Personal Projects, Photography, and Pointless Pontifications
Colorado Railroad Museum Goosefest 2012
Most of you are relatively familiar with the Rio Grande Southern’s
fleet of automobile conversions, known eventually as the Galloping
Geese. The fantastically successful series of machines started in 1931,
when Jack Odenbaugh built RGS 1 from a 1925 Buick Model 45 touring car.
The creation was designed to allow the RGS to fulfill its mail
delivery contracts without actually having to fire up a steam locomotive
and suffer the costs of running a regular train. Originally the
backend was an open bed with wooden stake sides, but within two months
it was rebuilt as an enclosed, locking box to satisfy the US Postal
Service and a cramped seven seat passenger compartment.
The machine was an unqualified success. Since RGS 1 had paid for
itself within a month of hitting the rails, construction on an entire
fleet of motors commenced immediately. Over the next five years, six
more conversions took place, using both Buicks and Pierce-Arrows as
starting points. The newer, larger motors quickly took over for RGS 1,
since as built, it was an excellent prototype but far too small to
sustain regular service. After only two years, RGS 1 was stricken from
the roster, but the other six motors continued on in regular service
until the end in 1952, albeit with an almost endless number of changes
and improvements.
One of the charming things about the Geese is that they were
constantly evolving throughout their service lives. Over the years,
some of the original Pierce-Arrow bodies were replaced on some units
with Wayne bus bodies left over from European WWII service, one of the
Buick bodies was replaced by a Pierce-Arrow, the engines were changed
out for surplus WWII GMC 361 engines, and in the spring of 1950, some of
the rear freight boxes were rebuilt to passenger compartments and
upgraded for tourist-hauling service. While almost certainly referred
to as Galloping Geese by the locals at an earlier date, it was at this
conversion to tourist service that the railroad officially embraced the
name and the now-iconic logo.
The truly remarkable thing about the RGS Geese, however, is their
longevity. As a testament to their uniqueness and usefulness, at the
close of operations all six remaining motors were quickly snapped up by
new owners. RGS 2 went to Bob Richardson’s collection for the
soon-to-be-founded Colorado Railroad Museum. RGS 3 was used in the
scrapping of the line and was then purchased by Walter Knott and taken
to California. There 3 would work on the park narrow gauge at Knott’s
Berry Farm alongside other RGS equipment. RGS 4 and 5 were purchased by
local civic organizations to be placed in parks along the former route.
RGS 4 went to the Telluride Volunteer Fire Department and was placed
next to the fire station. RGS 5 was purchased by the Dolores (Colorado)
Rotary Club and placed in a city park across from the old depot site.
RGS 6 and 7 were used by the Brinkerhoffs for scrapping out the RGS and
then retained in the scrap yard in anticipation of future use in
scrapping the San Juan Extension.
The road to Goosefest really starts in 1991, with the founding of the
Galloping Goose Historical Society in Dolores. In 1997, after
recreating the RGS depot in Dolores, they turned their attention to the
the full, operating restoration of RGS Goose 5. By 1998, the work was
complete, and the Goose rolled onto the rails of the Cumbres and Toltec
to carry its first passengers in 45 years.
Quite surprisingly, a goose nearly 70 years gone was the next to
return to operations. Using the remains of a 1926 Buick found in
Montana, Karl Schaeffer rebuilt RGS 1 as faithfully as possible to its
original design. It made its first runs at the Durango and Silverton
Railfest in 2000, and lives on today at the Ridgway Railroad Museum.
RGS 2 was one of the first pieces brought to the newly-founded
Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden in 1958. Since then, it was
maintained in much the same condition as when it arrived. In 1999,
restoration work started to return it to an operational state, and it
made its debut at the D&S Railfest in 2000 with RGS 1 and RGS 5.
The installation of a much-oversized airbrake by the D&S had caused
additional damage, and it took until 2007 before the Museum completed
repairs and outfitting with a proper brake system.
RGS 3 never technically left service, but Knotts mostly kept it in
standby service after the 1953 season. It would return to service
periodically when D&RGW 340 needed servicing, but mostly sat around.
Knotts replaced the original prime mover with a diesel in 1996, and
then later did a full restoration of the passenger box to its 1950s RGS
condition in 2004.
RGS 6 and 7, as mentioned previously, were retained by the
Brinkerhoff Brothers for potential future use in scrapping other narrow
gauge lines in southwestern Colorado. With the relatively certain
survival of both the Cumbres and Toltec and the Silverton Branch by
1981, the Brinkeroffs sold both Geese to Bob Shank of Durango, who then
later sold them to the Colorado Railroad Museum (via a third party) in
1985. The condition of both was extremely rough, with parts rotted,
corroded, or just plan stolen over the years. The Museum started a
wholesale restoration on both and they made their mutual debut at the
first Goosefest on 8 Nov 2008.
