Galloping Goose #5

Galloping Goose #5. . , The RGS Motor No. 5 was built in 1933 in the railroad's roundhouse in Ridgway, Colorado. Its front cab was a 1927 Pierce Arrow series 36 limousine widened to carry the motorman and passengers. The rear 24-foot trailer carried mail and freight. It was powered by a six-cylinder Pierce Arrow gasoline engine. , In 1946, the Pierce Arrow limousine cab was replaced with a Wayne bus body. It was re-motored with a GMC six-cylinder truck engine built for the U.S. Army. In 1950, after losing the U.S. mail contract, the railroad ran summer sightseeing trips for tourists. Windows were cut in the rear freight box and Denver streetcar seats were installed to carry additional passengers. The RGS officially recognized their three-trucked Motors to be “Galloping Geese,” their commonly used nickname. Despite somewhat successful tourist operations, the railroad soon was abandoned. , In 1987, a community-based organization called the Galloping Goose Historical Society (GGHS) was created to restore RGS Goose No. 5. The Goose had been sitting, neglected, in Flander's Park, since being purchased by the Dolores Rotary Club in 1953. GGHS built a replica of the RGS Dolores train station near its original site and then restored Goose No. 5. In 1998, Goose No. 5 ran on the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad for the first time in 47 years. , RGS Goose No. 5 continues to operate in front of the Dolores train station for community events and on excursions on the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge and the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad. GGHS has over 400 members in its organization. In 2017, the Galloping Goose Historical Society celebrated its thirtieth anniversary and continues to welcome new members from throughout the world. , Learn more about the GGHS at www.GallopingGoose5.org , A Brief History of the Rio Grande Southern Railroad , The Rio Grande Southern Railroad (RGS) was built in the early 1890's to provide transport to the silver mining towns of Telluride and Rico Colorado. Its 169 miles of 3-foot narrow gauge track ran through some of the most rugged parts of the San Juan Mountains. After the Silver Panic of 1893, the railroad struggled to survive. In bankruptcy, it continued to provide transport for the local economy. It hauled passengers and baggage, mail, livestock, lumber, coal and ore. In the 1930's, the RGS created seven automotive-based rail cars to replace the more costly steam-powered passenger trains. These vehicles enabled the RGS to continue operations for almost twenty more years. Highway road improvements in the area eventually made it difficult for the railroad to compete and the RGS ceased operations in December 1951.