Chama Goose #5 Trip
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Galloping Goose Run on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad

By Dennis and Ann Cherry

My wife and I decided to ride the Galloping Goose in May 1999 at the Cumbres & Toltec Railroad in Chama, New Mexico rather than in August when it runs on the Durango and Silverton Railroad. We arrived on Thursday, May 20th, the day of the first Galloping Goose Spring run for 1999. We had tickets for the Friday, May 21st eastbound run from Chama, New Mexico to Antonito, Colorado with a return on the bus.

We stayed at the Lightheart Inn B&B within walking distance of the station. We checked in around 4:00 PM and walked down to the depot to see when Goose #5 was expected back from the day's run. The expected arrival was at least a couple of hours away or so everyone guessed. We walked through a new ‘mall’ across the street from the Train Yard with some great new stores and old stores that have moved to the new location. Next, we stopped in at the Whistle Stop Café for dinner. A great place to eat by the way.

As we finished dinner, the daily Cumbres & Toltec train arrived. A little later we noticed a railroad service vehicle pulled into the yard then departed shortly thereafter. As we walked back to the B&B, we passed a new Chama ‘mall’ and talked to some of the shopkeepers who were sitting on the porch. They asked if we planned to ride Goose #5 and we joyfully replied ‘Yes!’ They informed us that Goose #5 had a broken front axle (Bogey on the Ground) This happened on the way back to Chama and was stranded on the  Lobato Siding. 

We walked across the street to the depot and joined a group of people milling around. Mother Goose (Janet Wagner) and Papa Goose (Wayne Brown) joined the crowd of people. Mother Goose was not sure whether Goose #5 would run on Friday or not and she told us to come back in the morning ready to ride if the Goose was ready.

On Friday, May 21st, we got up early and headed to the station. There was no Goose #5. The ticket office was trying to explain about the problems and asked if anyone wanted to change tickets or refund money. Goose #5 was not going to run that day, but ‘MAYBE’ the next day. We opted for a chance to ride on Saturday, May 22nd. It was decided that, if Goose #5 could get underway, the trip planed for Saturday would be replaced with the Friday run instead. The crew on the Goose where still trying to figure out how to get an Axle. The plan was to get a local machine shop to turn a new axle and also have someone in Delores Colorado make an Axle. It turned out that one of the passengers for the trip that day was a Retired Railroad Machinist, His name is Carl Shaffer from Ridgeway Colorado, he volunteered his time and the C & T Railroad volunteered their machine shop. We checked back several times during the day only to find that there was no new news. One final check for the day around 5:30 PM found the Goose crew loading up the new axle in a jeep for the trip to Lobato Siding.

So with nothing planned for the day, So we decided to chase the C&TSR north out of Chama and then visit some of the local area scenery and attractions. After chasing the train for a while, we set out doing some touristy stuff. If you want an adventure then take the gravel road all the way around both Heron and El Vado Reservoirs.  We visited Tierra Wool in Los Ojos, watched as the workers hand died the wool, ran the big looms and did the spinning. It was a great visit and we enjoyed watching all of the steps. (You can buy beautiful wool yarn there by the pound or finished rugs, coats, etc.) We also visited a state fishery in Los Ojos and had lunch at a great sandwich place next to the weaving shop. We found a small shop across the street that makes doormats from old tires and beads. These are the kind of mats everyone had in the 50s, 60s and early 70s but the owner will do custom designs and your choice of colored beads. Prices are reasonable so we bought one and had it ship UPS. They do custom mats for pickup trucks too.

Saturday, May 22nd dawned cool with a light cloud cover. We got our things together and again went to the station. There sat Goose #5, a very pretty site! So  began one of the best rail fan rides we have had the privilege to do. We started the trip in the rear cargo area where mail and freight once road. They have 10 two person bench type seats (five benches on each side) in the cargo area and Plexiglas windows on both sides that can be removed during good weather. We had to put them on once during the Blizzard (not the ice cream variety). There is a concession stand area in the front of the cargo section for buying snacks and souvenirs. At Osier, we changed to the front passenger compartment where there is room for 10 people if one rides on the jump seat. Surprisingly, it is not that noisy. The ride is a little rougher however and you can hear the flanges hitting rail joints, rocks, and dirt along the track.

There was a total of eight photo run-bys during the day. The first photo opportunity was at Lobato Trestle. The morning sun light was perfect for this photo Op. Next we did a stop and run-by at Cresco, Colorado. We then proceeded to Cumbres Pass were we did yet another photo run by. Arriving at Cumbres Pass we moved to the siding and waited for our fuel truck to arrive and fill our tanks. C&TSR decided that we should also wait for the eastbound morning train to pass us so they would not catch us on any of our other photo stops. The fourth photo opportunity was at Tanglefoot curve. By this time, the sky was getting cloudy but everyone agreed it was still a great spot. They let us off at the top of the loop and ran the goose around the so we could get some good pictures. The goose waited for us at the bottom of the loop and we had to climb down the steep embankment. Coming through Los Pinos, we experienced a rain/sleet/hail/snow storm. The sleet/hail was about the size of small peas and made a lot of noise on the roof of the Goose. At this time, we put the Plexiglas windows back on the sides of the cargo area.  At Los Pinos, the temperature dropped several degrees and since it had started in the low 50s or high 40s it was starting to get very coldy.

The fifth photo run was at Cascade Creek Trestle, the sun was out again and the windows came off. Following this run-by, our next stop was Osier, Colorado. It was past 1:00 PM when we arrived at Osier and we where hungry. They had a hot meal waiting for all of us. Both the Chama and Antonito trains were already in the station and many people there had never seen a Goose before. We had to wait in Osier about 15 minutes after the Antonio train left, this is a federal requirement to keep a 15 minute gap between trains. We re-boarded the Goose. Several people in the front traded with those of us in the back and started out. Our first photo run-by after Osier was at Toltec Tunnel. Followed shortly by a run-by at Mud Tunnel. The crew had to remove some fallen debris from track that the Antonito train had shock loose. For some reason, the Antonito train was moving slowly that afternoon and we had to stop at Big Horn Siding to widen the gap so the crew did maintenance on the Goose and we took pictures. After we started up again, we kept catching the train so we had to stop on the tracks to let the train out distance us again. While on the high plateau, we saw a group of antelope that raced along side us and then crossed right in front of Goose #5 near mile marker 294, just east of the Big Horn Section House site.

Our final photo run was at Hangman’s Trestle (Also known as Ferguson’s Trestle). This photo run got our vote for the best one all day. It was partly cloudy again and the sun was in front of us, so we walked under the trestle so that the sun would be behind us. The trestle is about 10 or 12 feet above the surrounding area and is approximately 80 feet long. On both sides of the track the vegetation was large sagebrush or wormwood, rabbit brush and mountain mahogany. There was evidence of many animals such as deer, antelope and rabbits.

Overall it was a great trip and when we arrived at Antonito, we boarded a bus for the return trip to Chama. One of the shops in Chama offered a special framed picture of Goose #5 with a pin and your Goose ticket included. Part of the proceeds go to the Galloping Goose Historical Society of Delores Colorado. Of course we had to get one; the only problem is I haven't seen it since Dennis took it to his office. The Owner said it would be shipped to us in a special way. He puts it on the next train to Osier so the  Post Office in Osier  could  hand stamp the package and mark the box as starting it's trip on a steam train. The post office is the only one in the US that was open 7 days a week and only for 1 hour per day. (Update: The Osier post office no longer exists).

We had such a great time. We meet nice people from all over the world. There was a couple of train enthusiast from North Carolina, some from Texas, California and even one person from Australia.

It was a trip we will not soon forget.