Galloping Goose passenger railbus - real world MOC (v3)

[Murdoch17]

This rail vehicles is a type of railcar called a Galloping Goose, and is slightly inspired by seven real vehicles built and used by the cash-strapped Rio Grande Southern narrow gauge railway back in the early 1930s. This tiny railroad couldn't afford to run a single steamer in the worst part of the Great Depression, so they made the Geese to deliver the mail, supplies, and people to the silver mines / camps around Durango and Ridgway, Colorado. In fact, the lucrative mail contract is what kept them afloat - when that went away in the early 1950s , the railroad was torn up. Six Geese still exist in original form, with one being a reconstructed replica. These machines are really something Doctor Frankenstein would love - a bus body or boxcar welded to a road vehicle (usually a Pierce Arrow limousine) for the front end, with train wheels added underneath.

This is my third interpretation of this type of passenger doodlebug, which is numbered eight in my rail fleet, and was never owned by Rio Grande Southern. (The seven real-world ones originally had boxcars on the back for freight service as well as having seats for passengers up near the driver.)

The rear of the rather odd-looking vehicle.

As a play feature, you can open the doors to the drivers compartment and place a driver at the wheel. The back half of the vehicle is not meant to be accessible.

My version of the Goose is slightly inspired by the front half of the second one made. As you can see in this 1940 picture, the railcars were referred to as Motors by the Rio Grande Southern. This was true up until close to the end of the first careers, about ten years after this photo was taken - though the public has seemingly always called them Galloping Geese. You can read more about these fascinating railcars here on Wikipedia.

Thoughts?

Edited February 20 by Murdoch17

[Shiva]

Nice railcar, car rail? Boxcar on rails.

[Murdoch17]

7 minutes ago, Shiva said:

Nice railcar, car rail? Boxcar on rails.

Thanks @Shiva!

[rjr]

That one must be fun to dtive in real life, i like this one!

[idlemarvel]

Nice. Does it run on curved track or is it a shelf model?

Maybe you could try using a pair of tiny train wheel axles rather than one standard wheel axle at the front to more closely match the prototype?

[Murdoch17]

21 minutes ago, rjr said:

That one must be fun to dtive in real life, i like this one!

Thanks! However, this model (like 99% of my models) is unmotorized @rjr... unless you meant a real Galloping Goose! If that's the case then yes, it is very fun to drive / ride on. I got to ride in one when I was 5 or 6 at Knotts Berry Farm theme park in California. It was an experience for sure!

15 minutes ago, idlemarvel said:

Nice. Does it run on curved track or is it a shelf model?

Maybe you could try using a pair of tiny train wheel axles rather than one standard wheel axle at the front to more closely match the prototype?

@idlemarvel From my pushing it down the track with my hand, it runs very smoothly on R40 curved track and standard switches - no stress on anything as far as I know. Also, there isn't room for another axle without a severe redesign. But thanks for the suggestion!

 

Oh, I almost forgot: There is a 1970s song about the Galloping Goose! It's called "The Gallopin' Goose" and it's by the same guy who started the CB / trucking craze of that era, C.W. McCall (Anybody remember his massive hit "Convoy"?). Look it up and give it a listen! (He's also got one about the nearby Durango & Silverton RR, called "the Silverton", which is also pretty good!)

Edited February 22 by Murdoch17