The Galloping Geese

Around the beginning of the 20th century, there was a great amount of railroad construction in southwestern Colorado.  Mining for silver, gold and lead provided a source of revenue for the railroads.  The ore needed to be transported from the mines to the smelters and other processing facilities.
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Many of the lines were built to 3 foot gauge between the rails rather than the standard 4 feet 8 ½ inches which was commonly used.  Construction of narrow gauge lines was considerably less expensive as well as the cost of locomotives and rolling stock.  As mines played out and ore prices fluctuated, many lines became unprofitable and were abandoned.

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One railroad, the Rio Grande Southern tried a unique method to reduce expenses by replacing locomotives and rolling stock with a group of seven homemade motor cars.  This allowed them to keep the lucrative mail contracts and provide some freight and passenger service. This service was provided between Durango, Dolores and Ridgeway, Colorado.  These vehicles, which were given the name “Galloping Geese” soldiered on from 1930’s during the depression until the early 1950’s.  They had lost the mail contract in the late 1940’s and the remaining passenger and freight traffic was unsustainable.  In the early 1950’s the entire railroad was abandoned, and the Galloping Geese were sold to the Colorado Railroad Museum.  Most are on display and are in operating condition. You can take a ride on one of them at the museum on certain days.
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Some of the geese have traveled for special occasions on both the Durango and Silverton and Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroads.   
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Below is a short video from the Colorado Railroad Museum about the  “Galloping Geese.”