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COWCATCHER MAGAZINE
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THIRD GROUP OF CARS ARRIVE
The Museum of the American Railroad made its third move on Oct. 12, 2012. An eight-car consist left BNSF’s Irving yard at 1:45 p.m. and was delivered later that day. The consist moved slowly and presented a few challenges. Despite reconditioned journal surfaces, new brasses and pads, two journals ran hot. Volunteers lubed journals with a mixture of oil and STP, as well as hotbox sticks, to keep the consist rolling.
Film posted courtesy of VisitFriscoTX
MAR’s FIRST CARS MOVE
The Museum of the American Railroad moved the first pieces of its collection Aug. 27, 2012 from a BNSF yard in Irving, TX to the museum’s new site in Frisco. A dedicated six-car consist of the Santa Fe M-160 motorcar, Missouri-Kansas-Texas dining car No. 438, Pullman sleeping car Glen Nevis, a 40-foot steel Texas & Pacific boxcar and two refrigerator cars from the old Armour meat packing plant in Fort Worth was placed on a tail track by the Frisco Discovery Center.
Fort Worth-based Lockheed Martin Recreation Association’s Gulf & Denver Railroad Authority HO-scale layout was the background for a short film which blends live action miniatures and 3D animation that is up for a YouTube- and Ridley Scott-sponsored film award. Towns come to life in “Stop. Watch. Love.”, a five-minute video by Element X Creative of Dallas that tells the story of a young boy who finds a magical device and changes the world around him.
The film was one of 50 semi-finalists in the 2012 Your Film Festival.
Film posted courtesy of Element X Creative
Current Issue: May/June2026
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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!
