DART takes highest Gold Rail honor as readers choose the best of the best in annual competition

February 15, 2015 / Updated March 1, 2015

While Dallas Area Rapid Transit has been in the Gold Rail winner’s circle in the past, the agency is once again taking a back seat to its Fort Worth counterpart and partner, the Trinity Railway Express.

For the second straight year, Cowcatcher readers chose the TRE over DART for Best Passenger Rail/Commuter-Light Rail.

However, DART would not be denied some very important accolades. It was recognized withthe Gold Rail Achievement Award for the advances it made in 2014 while building on its legacy as the nation’s largest light rail system. The award is given for making a significant contribution to the regional railroad landscape. Winners of the annual competition, which determines the best of the best in model railroading and rail enthusiasm, were announced in the magazine’s January/February issue.

In August, DART arrived ahead of schedule to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, linking the world’s third busiest airport. The Orange Line extension from Belt Line Station to the rebuilt Terminal A at DFW brought the nation’s longest light rail system to 90 miles.

“We could not have achieved this rail opening early and under budget without the incredible partnership with DFW Airport,” DART CEO Gary Thomas said. “Construction of the station and the Orange Line extension has been a true collaboration.”

More readers collaborated in this year’s Gold Rail Awards competition. Garnering an all-time high response rate of 22 percent, readers made their picks count using digital ballots in the sixth annual celebration. Subscribers and other readers were emailed surveys, which boosted participation.

In the end, a broader swath of winners from eight states are being crowned for 2014.

Some longtime winners retained their titles, and a few new ones took home the gold.

Three winners repeated for an unprecedented sixth time. The Oklahoma City Train show took Best Train Show, Discount Model Trains claimed Best Model Train Show, and the Fort Worth & Western Railroad captured Best Regional Freight Railroad.

Among the first-time winners were the Colorado Model Railroad Museum for Best Club Layout, Permanent; the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad for Best Excursion Railroad; and the Illinois Railway Museum for Best Railroad Museum. IR narrowly edged the Museum of Transportation in St. Louis, last year’s winner.

Best New Model Railroad Product went to Walthers’ HO San Francisco Chief passenger car set. This was the second straight year that a Walthers product won. Soundtraxx’s Sound Car System came in second.

The Grapevine Vintage Railroad’s North Pole Express took Best Excursion Railroad Theme Train. The Ark-La-Tex Model Railroad Club returned to the winner’s circle by taking Best Club Layout, Modular.

“24 Hours at Saginaw” was voted Best Rail Special Event.

2014 COWCATCHER GOLD RAIL AWARDS WINNERS & RUNNERS-UP

BEST TRAIN SHOW – 1. Oklahoma City Train Show, Oklahoma City; 2. Dallas Area Train Show, Plano, TX

BEST CLUB LAYOUT, PERMANENT – 1. Colorado Railroad Museum, Greely, Co; 2. San Antonio Model Railroad Association San Antonio Northern, San Antonio, TX

BEST CLUB LAYOUT, MODULAR – 1. Ark-La-Tex Model Railroad Club, Shreveport, LA; 2. Trinity N-Trak, Fort Worth

BEST EXCURSION RAILROAD – 1. Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, Durango, CO; 2. Texas State Railroad, Rusk, TX

BEST EXCURSION RAILROAD, THEME TRAIN – 1. North Pole Express, Grapevine Vintage Railroad, Grapevine, TX; 2. Polar Express, Texas State Railroad, Rusk, TX

BEST RAILROAD MUSEUM – 1. Illinois Railway Museum, Union, IL; 2. Museum of Transportation, St. Louis, MO

BEST RAIL SPECIAL EVENT – 1. “24 Hours at Saginaw,” North Texas Chapter/NRHS; 2. National Narrow Gauge Convention, Overland Park, KS

BEST REGIONAL FREIGHT RAILROAD – 1. Fort Worth & Western Railroad, Fort Worth; 2. Arkansas & Missouri Railroad, Springdale, AR

BEST RAILFANNING SPOT – 1. Saginaw Depot, Saginaw, TX; 2. Union Station, Kansas City, MO

BEST NEW MODEL RAILROAD PRODUCT – 1. Walthers’ San Francisco Chief HO Passenger Car Set; 2. Soundraxx Sound Car System.

BEST PASSENGER RAIL (Passenger Regional) – 1. Amtrak Texas Eagle; 2. Amtrak Heartland Flyer; (Commuter/Light Rail) – 1. Trinity Railway Express; 2. Dallas Area Rapid Transit

BEST MODEL TRAIN STORE – 1. Discount Model Trains, Addison, TX; 2. Caboose Hobbies, Denver, CO

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.

DART takes highest Gold Rail honor as readers choose the best of the best in annual competition

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