My understandiny was that the “Galloping Goose” was a series of home-made railbus’s constructed and operated by the D&RGW and the RGS only. Other homemade varients of this type of vehicle might exist, but those using the name “Galloping Goose” were strickly a Colorado affair. Can you be a bit more specific on its description, these were pretty unique vehicles. They ranged from a open bed “Truck” to a bus body with trailing boxcar.
It looked at first like a transport truck on rails, with a Peterbilt like front with a narrow nose expanding to a wider cab with windows, on top of uncovered trucks. It was pulling a box like ‘trailer’ with what appeared to be archbar trucks. It looked like pictures I had seen of that version of the Galloping Goose, that’s why I described it that way.
that sounds like a modern version you’ll see occasionally. Take a standard modern semi front, replace the wheels with trucks, add a coupler and you have yourself a decent MOW vehicale that can also haul a few cars along with it.
there’s been a few sightings of these on UP lines, wouldn’t suprise me if CP did the same thing.
One correction: The RGS made a Galloping Goose for the San Cristobal Railroad Company, which operated what had been the Lake City, CO, branch of the D&RGW. Thus, there were two railroads that used Geese, not one; however the D&RGW was not one of the two, although rumors persist that one of the RGS Geese did go to Silverton, on the D&RGW at least once.
This Goose was delivered to the San Cristobal, and quickly returned to Ridgway for rebuilding. When the rebuilding was finished, the SC could not pay for it, but the
Goose was finally delivered in 1935; it was returned to Ridgway in 1939 when the SC shut down. The cab and some other parts were then used to rebuild the RGS’ Goose 2.
My Bad, thanks for the correction[:D]
Winter issue of CLASSIC TRAINS describes the Galloping Goose inspired “Old Sparky” in its five incarnations on a short CN branch that hauled trailers made from section 4-wheel utility flats. The original Old Sparky was a motorized handcar!
For those of you mainline standard gauge guy’s who dont know what we are talking when we refer to gooses, geeses, and the like, about heres a couple of pic’s of Rio Grande Southern’s famous gas powered Geese that were built to continue revinue service on lines that had dropped off too much to justify the costs of a steam locomotive.
[:D]
Did they ever haul passengers? Is photo #3 a passenger version? How did they handle climbing the Rockies?
They hauled passengers and protected the mail runs quite nicely. They were quicker and more responsive than the steam engines they replaced. Several still survive. Come out to Golden sometime and see the three (#2, #6, #7) at Colorado Railroad Museum. They all still run[:D][:D][:D]
http://www.crrm.org/rgs_motors.htm
The Brandt Roadrailer is what THayman robably saw.
http://roadrail.brandt.ca/standard_power_unit.html
[banghead][banghead][banghead]
Methinks there is one at Knotts Berry Farm over on the left coast. Running, IIRC.
MC-Thanks for the CRM link. I can understand the snowplows mounted, but the pilots made out of bars look a little silly. I guess they could be effective for rodents and mammals up to the size of a full grown rabbit.[:D][:D]
Jay
There is a Goose similar to #5 at Knotts, but I dont think it has been run in decades. At least I’ve never seen it move. The private business car Edna is also there.
I’ve never seen the last one before. Neat!
Then this one will MELT YOUR BRAIN…
RGS Goose #1 restored at the Ridgeway RR museum
What was their top speed and their horsepower rating? And how many versions did they have and were their details, specs,etc.?
The engines were typical of the times, low HP high torque truck engines ( they were modified trucks and busses) and they were slow speed wise I think 30mph was there top speed, and that was due as much to the track conditions. There are several sources for plans details etc. since most of them survived, they have been scrutinized and detailed to ad nauseum. Check out the Colorado railraod museum, also several books on RGS have plans included, as do mag’s like the Shortline and Narrow Gauge Gazette have published plans and photos.