Galloping Goose

Model Railroader Prototype information for the modeler
1

Con-Cor has been advertising a Galloping Goose lettered for the PRR. I suspect this might be a foobie as I can’t find anything confirming the PRR had any of these. Doe anyone out there know one way or the other?

Thanks

Tom

2

Tom,As you suspected its a 110% foobie!

3

Thanks Larry. I thought that might be case.

Tom

4

Any of the Geese lettered for anything other than the Rio Grande are complete foobies - and the one in the ATSF Warbonnet just cracks me up.

5

The Denver & Rio Grande Western, a narrow gauge subsidiary of the standard guage Denver & Rio Grande, was the only road that ever ran a Galloping Goose.

At least two geese remain – one at Telluride and one in Delores. I believe the one in Delores still runs occasionally on the Durango & Silverton. There may be a third, inoperative one at the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden.

I have one of the Con-Cor models that was released in HO scale several years ago in Southern Pacific livery – pure fiction.

6

Actually there are some in operation at the Colo. RR Museum and you can ride 'em on Saturdays.

And, yes, I can personally confirm that we here in Colorado are a long way from Pennsylvania. HA!

7

I think you meant “Rio Grande Southern” which was owned by, but not a subsidiary, of the Denver & Rio Grande Western.

“Galloping Goose” is usually associated with the seven railbuses built and operated by the RGS but there were at least a dozen similar home-made railbuses in North America used to provide scheduled passenger and mail/express service, though never to the extent-of-fleet or fame of the RGS. For example, there was one http://www.idahoheritage.org/assets/popups/se/se_condabus.html used on the Conda Railroad between Soda Springs and Conda, Idaho, between 1922 and 1936, and it was also called “The Galloping Goose.” An eighth Galloping Goose was created by the RGS shops for the stillborn effort to restart the D&RGW Lake City Branch when regular service ended.

#2, #6 and #7 are at the Colorado Railroad Museum and are operational

#3 is at Knott’s Berry Farm and is operational

#4 is on display at Telluride and is not operational

#5 is on display at Dolores and is operational (on occasion on C&TS and D&S)

#1, replica, is on display at Ridgway

RWM

8

Wow - that must make the Galloping Goose THE proportionately most-preserved piece of rolling stock in the US. When one thinks of all the historically or engineering-important locomotives of which not a single one managed to survive…

  • Gerhard