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

NORTH

Discount Model Trains, Addison

Museum of the American Railroad, Frisco

Grapevine Vintage Railroad, Grapevine

Model Train Crossing, Hurst

M.A.L. Hobby Shop, Irving

Hobby World, Fort Worth

Interurban Railway Museum, Plano, TX

CENTRAL

Austin Steam Association, Cedar Park

Texas Transportation Museum, San Antonio

Dibble’s Hobbies, San Antonio

New Braunfels Railroad Museum, New Braunfels

Harris Hobbies, Athens

WEST

Hobby Time, Amarillo

Grove’s Train Shop, Odessa, TX

EAST

Roy’s Rails, Jefferson

Cotton Belt Museum, Tyler

SOUTH

Galveston Railroad Museum, Galveston

G&G Hobby Shop, Houston

Papa Ben’s Train Place, Houston

Mike’s Hobby Shop, Porter

COLORADO

CENTRAL

Colorado Model Railroad Museum, Greeley

Forney Transportation Museum

SOUTH

Pueblo Railway Museum, Pueblo

Caboose, Denver

Roy’s Model Trains, Colorado Springs

OKLAHOMA

CENTRAL

Johnny’s Train Shop, Covington

Oklahoma Railroad Museum, Oklahoma City

Whistlestop Trains, Oklahoma City

LOUISIANA

SOUTH

DeQuincy Railroad Museum, DeQuincy

Hub Hobby, New Orleans

ARKANSAS

NORTHWEST

Arkansas Travelers Hobbies, Bald Knob

Rail & Sprue Hobbies, Jacksonville

NORTHEAST

Arkansas Railroad Museum, Pine Bluff, AR

WEST

Arkansas & Missouri Railroad, Springdale, AR

KANSAS

Fred’s Train Shop, Overland Park, KS

Hobby Depot, Topeka, KS

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

Meadowridge Trains & Hobbies, Jefferson City

ILLINOIS

NORTHEAST

Timberline Train Shop, Downers Grove

Des Plaines Hobbies, Des Plaines

America’s Best Train and Hobby, Itasca

The Golden Spike Train Shop, Burbank

Midwest Rail Junction, Rockford

Timberline Train Shop, Downer’s Grove

Lombard Hobbies, Lombard

WEST

K-10’s Model Trains, Maryville

IOWA

NORTHEAST

Caboose Stop Hobbies, Cedar Falls

Hobby Haven, Des Moines

NEBRASKA

SOUTHEAST

Spring Creek Model Trains, Deshler

Randy’s Roundhouse, Lincoln

House of Trains, Omaha

NEW MEXICO

Wig-Wag Trains, Albuquerque

Tucumcari Railroad Museum, Tucumcari (seasonal)

WISCONSIN

Hiawatha Hobbies, Pewaukee

Engine House Services, Green Bay

Sommerfield’s Trains, Butler

MINNESOTA

Twin Cities Model Railroad Museum, St. Paul

CALIFORNIA

Original Whistle Stop, Pasadena

Reed’s Hobby Shop, San Diego

CHECK BACK FOR MORE NEW LOCATIONS!

March/April 2019
Order Today!

PURCHASE THE CURRENT ISSUE TODAY!

JUST $4.95 (includes shipping)!

…
Building for the Future

Most modern-day short lines were born on tracks that larger railroads operated as branch lines or divisions to reach their customer base. Some serve Class 1 railroads on the very tracks they once owned but were left behind after business dried up. The Northwest Tarrant & Pacific is no exception. The Cowcatcher’s freelanced shelf-style project railroad is a prime example of a small short line that connects with a larger carrier after acquiring track that was abandoned.
Timing key for TrainTopia

The story of the Bob Sanders G-scale layout that has drawn visitors to the Frisco Discovery Center since last summer takes more twists and turns than the high trestles crossing rocky canyons between Texas and Arizona.
The 2,500-square-foot layout, the property of the Museum of the American Railroad, is about two-thirds of a planned exhibit. Already it offers an expansive, multilevel experience in a theatre setting complete with sophisticated lighting and sound. But in the next few months, “TrainTopia – A Railroad Odyssey in Miniature” will begin construction on an equally impressive O-scale layout to occupy the front portion of the room. How all of this got to MAR is a good story President and CEO Bob LaPrelle likes to tell.
PLUS…

Going DCC simplifies model railroad operation and is easier than it looks. Just don’t sweat the jargon. If you can read you can do it…

Streetcar history unfolds at the Milwaukee Transit & Archives Museum in Cudahy, WI…

TEXRail is off to a running start and officials are already talking about expanding the line that got rolling shortly after the first of the year.
THESE STORIES AND MORE, PLUS A FULL CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS!

BONUS WEB COVERAGE: In CRU Call in the March/April 2019 issue, Publisher Tim Blackwell tells of how adding a little clutter to right of ways adds realism without overdoing it on the Cowcatcher’s project layout, the Northwest Tarrant & Pacific Railroad…
Cowcatcher Tracks Newsletter

Sign up for our new monthly newsletter! If you subscribe to the print edition, you will receive Cowcatcher Tracks automatically. If you're not a print edition subscriber, sign up by clicking the logo above or clicking here!
Product Showcase

Amherst Railway Society Railroad Hobby Show highlights!

The 51st Amherst Railway Society Railroad Hobby Show in January packed more than 18,000 in the “Big E” in Springfield, MA, and new HO- and N-scale locomotives grabbed plenty of attention.

PRODUCT REVIEW
PIKO SmartControl light DCC System

Model railroaders seeking an affordable, easy-to-use DCC system for smaller layouts should consider the PIKO SmartControl light Basic Set. The set is designed for use with HO, N and TT layouts and has advanced features not seen in other entry-level DCC systems.
Don’t Miss an Issue

Click here to subscribe to Cowcatcher Magazine, the model railroad magazine and rail enthusiast magazine all about the community of model railroading and rail enthusiasm, today!
Like us on Facebook!
Back Issues

Be sure to check out our Back Issues page for any issues you may have missed. We have expanded descriptions for issues published beginning in 2007. Click here to order.

The July/August 2018 features the Albuquerque Society of HO Module Engineers, a pioneer of HO-scale modular railroading. Order today!
Article & Photo Submissions

We encourage readers to submit articles and photos. For details, visit our guide here .
Railroad in Focus

Cowcatcher Magazine routinely features short lines and regional railroads that roam the Midwest and Southwest. Features include color photographs and maps, but an overview of operations and latest business trends.

Cowcatcher Magazine

TEXAS

NORTH

CENTRAL

WEST

EAST

SOUTH

COLORADO

CENTRAL

SOUTH

OKLAHOMA

CENTRAL

LOUISIANA

SOUTH

ARKANSAS

NORTHWEST

NORTHEAST

WEST

KANSAS

MISSOURI

NORTHWEST

SOUTHWEST

CENTRAL

ILLINOIS

NORTHEAST

WEST

IOWA

NORTHEAST

NEBRASKA

SOUTHEAST

NEW MEXICO

WISCONSIN

MINNESOTA

CALIFORNIA

CHECK BACK FOR MORE NEW LOCATIONS!

March/April 2019

Order Today!

Building for the Future

Timing key for TrainTopia

PLUS…

Cowcatcher Tracks Newsletter

Product Showcase

Don’t Miss an Issue

Back Issues

Article & Photo Submissions

Railroad in Focus