• HOME
  • NEWS
  • ABOUT
  • SUBSCRIBE
    • Info & Updates
    • Subscribe/Renew with PayPal
    • Subscribe/Renew with Credit Card
    • Back Issues
    • Retrospectives
  • CONTACT US
  • AVAILABLE AT

All about the community of model railroading and rail enthusiasm

Cowcatcher Magazine

  • Home
  • News
    • Top News
    • Class 1 Railroads
    • Short Line Railroads
    • Light Rail / Commuter
    • Model Railroading
    • Railroad in Focus
    • Up Close
    • Heritage
  • About
  • Subscribe
    • Information & Updates
    • Subscribe or Renew with Paypal
    • Subscribe or Renew with Credit Card
    • Back Issues
    • Retrospectives
  • Contact Us
  • Available At

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!

  • RAILROAD IN FOCUS



    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

     

    SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019 - Great Northwest Railroad

     

    JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020 - Watco Switching Services/Powder River Basin

     

    SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 - Ithaca Central

     


    Don't have those issues? Get an inside look at these railroads by ordering your back issue copy today!

© 2022 Cowcatcher Magazine | No content from this site may be copied or re-used without permission | 2023 Cowcatcher Magazine. Site powered by Josh Sims