January, 2012--

You can find a history of the RGS and the Galloping Goose fleet elsewhere on this website which includes information on the restoration of Goose #5. Many individuals have, over the last several years, devoted many hundreds of hours as volunteers to keep Galloping Goose #5 in tip-top condition! Without their commitment and dedication Goose #5 would not be operating today! Maintenance is an ongoing process and takes a fair amount of skill in several areas such as painting, cleaning and of course mechanical work.

Presented below are some pictures with descriptions showing some of the work that has been done within the last few years.

In December, 2008 the main drive truck (wheel set) was removed from the Goose and sent to Skanska Construction’s shop (near Cortez, Colorado) for a complete overhaul. Here you see it as it was delivered to their shop.

Inside the Bell-housing is the ring gear shown here. This particular gear was worn to the point where it had to be replaced along with the pinion gear that mates to it.

The following May the rebuilt drive truck has been delivered back to Dolores to be reinstalled.

Freshly polished bell…

In 1998 the passenger seats were reupholstered because the Rattan wicker material dating from 1950 had almost completely rotted away! By 2009 the seats needed to be reupholstered again. Here  Society members (and GGHS board members) Louie Vallejos (left) and Ed Latham reinstall the repaired seats.

Job finished. These seats originally came from Denver Tramway streetcars when the freight boxes of Geese numbers 3, 4, 5 and 7 were rebuilt in 1950 by the RGS into the “tourist” versions we have now.

By 2008 the original Ford driveshaft from when this Goose was built in 1933 was completely worn out! Here you see the new one just after it was installed in 2008.

Ed adjusts the new driveshaft.

The old air compressor attached to the engine has been removed and retired to the trash.

A new (rebuilt) compressor is being installed. This vital component runs off of a fan belt on the front of the engine.

Here is the completed installation. The compressor operates the air breaks and air horn.

January 27, 2012

A few months ago a gentleman by the name of Eugene (Gene) Guston came by the RGS Depot Museum in Dolores. He asked if we would be interested in having the original “order board” that hung on the RGS depot here. The answer of course was, “Absolutely, yes!” The old order board included the signal light on top, gear box and operating arm! The light needed restoration since it was pretty rusted – as was the metal cover over the gears.

Ironically, Mr. Guston said he came to the depot a few years ago and asked someone there that day if the Galloping Goose Historical Society was interested in it and was told, “No thanks!” Unbelievable! Lucky for us he checked one more time before disposing of it somewhere else! We thanked him very much for the donation!

It was Mr. Guston’s stepfather, Merton Taylor, who purchased the order board at auction when the RGS depot in Dolores was being dismantled after the railroad was abandoned in 1952. Mr. Taylor owned Taylor Hardware in Dolores and Eugene donated it in his memory. A picture of Mr. Taylor can be found on page 159 in volume VII of the R.G.S. Story (Sundance Publications).

(Larry Spencer photos)