It’s not always a train that you might see riding the rails. You’ve probably seen small railroad work cars from time to time on the tracks with four metal wheels. They’re usually a little smaller than a Volkswagen bug. They are commonly called “speeders,” and have become popular in recent years with people who buy them, trick them out, and use them on abandoned railways.
Sometimes you’ll see a specially equipped railroad-operated pickup on the rails, using steel wheels that can be lowered down.
But have you ever seen a bus use the tracks? They were fairly common in the 20s and 30s. They were usually conversions of buses or trucks retrofitted with steel wheels to run a railroad line. They were often called Galloping Gooses. Geese, for the plural? Maybe.
You can view a Galloping Goose in Soda Springs at Corrigan Park in the heart of the city. This particular Goose had a custom wooden body and used a Model T engine. It ran between Soda Springs and the Anaconda Mine. According to Ellen Carney’s book, History of Soda Springs, the Galloping Goose would leave the mine when enough passengers had gathered to make the trip worthwhile. When it rolled in to Soda Springs the driver would ease it on to a turntable. Once parked on the turntable the passengers would get out and push the rig around so it could head back to the mine.
Soda Springs has another piece of railroad history in the same park. It’s called the Dinkey Engine. This miniature engine was also used to run back and forth between the mines. It was apparently out of service and abandoned when the Alexander Reservoir filled in 1924, drowning the Dinkey. During repairs to the reservoir in 1976, residents spotted it and drug it out. Union Pacific helped with the restoration and the city put the Dinkey on display in the park.
Sometimes you’ll see a specially equipped railroad-operated pickup on the rails, using steel wheels that can be lowered down.
But have you ever seen a bus use the tracks? They were fairly common in the 20s and 30s. They were usually conversions of buses or trucks retrofitted with steel wheels to run a railroad line. They were often called Galloping Gooses. Geese, for the plural? Maybe.
You can view a Galloping Goose in Soda Springs at Corrigan Park in the heart of the city. This particular Goose had a custom wooden body and used a Model T engine. It ran between Soda Springs and the Anaconda Mine. According to Ellen Carney’s book, History of Soda Springs, the Galloping Goose would leave the mine when enough passengers had gathered to make the trip worthwhile. When it rolled in to Soda Springs the driver would ease it on to a turntable. Once parked on the turntable the passengers would get out and push the rig around so it could head back to the mine.
Soda Springs has another piece of railroad history in the same park. It’s called the Dinkey Engine. This miniature engine was also used to run back and forth between the mines. It was apparently out of service and abandoned when the Alexander Reservoir filled in 1924, drowning the Dinkey. During repairs to the reservoir in 1976, residents spotted it and drug it out. Union Pacific helped with the restoration and the city put the Dinkey on display in the park.
The Galloping Goose
The restored Dinkey engine.
RSS Feed