RGS 4 was the last to be restored to service. In 2008, after only
routine maintenance for 56 years, the deteriorating state of RGS 4
forced the TVFD to take more drastic measures. The wooden
superstructure was rotted to the point that the roof would soon collapse
if work wasn’t done. So, in May of 2008, Goose 4 was trucked down the
road to the Ridgway museum and work started on what was originally to be
only a cosmetic restoration. Upon opening up 4, however, the
drivetrain was found to be in remarkably good shape and a full operating
restoration was authorized. On 20 Aug 2011, RGS 4 moved under its own
power for the first time since being parked in 1953, and by a month
later the restoration was completed.
Back to present day… The fabled RGS is little more than memories
and a cinder-laden bump of dirt across the ground. But six machines
that roamed those rails were – for the first time in six decades – all
restored to the way they were during their heyday, if not better. As
such, Colorado Railroad Museum started planning for a reunion of all six
plus the recreation of RGS 1. It would be the first time that all six
original Geese would be in the same place since the end came in late
1952. For the weekend of June 15-17, 2012, the Museum’s track would be
invaded by Geese coming from all corners, including Knotts 3.
It turned out to be a fantastic weekend, although Knotts canceled at the last minute, leaving only six Geese. (One of the guys in attendance was from Knotts – we threatened to give him a grey T-shirt with a “3” on it and make him run around the loop…) The crowds, according to one museum volunteer, were every bit as bad as a Thomas weekend, but I’m glad to see so many people took the opportunity to experience such a historic event. What follows is a series of photos over the course of the three-day event. Enjoy!
The Motors were a critical element in the Rio Grande Southern’s survival, providing crucial cost savings over running conventional trains. Traffic had dwindled to the point that mail and passengers could be easy handled by the motors when this photo was taken of RGS 5 passing a Rocky Mountain Railroad Club excursion at Leopard Creek, CO, on 28 May 1949.
As unique and functional creations, all six surviving Geese were quickly snapped up at the end of the RGS. RGS 2 wound up at the Colorado Railroad Museum and were some of the first equipment at Golden, as seen here in 1959. RGS 3 went to Knotts Berry Farm in California with other RGS equipment for their theme park railway. RGS 6 and 7 were kept by the Brinkerhoffs for scrapping.
As a note, the Galloping Goose moniker was never officially embraced by the Rio Grande Southern until they converted the motors to tourist service in 1950. At that point, the famous Galloping Goose logo was applied to the rebuilt units.
Two of the Geese went to town parks along the line. They languished as static exhibits for years, largely unchanged from the day they were placed. RGS 4 went to Telluride, and RGS 5 wound up in Dolores. (This is 5 in Dolores sometime in the late 1950s or early 1960s.)
RGS 5 was the first of the park geese to be restored by preservation-minded individuals from the local community. 5 returned to service in 1998 after several years of restoration work by the Galloping Goose Historical Society.
RGS 1, having been the prototype motor built in 1931, proved the concept but was never really up to the task of daily service. It only lasted 2 years before being scrapped, and suffered a number of modifications during that time. In 2000, Karl Schaeffer and the Ridgway Railroad Museum recreated RGS 1 as faithfully as possible.
RGS 6 and 7, having been sold to Bob Shank by the Brinkerhoffs and then sold again and subsequently donated to the Colorado Railroad Museum in the mid-1980s, remained static exhibits until 2008. On November 10, 2008, both officially returned to service, and the Museum held its first Goosefest three weeks later on a snowy November 29.
And number 7 at its debut Goosefest in 2008.
With all of the other Geese soon to be up and running again, the Telluride Volunteer Fire Department gave permission to the Ridgway Railroad Museum to begin a restoration on RGS 4 in early 2008. In June of that year, it was moved to Ridgway museum grounds and the work started in earnest.
After nearly sixty years of sitting out in the weather, the wood superstructure was severely rotted on the verge of collapse. The Ridgway folks painstakingly dismantled every piece, documenting the construction as RGS 4 was now the last all-RGS goose.
Originally defined by the TVFD to be merely a structual restoration, the Ridgway folks did the incredible – they made RGS 4 once again operational. Despite the condition of the body, the powertrain was in remarkably good condition and with some work, just ran. This was taken shortly after its first public trips up and down about 100 feet of temporary track.
June 15, 2012 was the dawn of a new era in RGS history, just slightly over sixty years after abandonment of the railroad had been authorized by the ICC. Thanks to the efforts of CRRM, it was to be the first time all six surviving Geese, plus the replica of 1, would be together. As luck would have it, Knotts management pulled RGS 3 at the last minute, but five Geese plus a replica was still a record gathering of the flock.
Thanks for bringing the event together go to the staff and volunteers of the Colorado Railroad Museum, and their leader, Donald Tallman, seen here in his trademark hat hanging out of Museum Goose 6.
The event officially started on Friday evening, with those of us who had paid for the special Goosefest passes checking in and waiting for the scheduled night shoot.
Needless to say, in the height of summer, there was a wait to be had for sundown and any possible night shoot. Fortunately, there was plenty of beer and BS amoungst friends to pass the time.
Well, okay, there was beer for a while. But with some convincing, the museum staff figured out how to get both sets of 5771’s headlights running, including making the Mars light actually function again.
