Midwest attractions leave lasting impression on 2013 Cowcatcher Magazine’s Gold Rail Awards

January 25, 2014

The Museum of Transportation in St. Louis was the choice among readers for Best Railroad Museum in the 2013 Cowcatcher Magazine Gold Rail Awards.

The Midwest has something to say about who’s the best of the best in model railroading and rail enthusiasm.

Cowcatcher Magazine readers embraced attractions from Missouri and Illinois in the 5th Annual Gold Rail Awards. The results are announced in the January/February 2014 issue.

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.

Some four-time winners also took a back seat to new champs. The Ark-La-Tex Model Railroad Club in Shreveport, LA, the Texas State Railroad and the Saginaw (TX) Depot failed to claim a fifth straight win in their categories.

Oklahoma N-Rail topped Ark-La-Tex for “Best Club Layout, Modular,” and the Arkansas & Missouri Railroad swept TSR for “Best Excursion Railroad” and “Best Excursion Railroad, Theme Train.” The Saginaw Depot finished second to Union Station for the best place to watch trains.

But some dynasties continued. The Oklahoma City Train Show was voted “Best Train Show” for the fifth year, 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.”

“Best Club Layout, Permanent” went to the former Lockheed Martin Recreation Association’s Gulf & Denver Railroad Authority even though the club disbanded last fall. The club has re-formed under a new name and the layout is being moved. The Texas Western Model Railroad Club, last year’s winner, took second.

For the second straight year, a Walthers product – the HO-scale EMD SD45 Santa Fe locomotive – took “Best New Model Railroad Product.” Fox Valley’s EMD GP60M N-scale diesel finished a close second.

While the Museum of the American Railroad relinquished the distinction of being the best railroad museum, readers did vote last summer’s move of its “Big Boy” locomotive the “Best Rail Special Event.” The move captured the attention of rail fans across the U.S. and abroad.

Also, the Grapevine (TX) Vintage Railroad received the Gold Rail Achievement Award for the return of “Puffy,” the former Southern Pacific 4-6-0 steam locomotive that had been sidelined since December 2010.

Many believed the little engine had seen its last days, but the city slowly rehabilitated her with more than $75,000 in repairs. Puffy returned to the rails in October for weekend runs.

Awards survey went to readers and industry representatives and was posted on the magazine’s website. Voting concluded in December.

2013 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. LMRA Gulf & Denver Railroad Authority, Fort Worth; 2. Texas Western Model Railroad Club, Fort Worth

BEST CLUB LAYOUT, MODULAR – 1. Oklahoma N-Rail, Oklahoma City; 2. Trinity N-Trak, Fort Worth

BEST EXCURSION RAILROAD – 1. Arkansas & Missouri Railroad, Springdale, AR; 2. Texas State Railroad, Palestine, TX

BEST EXCURSION RAILROAD, THEME TRAIN – 1. Fall Foliage Express, Arkansas & Missouri Railroad, Springdale, AR; 2. North Pole Express, Grapevine Vintage Railroad, Grapevine, TX

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

BEST RAIL SPECIAL EVENT – 1. Union Pacific “Big Boy” Move, Frisco, TX; 2. “24 Hours at Saginaw,” North Texas Chapter/NRHS

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

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

BEST NEW MODEL RAILROAD PRODUCT – 1. Walthers’ EMD SD45 Santa Fe HO locomotive; 2. Fox Valley Models’ BNSF GP60M N-scale locomotive

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. Show Me Model Railroad, Grandview, MO

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.

Midwest attractions leave lasting impression on 2013 Cowcatcher Magazine’s Gold Rail Awards

Current Issue: May/June 2025

$6.95 (U.S. Orders Only)

Tuned In

Tariffs Cause Concern

Managing Freight Cars

Plus

Hobby Industry Coalition launches, calls for ‘desperately needed’ targeted tariff relief on model trains, hobbies

Tariffs on model railroad products stir industry; manufacturers face new challenges on pricing