Rio Grande Southern Galloping Goose railcar - photo

[Altair]

Rio Grande Southern Galloping Goose railcar.

Fullsize image: https://diqn32j8nouaz.cloudfront.net...e_fullsize.jpg

[Karl_H]

From the Forest Service website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/gmug/...telprdb5430794

A Glimpse Into History:
In 1931, the Rio Grande Southern Railroad was in bankruptcy. To cut costs they converted old automobiles into rail cars, creating a hybrid vehicle called a “motor” (later nicknamed the “Galloping Goose”). These motors required just one man to operate them, instead of the five people needed to run the steam locomotives. The railroad ran both the motors and the larger steam trains until the railroad was abandoned in 1952.
In the 1950s, the railroad lost the mail contract, so the motors were rebuilt to carry additional passengers. In the photograph above, Motor #4 is shown on a bridge over the San Miguel River near what is now the Ilium Trailhead, circa 1950.