Durango Colorado USA - Roughly 240 attendees of the True West Railfest last weekend had the distinct and rare pleasure of riding the Galloping Goose No. 4, one of seven specialty rail cars built in the 1930s to carry mail between the towns of southwestern Colorado.
 
The fully restored train normally rests in a grassy spot just west of the San Miguel County Courthouse in Telluride.
 
But last weekend, the automobile based rail bus took a spin on the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad.
 
The first time in 64 years that it has operated.
 
"Goose 4 performed wonderfully. The serious railfans were thrilled to have this unique opportunity that may be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Our area's Rio Grande Southern is one of the most famous railroads in the world, and the geese have an international following. We were honored to have the chance to restore No. 4, and to actually return her to service, even for one weekend, is a dream come true," Ridgway Railroad Museum president and chief motorman Karl Schaeffer said in a press release.
 
The museum carefully restored Goose No. 4 over a four year period in recent years in cooperation with the Telluride Volunteer Fire Department, which owns the rail car.
 
Operators noted that the railbus had a few minor hiccups with the ignition, but otherwise ran smoothly and put in about 260 miles on the rails between Durango and Silverton.
 
Goose No. 4 ran alongside Goose No. 5, which resides in Dolores, also one of the stops on the historic Goose route.
 
Telluride's shining silver train will return to its usual home, and organizers say, will probably remain there for the foreseeable future.
 
"Operational expenses including insurance, transportation, and lodging for a week for a crew of six currently run nearly US$10,000 and are expected to increase. Ticket sales only cover a small fraction. We would need an individual or corporate sponsor to cover these costs to run again. Until one appears, No. 4 will be a quiet, but proud, reminder of the famous Rio Grande Southern," Schaeffer said.
 
Mary Slosson.