Finally, darkness takes hold and we capture the flock with the fading twilight in the background
There’s only so much you can do with five static Geese around a roundhouse. But we did manage to kill the battery in 6 running the lights…
Balancing the lighting between RGS 1 not looking like a hole in the darkness and the other Geese not shining like a nuclear blast turned out to be quite a challenge…
Morning – it comes way too soon, particularly after a late night.
And it was dang early – I think we started at 6am or so. At least Donald brought donuts and coffee.
As soon as the sun came over onto the flock, the morning maintenance routines started. Eighty year old machines take a fair amount of attention, no matter what they are.
I’ve never been quite sure why the gas tank is on top of Goose 2, but it seems rather inconvenient.
Meanwhile, the next Goose over in the lineup needs a different sort of liquid attention. (Nathan Zachman photo)
Turns out Karl’s radiator is leaking quite a bit, and RGS 1 requires frequent top-offs with coolant.
A few last checks under the hood and RGS 1 will be ready
Meanwhile, the two biggest, most modern Geese – 4 and 5 – sit and bask in the morning light with little attention paid other than routine oil, gas, and water checks.
One of the advantages of being at the museum way before every other sane human being has gotten out of bed is that you have the place basically to yourself in great light. It allows for some great shots you don’t get otherwise.
I’ve always wanted a clean shot of CB&Q Northern 5629, and without anybody else around it was easy enough to get.
Another one of the early morning opportunities was Colorado & Northern 2-8-0 30, which was sitting in the main parking lot at the time.
Donald also opened up two of the restored coaches normally kept closed from the normal public. The first is Burlington 96, an elegant former CB&Q heavyweight business car.
The car, which is absolutely beautiful inside, is normally closed except for special guests due to the wear and tear that having the general public pass through it would cause.
More views of the inside of CB&Q 96
The front part of 96’s rear lounge area.
And looking out the back towards the rear platform.
Meanwhile, in the roundhouse, work has started cleaning up D&RGW GP30 3011
Another elegantly restored business car is the RGS Rico (and probably more applicable to Goosefest). The car was purchased by the Rocky Mountain Railroad Club from the RGS, and eventually given to the museum for restoration and preservation.
The interior of the Rico is not quite what you’d find in CB&Q 96, but it’s still remarkable.
A quick trip past the roundhouse on the way back reveals GP30 3011 sitting inside, getting prepped for some much needed attention.
Back outside the roundhouse, everybody’s ready to go
And we’re off – as the museum is opening to the public, Karl takes 1 out onto the table to lead the Geese onto the Museum’s main loop for the day.
Now the morning migration had started in earnest – one by one, in order, the motors leave the roundhouse tracks to be lined down the mainline
I’ve always liked RGS 2, as it’s the only motor that retains its original freight box rear compartment.
While not all of RGS 3 made it, at least it’s dashboard made it… Well, that and one of the Knotts guys showed up, and we threatened to get him a grey shirt with a big 3 on it and make him run around the mainline while making honking noises.
And the freshly restored RGS 4 heads out after a spin on the table.
The start of each day’s public proceedings was the shot of all six Geese near the upper portion of the Museum’s loop, followed by several non-passenger laps. Aside from RGS 1, this is the first time that five Geese have been together since the end of the railroad in 1952.
To give you some point of comparison between the Geese, I’ll show them all from roughly the same perspective as they make their first official lap of the day. Here’s the replica of RGS 1.
RGS 2, a Pierce-Arrow body with the original freight box configuration on the back
RGS 4, with the Wayne bus body on the front and the post-1950 passenger box on the back
RGS 5, probably the most photographed Goose in Colorado, again with a Wayne bus front end and a post-1950 passenger box back end
RGS 6, a Buick body with a freight backend and a huge snowplow. Originally, RGS 1, 2, and 6 were all Buick bodies. 2 was eventually rebuilt with the Pierce-Arrow body that it has today, however.
And bringing up the rear is RGS 7, the only one of the large Geese to retain its Pierce-Arrow body.
Throughout the day, the Geese would make the loop around the museum, hauling as many passengers as they could.
And there were plenty to be hauled, with lines for rides stretching back to the main building at least. One of the museum volunteers told me that the first day of Goosefest 2012 was very similar to a Thomas day, if not possibly worse.
The big motors – 4, 5, and 7 – were the only ones giving the general public a ride.
The small motors were confined to quick up and back runs on the west side of the museum, and only for those of us who had bought the Goosefest passes.
The geese are none too big inside. Here’s a view from the cab of RGS 6 as we trundle along. Two big guys in the front is definitely not something you’d want to do all the way from Ridgway to Durango. Or Ridgway to the first road crossing out of town, for that matter.
Just another look at RGS 4 out on the main loop.
No offense to RGS 2, but next time we do this, I really hope Knotts Berry Farm management will let RGS 3 come back home to Colorado just once so that we can see all three Wayne-bodied Geese filling these slots.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this look at a historic gathering of RGS Galloping Geese. Goosefest 2012 is an amazing moment in RGS history, with something likely thought impossible just ten years ago – all but one motor not only restored, but running in the same place for a weekend.
All photographs in this trip report were taken with a Canon EOS 1D Mark III using either a Canon 24-105mm f/4L IS/USM, Canon 17-40mm f/4L USM, or a Canon 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L IS/USM.
