How I Photographed a Galloping Goose

by | Nov 17, 2021

Today’s Post by Joe Farace

Galloping Goose is the popular name given to a series of seven railcars that were based from full-sized automobiles.They were built in the 1930s by the Rio Grande Southern Railroad and operated until the end of service on the line in the early 1950s.

Originally running steam locomotives on narrow gauge railways, the perpetually struggling Rio Grande Southern developed the first of the “geese” as a way to keep its contract to run mail into towns in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. There was not enough passenger or cargo income to justify continuing the expensive steam train service at current levels, but it was believed that a downsized railway would return to profitability.

The steam trains would transport heavy cargo and peak passenger loads, but motors would handle lighter loads. The geese were not only less expensive to operate, but were significantly lighter, thus reducing impact on the rails and roadbeds. This cost saving meant that the first Goose was paid off and making a profit within three weeks of going into service. Rio Grande Southern built more Geese, and operated them until the company abandoned their right-of-way in 1952. You can see several of them and even take a ride in one of them at the Colorado Railroad Museum.

How I made this photograph: This Galloping Goose (above) was photographed on National Train Day, during a PhotoWalk at the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden, CO. I photographed the Galloping Goose (center) and it’s more modern siblings using an Olympus OM-D EM-10 Mark I and 9mm f/8 Olympus fish-eye body cap lens with an exposure of 1/1000 at f/8 and ISO 400.

If there is interest, I would like to hold another train related PhotoWalk at the Colorado Railroad Museum during 2022. If you’re interested, click on the Contact tab and let me know.

  • Colorado Railroad Museum
  • 17155 W. 44th Avenue,
  • Golden, CO 80403
  • 303-279-4591
  • Open Daily 9:00AM to 4:00PM

If you enjoyed today’s blog post and would like to buy me to a cup of Earl Grey tea ($2.50,) please click here. And if you do, thanks so much.