Up $14.95
2010 Cowcatcher Round Up $14.95
2011 Cowcatcher Magazine $24.95
2012 Cowcatcher Magazine $24.95
2013 Cowcatcher Magazine $24.95
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2015 Cowcatcher Magazine $24.95
2016 Cowcatcher Magazine
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Current Issue: Jan/Feb 2025
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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!
