It Certainly doesn't look like a Goose!!

The picture on the front of this post card is of what is fondly known as a “Galloping Goose”.

This one was built May 4, 1932, by the Rio Grande Southern Railroad using a Pierce Arrow. Later the body was rebuilt by the Wayne Bus Company and the engine was rebuilt by GMC. It once was used to carry freight, mail, and passengers. Number 4, seen here, was finally converted for the Tourist and Rail Fan. Unfortunately, it is no longer operational. This website gives some detailed history of the entire “Galloping Goose” line of rail cars: http://drgw.free.fr/RGS/Goose/Goose_en.htm I have taken some of those details and added them here. The Galloping Goose (the plural should be 'Geese'), or Motors as they were officially called by the railroad, were for sure among the most original railroad vehicles ever built. They largely contributed to the fame of the Rio Grande Southern and were its most prominent symbol from the thirties until its closure in 1951. These engines, built during the thirties, resulted from the absolute necessity for the Rio Grande Southern, then on the verge of bankruptcy, to cut its operating costs. They were meant to replace conventional steam trains becoming too expensive to operate. They were a kind of hybrid between a car or a bus riding on railroad tracks and a truck. They constituted single-car mixed trains, cheap to operate and able to carry a small amount of freight, mail and express, and the few remaining passengers travelling between Durango and Ridgway. The Galloping Geese were built by the Rio Grande Southern shops in Ridgway, with very little means and a lot of ingenuity, from whatever material was available, spare car parts and other used parts. There are several hypotheses regarding the origin of the weird unofficial nickname (Galloping Goose) of the Motors. One of them claims that the name came from the waddling of the Geese on the uneven Rio Grande Southern track, another attributed the nickname to the goose-like honk of the horn of the Motors, very different from the usual whistle of steam engines. All the Geese have survived until now, except one (of which a replica has been built). Among the survivors, all but one are operational and are used occasionally on the loop track of the Colorado Railroad Museum, on the Cumbres & Toltec or on the Durango & Silverton. Goose #1 Two different Motors of the Rio Grande Southern bore the number 1. The first Motor #1, built in 1913, was an inspection speeder derived from a Model T Ford and may be considered as the ancestor of the Geese. The second Goose #1 was built in 1931 following an idea of the Rio Grande Southern superintendent and its chief mechanic officer in Ridgway. It may be considered as the first true Goose and the prototype of the whole series. She was based on a Buick Master Six sedan, converted to rail operation and fitted with an open platform on the rear to carry and express. She was equipped with a front truck and a single rear powered axle. She is the smallest and the lightest of the Geese built by the Rio Grande Southern. The design of the Motor was an immediate success and Goose #1 soon replaced the passenger steam train between Dolores and Durango. She was scrapped in 1933. A replica was built in 2000 and is today displayed at the Ridgway Railroad Museum in Ridgway. The success of Goose #1 and the cuts in operating expenses it allowed soon prompted the Rio Grande Southern to considered building more Geese based on the same principle. Goose #2 was born in 1931. She is based on the same type of Buick sedan as #1 but runs on two trucks (the rear one is powered) and is twice as heavy as #1. She has space for four passengers and her freight compartment is completely enclosed and bigger than #1's. The livery of Goose #2 was originally of the same black as the Buick sedan she was derived from. All the Geese were repainted silver in 1935 and had kept this colour since then. In 1939, Goose #2 was rebuilt with a 1926 Pierce-Arrow car body and was equipped with a new and more powerful Buick engine. At that time, Goose #2 didn't see much use because newer Geese were put into service, so #2 was most of the time on stand-by duty. Today, #2 is preserved at the Colorado Railroad Museum and is operational. Goose #3 was also built in 1931, following #1 and 2. She is 50% heavier than #2 and is longer too. She was the first Goose running on three trucks (the middle one being powered) and to be articulated. She was mostly made of 1926 Pierce-Arrow parts for the body of the passenger section and for the engine. She has a capacity of ten passengers and is rated 39hp. The rear freight and mail section is almost the size of a boxcar and is supported by two trucks. Geese #4, 5 and 7 were built following the same principle (Pierce-Arrow parts and an articulated frame on three trucks). At the Rio Grande Southern closure, Goose #3 was sold to an amusement park in California (Knotts Berry Farm), where she runs occasionally. Goose #4, the Goose on the front of this post card: Number 3 was so successful that the Rio Grande Southern started to build another Goose (#4) the following year (1932). She is almost the same as Goose #3 (Pierce-Arrow parts and an articulated frame on three trucks). She is the only non-operational Goose among those who survived today. She is displayed in the city of Telluride, , the terminal of a Rio Grand Southern branch.

This post card was published by Mary Jayne's Railroad Specialities, Inc. The photo credit goes to William Moore. Evidently it is now part of a collection called the Glen Young Collection. The post card was printed by International Graphics in Hollywood, Florida. It is copyrighted as of December 1, 1985. That is what the number code (30806) in the stamp box tells me.