x

All about the community of model railroading and rail enthusiasm

COWCATCHER MAGAZINE

Soybeans giving farmers new way to stay competitive, fueling one of largest commodities shipped by U.S. rail

July 2, 2025

Class 1 Railroads, News

BNSF Railway and Union Pacific lead Class I railroads in grain shipments, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. The railroads combined for more than half of total carloads last year. Above, a BNSF local moves cars past Viterra's Saginaw, TX, grain elevator in late February. - Tim Blackwell/Cowcatcher Magazine

ST. LOUIS — From your running shoes to the renewable fuels moving trucks, trains and ships, soybeans are quietly giving farmers new ways to stay competitive. As soybean farmers navigate volatile export markets, they’re leveraging homegrown innovation to build domestic demand across the food, energy …

read more →

 

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

A nonpartisan hobby industry initiative launched this week calls for targeted tariff relief, desperately needed, to protect American small businesses; science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education; and community-based creative industries. The Hobby Industry Coalition (www.HobbyCoalition.org) represents a wide spectrum of the U.S. toy and …

May 8, 2025

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

By TOM MARSH/Cowcatcher Magazine Updated from the May/June 2025 Cowcatcher Magazine. Unless you haven’t crawled out from under your benchwork in a while, you know about the sweeping tariffs being imposed on goods imported into the United States. Model railroading and other hobbies will cost …

April 29, 2025

Passenger rail in Texas in crosshairs as funding terminated for high-speed rail, Flyer in jeopardy

Passenger rail in Texas is finding itself under the microscope as public funding dries up. U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy announced Monday that the Federal Railroad Administration and Amtrak agreed to terminate the $63.9 million grant awarded for the Amtrak Texas High-Speed …

April 16, 2025

Current Issue: July/August 2025

$6.95 (U.S. Orders Only)

Katy Flavor

Growing up in Central Texas in the 1980s, David Heyde loved big machinery. Only natural for a boy surrounded by a mighty river complemented by steamboats, an active Army airfield and regional airport, and equipment that tended row upon row of corn, soybeans and other grains. What loomed largest, though, was the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad. Heyde’s MKT Central Texas Subdivision, a compact but bold HO-scale layout, captures on two levels around the walls the zest of the iconic railroad that ran from Kansas City and St. Louis to Galveston, TX, and the Gulf of Mexico. All while maximizing space in what once was a one-car garage.

Holding Steady

This year’s National Narrow Gauge Convention is coming home, where it all began 45 years ago. The Mudhens will once again have a large presence at the convention Sept. 3-6 in St. Louis. Over the last four decades, their rise has been rather circuitous. While developing national appeal in narrow-gauge circles, these dedicated modelers from St. Louis to Arizona to Texas have persevered.

Personal Switcher

The Kansas City West Bottoms Railroad (KCRR) debuted in early March, with no small impact on a parcel of track along the former Missouri Pacific Railroad near the Kansas-Missouri line. What’s turning heads, says KCRR president Rich Duncan, is that the tiny Class III short line is rewriting the railroad marketing narrative on first-mile, last-mile service with a new level of dedicated switching so its three customers can better connect to the Union Pacific.

Plus

Columnist Michelle Kempema writes that model railroaders and railfans can preserve their legacy for a good cause, railroads once ran special trains in enormous size and variety and autonomous battery-electric rail cars are being piloted on two Georgia short line railroads. Also, one modeler looking for something unique for his layout found just the thing in an old model railroad magazine - plans to scratch build a rock bunker. And more!

Miss an Issue?

If you've missed a recent issue, don't worry! You can order back issues with just a few clicks. We have limited copies of the November/December 2024 and January/February 2025 issues available!

Train Order Form

Cowcatcher Magazine has long published train shows and events in the print edition free of charge to clubs, museums and non-profit organizations. We now have a form for submission of upcoming model railroad/rail enthusiast shows, conventions and other events. Just click on the Train Order Form in the photo above. Also, show/event information may be submitted in written form at cowcatcher@verizon.net. Include date, event name, event address (include venue, street address, city and state), hours and contact information. Please, no flyers or photos of show information. For an example of how to submit a show via email, just click on the form above.

Subscribe

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!

Article & Photo Submissions

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

Product News & Review

ScaleTrains N-scale SD40-T2

Cowcatcher Magazine runs product reviews in print and online. Check out some of our selected Product Reviews as well as Product News.

Railroad in Focus

Cowcatcher Magazine periodically features short lines and regional railroads that roam the U.S. rail network. Features include color photographs and maps, as well as an overview of operations and latest business trends. See here the railroads we've focused.