Rio Grande Southern Railroad
The Rio Grande Southern Railroad (RGS ) was a narrow gauge railway line that ran between Durango and Ridgway in the western part of the U.S. state of Colorado.
The RGS, which consisted 1890-1952, was known primarily for her idiosyncratic vehicles, the so-called Gallopping Geese, a kind of cross between a car and railway wagon.
History
The company was founded in 1889 and two years later the 280 km long stretch was completed over four passes. The hopes to benefit from the silver boom, proved after the withdrawal of the Silver Purchase Act deceptive. The train was forced to declare bankruptcy due to raised for the construction loans. Therefore, in 1893 the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad took control of the company. They continued to exist as a separate company on the paper, but it was de facto operated as a division of D & RG. Throughout their existence could never be achieved enough revenue to pay interest on the bonds or pay a dividend. 1942, the company was bought by the Defense Supplies Corporation, as the track was required for the transport of uranium from the mines in vanadium.
In the period following the already bad situation of the web by flooding and washouts, loss of key customers were even worse, so that at the December 27, 1951 drove the last train on the track.
Route
The course was over the Dallas Divide west of Ridgway on Placerville and the Lizard Head Pass ( 10.222 feet = 311m ) north of Rico. The most famous building in the distance was the Ophir Loop near en: Ophir, Colorado ( s), Colorado. There, the route had been conducted in a narrow mountain valley in several spiral loops over several large trestles, to gain height. After the tracks went to Dolores across the plateau and down according to Mancos to Durango.
Galloping Goose
During the economic crisis ( 1929-1941 ), it was difficult to maintain an economic rail operations in mountainous terrain. The RGS then made seven conversion vehicles in which the front part came from a road vehicle (bus or truck) and the rear of a freight car. They called these unique constructs " Gallopping Geese " galloping goose. All but one ever built " geese " still exist today.