x

All about the community of model railroading and rail enthusiasm

COWCATCHER MAGAZINE

Subscribe or Renew (w/PayPal)

Six (6) issues for $21.95 or Twelve (12) issues for $41.95 mailed to your home!*

Use PayPal to order your subscription today! All subscribers will receive our monthly e-newsletter, Cowcatcher Tracks, free! Learn more about subscribing.

New Subscriptions

Six (6) Issues $21.95

Twelve (12) Issues $41.95

Renew Your Subscription

Six (6) Issues $21.95

Twelve (12) Issues $41.95

ADD CURRENT ISSUE

Adds the current issue as shown on the website $6.95

FINE PRINT

*Rates are for U.S. domestic subscriptions. Call or email for rates for subscriptions shipped outside the U.S.

Your subscription will begin with the next issue from the current issue advertised on this website. You may add the current issue to your subscription for $6.95 by selecting the “Add Current Issue” option on this page. Allow 5-7 business days for delivery of current issue. Please note, we do not guarantee that subscription copies will arrive prior to the first month of the issue date. Subscriptions are mailed third-class prior to the first month of the issue date and typically take 7-10 business days or longer to deliver.

If you are renewing your subscription, please indicate so by noting on the PayPal authorization or via email: cowcatcher@verizon.net. Having problems subscribing or renewing? Call us at (817) 379-5528.

THANK YOU!

Current Issue: Nov/Dec 2025

$6.95 (U.S. Orders Only)

Splitrockin'

An operating session on the Split Rock Mining Co. Railroad is pretty straightforward. A three-person crew works the freelance HO-scale railroad with the sole purpose of transporting iron ore mined in Northern Minnesota to a freighter on Lake Superior. Instructions for the operators can be communicated in a few words before the shift begins. Pull all loads at the mine. Take them to the boat. Take all empties from the boat back to the mines. Rinse and repeat. There are no car cards or manifests. Switching is done by colors, and, yes, there is a rhyme and reason on this Alco-driven layout based on railroading on the Iron Range in Minnesota.

Gaining Traction

A new generation of freelance railroads is taking model railroading by storm, gaining prominence through online videos and social media. The ages-old modeling technique is attracting young modelers and unlocking creative license in veteran hobbyists.

Creating Opportunities

In Southern Wyoming, OmniTRAX is handling switching for two mines in a region known for its prolific coal mining operations. The mines deliver about 17 million tons of trona, a sodium carbonate compound that is processed into soda ash or bicarbonate of soda, and OmniTRAX is increasing safety and managing efficiencies in moving inbound and outbound cars.

Plus

G&G Model Shop in Southwest Houston credits flexibility and personalized service for its 80 years serving the model railroad community. Rapido Trains delivers an N-scale replica of the Santa Fe Railway’s storied SFRD RR-56 refrigerator car, reviewed in this issue. Also, the romance of the circus and railroads united in the circus train, which endured as the greatest shows on earth’s sideshow. And more!