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All about the community of model railroading and rail enthusiasm

COWCATCHER MAGAZINE

Available At

Limited complimentary copies of the Cowcatcher Magazine are available at many locations in our coverage area. These copies are available on a first-come basis and are not replenished when they are gone. Below are some of our current locations where copies are available. To ensure your copy, please subscribe

Texas | Oklahoma | Louisiana | Arkansas | Kansas | Missouri | Iowa | Illinois | Nebraska | Colorado | Delaware | New Mexico | Wisconsin | Minnesota | Michigan | California | North Carolina | Pennsylvania | New York | Kentucky | Florida | Utah

TEXAS

NORTH

Discount Model Trains, Addison

Angelo Hobbies, North Richland Hills

Model Train Crossing, Hurst

Museum of the American Railroad, Frisco

Grapevine Vintage Railroad, Grapevine

Red River Railroad Museum, Denison

Interurban Railway Museum, Plano

AJC Kids, Wichita Falls

CENTRAL

Texas Transportation Museum, San Antonio

Dibble’s Hobbies, San Antonio

New Braunfels Railroad Museum, New Braunfels

Harris Hobbies, Athens

Ennis Railroad Museum, Ennis

EAST

R.D. Moses T&P Model Railroad Museum, Jefferson

Cotton Belt Museum, Tyler

SOUTH

Galveston Railroad Museum, Galveston

G&G Hobby Shop, Houston

Papa Ben’s Train Place, Houston

Rosenberg Railroad Museum, Rosenberg

NORTH

Amarillo Railroad Museum, Amarillo


COLORADO

CENTRAL

Colorado Model Railroad Museum, Greeley

Rocky Mountain Train Supply, Denver

WEST

Durango & Silverton Railroad Road, Durango

DELAWARE

F&N Hobbies, Clayton


OKLAHOMA

CENTRAL

Johnny’s Train Shop, Covington

Oklahoma Railroad Museum, Oklahoma City

Whistlestop Trains, Oklahoma City


LOUISIANA

NORTH

Shreveport Railroad Museum, Shreveport

SOUTH

Hub Hobby, New Orleans

ARKANSAS

NORTHWEST

Arkansas Travelers Hobbies, Bald Knob

Rail & Sprue Hobbies, Jacksonville

NORTHEAST

Arkansas Railroad Museum, Pine Bluff, AR


KANSAS

Fred’s Train Shop, Overland Park, KS (Kansas City area)

MISSOURI

NORTHWEST

Show Me Model Railroad Co., Grandview (Kansas City area)

SOUTHWEST

Branson Hobby Center, Branson

Roark Valley MRC, Branson

CENTRAL

APRHFstore/Silver Rails, LaPlata

ILLINOIS

NORTHEAST

Des Plaines Hobbies, Des Plaines

Midwest Rail Junction, Rockford

Lombard Hobbies, Lombard

WEST

Neal’s N-Gauging Trains, Staunton


IOWA

NORTHEAST

Caboose Stop Hobbies, Cedar Falls

Audubon Hobbies/Yankee Dabbler West, Audubon


NEBRASKA

SOUTHEAST

Spring Creek Model Trains, Deshler

Randy’s Roundhouse, Lincoln

House of Trains, Omaha

NEW MEXICO

Tucumcari Railroad Museum, Tucumcari (seasonal)


WISCONSIN

Engine House Services, Green Bay

Sommerfield’s Trains, Butler

Model Train Classics, Eau Claire

Madison Hobby Stop, Madison

Jetco’s Hiawatha Hobbies, Waukesha


MINNESOTA

Twin Cities Model Railroad Museum, St. Paul

NEW YORK

Trainland, Lynnbrook

PENNSYLVANIA

White Rose Hobbies, York

MICHIGAN

Trains & Things Hobbies, Traverse City

FLORIDA

Dana’s Railroad Supply, Spring Hill

KENTUCKY

Hobby Station, Elizabeth Town

NORTH CAROLINA

Mike’s Trains, Thomasville


CALIFORNIA

Original Whistle Stop, Pasadena

Reed’s Hobby Shop, San Diego

San Diego Model Railroad Museum, San Diego

UTAH

Hobby Stop, Orem

CHECK BACK FOR MORE NEW LOCATIONS! ALSO, LOOK FOR THE COWCATCHER AT MODEL TRAIN SHOWS, CONVENTIONS AND SWAP MEETS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

Current Issue: March/April 2026

$6.95 (U.S. Orders Only)

FW&D Aura

Keith Brewer’s HO Wichita Falls Division, Fort Worth & Denver Rwy. is not just the culmination of years of research of his hometown railroad but the backstory after he took up model railroading. It wasn’t until several years after leaving Bowie, TX, that he understood the importance of the FW&D beyond its everyday whistles. Today Brewer's point-to-point 14x20 layout, a scaled down version of a much larger pike in another home, pays homage to the freight business. Short main line trains haul cattle, grain, gravel and agricultural products along the route from Fort Worth, Decatur, Bowie, Henrietta and Wichita Falls, TX. The action is heavy but eases when the crew breaks midway through an operating session. A tasty cobbler, cake or banana pudding is just the right recipe for fun.

Modular N Growing

With a variety of options, N-scale modular model railroading is enjoying growth.This summer in Chattanooga, TN, NRail, which embraces all forms of N scale, will head the hobby’s quest to build the world’s largest modular layout at the NMRA National Convention. It’s all but assured that the previous record will fall to a connected layout that will occupy 10,000 square feet of the city’s convention center.

Packing the Aisles

A fierce winter storm brought out model railroad and rail enthusiasts by the thousands for the opening day of January's annual Railroad Hobby Show in Springfield, MA. A single-day record of 18,432 filled the aisles at the Eastern States Exposition before some 18 inches of snow blanketed New England. U-series General Electric locomotives topped new product announcements.

Plus

Coordinated run-throughs that connect two or more Class I railroads is a proven solution for moving freight from coast to coast; one of Micro-Trains last N-scale releases, the Greenville Railgon is worth its weight in hauling heavy loads; the elegance and food of the dining car experience spoiled hungry riders during the heyday of passenger rail transportation; Union Pacific inks a record deal to upgrade its locomotives. And more!