Galloping Goose
By Bob Mintz, TCA #92-35064 Spring 2025 e*Train
Galloping Goose is the popular name given to a series of seven railcars built or serviced in the RGS shops of the Rio Grande Southern Railway Co. at railroad’s shops at Ridgway, Colorado, in 3’ (narrow) gauge (versus 4’ 8 ½” Standard Gauge), running from Durango to Ridgeway Colorado, a distance of 162.6 miles.
This was no “Wild Goose Chase.”
First came the doodlebugs and afterwards, the RDC (Rail Diesel Car). In between came the Rio Grande Southern Railway’s gaggle of “Galloping Geese.” They were formed out of the need to cut operating costs significantly and were an inexpensive way to provide passenger service to the area.
Paired together in Frankenstein-like fashion from various full-sized automobiles, buses, engines, drives, body types, transmissions, lengths and weight, the Geese replaced steam-powered passenger trains. They enabled the RGS to provide passenger, mail and tourist service in the Colorado Rockies. In 1950, the railroad lost its mail contract (in preference to public road mail haulers), and #3; #4; #5; & #7 were converted for tourist operations. until you could say, “their goose was cooked”, and it closed in 1952. The poor condition of RGS track gave the passengers “goosebumps” and the “Motors”, as they were officially called, the galloping gait that inspired their nickname.
Remaining Units:
Of the seven “geese”, only #1 did not survive; it was scrapped in 1933. The other six are located as follows:
Geese #2, #6, and #7 are preserved at the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden, Colorado.
Goose #3 was sold to Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, California and is operated on the Ghost Town & Calico Railroad during off-season periods when park attendance is low and ridership is insufficient to justify using a steam locomotive.
Goose #4 was on static display in Telluride, Colorado. It was restored to operation in Ridgway, Colorado in June 2012.
Goose #5 was bought by the city of Dolores, Colorado. After restoration in 1998, it is now occasionally operated on the Cumbres and Toltec and Durango and Silverton tourist railroads, as well as at the Colorado Railroad Museum.
#1 was built in June 1931 at the RGS shops, had a Buick 6-cylinder gas engine, was a Buick sedan front and stake body rear, was 20’ in length, weighed 2.5 tons and was scrapped in 1933 after an accident and parts were eventually used in Goose #6
#2 was built in August 1931 at the RGS shops, had a Buick Master six-cylinder gas engine, clutch and transmission; a 1927 Buick 4-door sedan front and a box rear, was 29’ 11” in length, weighed 5 tons, was rebuilt in 1939 using a Pierce-Arrow Model 6 80hp engine and body and some parts used to rebuild and for maintenance came from the San Cristobal Railroad.
#3 was built in December 1931 at the Pierce-Arrow shops, had a Pierce-Arrow 33 gas engine, had a Pierce-Arrow front and box rear, was 43’ 3” in length, weighed 7.5 tons, was rebuilt with a Wayne bus body.
#4 was built in May 1932 at the Pierce-Arrow shops, had a Pierce-Arrow 33 gas engine, a Pierce-Arrow front and box rear, was 43’ 3” in length, weighed 7.5 tons, was rebuilt with a GMC engine and Wayne bus body and is currently at Telluride Colorado. The Ridgway Railroad Museum has a signed formal agreement with the Telluride Volunteer Fire Dept (TVFD) to restore Galloping Goose No. 4 to operating condition. The restoration was completed in Spring 2012. The photo below shows restored Goose No. 4 running on the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad.
#5 was built in June 1933 at the Pierce-Arrow shops, had a Pierce-Arrow 36 gas engine, had a Pierce-Arrow front and box rear, was 43’ 3” in length, weighed 7.5 tons, was rebuilt was a GMC engine and Wayne bus body.
#6 was built in January 1934 at the Buick shops, was constructed partially out of parts taken from the scrapped Goose # 1, had a Buick 6-cylinder gas engine, a Buick cab and a flatbed, was 25’ 6” in length, weighed 4.5 tons, was rebuilt with a Pierce-Arrow cab and engine.
#7 was built in October 1936 at the Pierce-Arrow shops, had a Pierce-Arrow 6 gas engine, a Pierce-Arrow 7 passenger sedan and a box rear, was 21’ in length, weighed 7 tons, was used in the dismantling of the Crested Butte branch in 1954.
MTH:
The above information compiled by “The Short Line Doodlebug-Galloping Geese and Other Railcritters” by Edmund Keilty pages 32-33 and Wikipedia and the Ridgeway Railroad Museum http://ridgwayrailroadmuseum.org/Goose4.html
GOOSE #3 photo: By Sean Lamb (User:Slambo) – Own work, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1417086
GOOSE #4 photo: http://ridgwayrailroadmuseum.org/Goose4.html
GOOSE #5 photo: By WyoSagebrush – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10367846
GOOSE # 7 photo: By Lytspeed – I took this photograph myself at the Colorado Railroad Museum.Previously published: Previously posted on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10209886524016405&set=pb.1132719625.-2207520000.1554417203.&type=3&theater, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=77785456
