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COWCATCHER MAGAZINE
North Texas Rail Experience 2023
The Cowcatcher’s first special edition, “North Texas Rail Experience 2023,” was published exclusively for the NMRA National Convention and National Train Show in August 2023 in Grapevine, TX. The 24-page, full-color print edition is a look at passenger, freight and model railroading in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and beyond.
Featured on the cover is the Museum of the American Railroad in Frisco, which is closing in on its vision of becoming a world-class repository of rail history.
Inside are articles on how North Texas became a key commercial center with the arrival of the Houston & Texas Central and Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railway in the 1870s; on the Texas Electric Railway, which was the second largest interurban system west of the Mississippi River; and on the Metroplex’s iconic passenger depots and Saginaw, a popular railfanning spot where grains meet trains.
Order “North Texas Rail Experience 2023” today! $6.95 (includes shipping)
North Texas Rail Experience 2023
Order Today $6.95
Current Issue: May/June2026
$6.95 (U.S. Orders Only)
O Triad
The O-scale Reader & Caney Creek, the Virginian Railway and the Cheapskate & Ohio are distinctly different. Well-known among Southwest O-scalers, the protolance 2-rail Virginian is spectacularly scenicked and spans over 1,200 square feet. Same with the freelance Cheapskate & Ohio, still mostly under construction. It showcases fine-scale 2-rail modeling integrated with hi-rail AC toy trains. The around-the-walls Reader & Caney Creek is proof that 2-rail doesn’t require a ballroom. While they share a size more associated with nostalgia and collecting than fine-scale model railroading, the layouts embody a very individual spirit. And the goal isn't necessarily running trains.
Craftsman Courtyard
Laser-cut craftsman kit makers on the East Coast are working together to change the dynamic of a model railroad segment traditionally reserved for elite modelers because of its reputation for complex kits requiring extensive handwork. Through affordable, easy-to-assemble wood kits, the companies are attracting the experienced and beginners alike.
Mail on the Rails
For a century, “these couriers” included the railroads and what was known for most if its life as the Railway Mail Service. In 1950 more than 14,000 clerks toiled away sorting mail in Railway Post Offices on 3,000 moving trains.
Plus
The Northeast Outdoor Railway Festival is adding a new touch by creating a citywide large-scale experience in Palmer, MA; OminTRAX buys three Arkansas short lines to expand into a new growing market; a recent release of a Denver & Rio Grande Western caboose fills a niche with classic paint; InterMountain Railway's HO 5161 Trinity hoppers feature BNSF's Heritage roads; and an ex-Canadian National Railway F7A finds a home. And more!
