Retrospectives
Texas & Pacific Class M-1 4-8-2 Mountain No. 901 heads the Sunshine Special at Marshall, TX, in June 1934. Missouri Pacific touted the train to be “Out of St. Louis at Sunset into Texas at Sunrise!” The Sunshine Special is explored in the January/February 2013 Cowcatcher Magazine. – Courtesy Harold Vollrath collection
Author Joel Rosenbaum offers retrospectives on trains that roamed Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana from days gone by regularly in the Cowcatcher. Below is a list of stories by issue on some of the region’s famed railroads, engines and trains:
Texas Zephyr bridged FW and Denver – Jan/Feb 2007
Texas Special made best of connections – May/June 2007
Chief linked Chicago, Texas cities – July/August 2007
Texas Rocket offered alternative – Sept/Oct 2007
Twin Star Rocket had longest run – March/April 2008
Riding high on the Santa Fe – May/June 2008
T&P Westerner was night train west – July/August 2008
RI’s Choctaw spanned 762 miles – Sept/Oct 2008
T&NO’s Alamo pulled head-end traffic – Nov/Dec 2008
Santa Fe loco a ‘public relations dream’ – March/April 2009
Golden Rocket train that never was – July/August 2009
Katy Flyer was Sooner link – Sept/Oct 2009
Louisiana Eagle linked Big Easy, Big D – Nov/Dec 2009
Santa Fe motor train served Beaumont, Longview – March/April 2010
SF served West Texas with El Paso Express – May/June 2010
Rabbit hopped along HE&WT – July/August 2010
Texas Electric was a giant in its time – September/October 2010
Delta Eagle wasn’t short on service – November/December 2010
Well-known trains ran through Oklahoma City – January/February 2011
Travel to Dallas was often via Paris – March/April 2011
Southern Belle linked KC, New Orleans – May/June 2011
California Special linked Houston to West Coast – July/August 2011
SP’s Sunset Limited automatic buffet car – September/October 2011
Firefly was a homegrown streamliner – November/December 2011
Zephyrs paid tribute to Ozark region – January/February 2012
Miss Lou left mark on New Orleans – March/April 2012
Railroad bonds Wichita Falls, Woodward – May/June 2012
Iconic Blue Goose served KC, Tulsa – July/August 2012
MP’s Eagle linked Missouri, Nebraska – September/October 2012
Morning Star took the long route – November/December 2012
Sunshine Special a train for snowbirds – January/February 2013
Missouri Pacific’s crew of one rolled on – March/April 2013
KCS filled a critical need with ingenuity – May/June 2013
Frisco provided a quick winter escape – July/August 2013
Following the flag – September/October 2013
Under the Dome – November/December 2013
HSN served passengers when wires went away – January/February 2014
M&A named streamlined cars after governors – May/June 2014
QA&P was a small railroad with big ambitions – September/October 2014
Illini made tracks between Chicago, Champaign – November/December 2014
City of Miami was a rolling tropical splendor – January/February 2015
Miss Myers Girls enhanced trips from New York to New Orleans – March/April 2015
Cotton Belt’s Lone Star served Shreveport – May/June 2015
San Juan weaved across the border – September/October 2015
Railfan delight hurried travelers’ curse – November/December 2015
From Mandy the Mule to PCC street cars – January/February 2016
Trains to all compass points: Kansas City – May/June 2016
The train with auto styling and a bus body – July/August 2016
To order one or more of these retrospectives, click here!
South Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad
Railroad in Focus takes an in-depth look at short lines and regional railroads, where they go, the kinds of industries they serve, their histories and perspectives from the operations team.
Our roster of railroads by issue includes:
JULY/AUGUST 2012 - South Kansas & Oklahoma
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2012 - Blacklands Railroad
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2012 - Louisiana Southern
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2013 - Fort Worth & Western Railroad
MARCH/APRIL 2013 - Arkansas & Oklahoma Railroad
MAY/JUNE 2013 - Brownsville & Rio Grande International
JULY/AUGUST 2013 - Illinois Railway
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013 - Watco Companies
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013 - Nebraska, Kansas & Colorado Railway
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014 - Semo Port Railroad
MARCH/APRIL 2014 - Texas Central Railway
MAY/JUNE 2014 - Austin Western Railroad
JULY/AUGUST 2014 - Timber Rock Railroad
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014 - Short Line Industry
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 - Nebraska Central Railroad
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 - San Antonio Central Railroad
MARCH/APRIL 2015 - New Orleans and Gulf Coast Railway
JULY/AUGUST 2015- Farmrail
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 - Wisconsin & Southern
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 - Kansas & Oklahoma
MARCH/APRIL 2016 - TNW Corp.
JULY/AUGUST 2016 - Red River Valley & Western
New Orleans & Gulf Coast Railway
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016 - Great Western Railway
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 - KAW and Kansas City Terminal
MARCH/APRIL 2017 - Sand Springs Railway
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - Newburgh & South Shore Railroad
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018 - Birmingham Terminal Railway/Alabama Warrior Railway
MARCH/APRIL 2018 - Texas Central Railway
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 - Decatur & Illinois Eastern Railroad