When the silver mines closed in Telluride, the Galloping Goose (Wikipedia entry ) stepped in to keep the railroad working by hauling mail and some freight. The original two were created from Buicks but the subsequent models (There were only 9, six surviving.) were made from Pierce Arrows.

This unit was rebuilt twice in its 20 year life of service. They became tourist trains in the 50s but that only lasted a couple of years. This one (#5) actually is functional and occasionally makes the Durango-Silverton run; another one in Telluride (#4) is on display.

The driving wheels are the front two of the car section while the engine and engineer are in the forward section, hence the chain drive. The front "cow catcher" has small plows built in over each rail.

This interesting train is immortalized in C. W. McCaw's (Wikipedia entry) "Gallopin' Goose" song. C. W. McCall, whose real name is William Dale Fries, Jr., was Mayor of Ouray for 6 years. The top left picture is of the class listening to the song. There was a test afterward.

The guy who looks like he's dancing is stepping over the irregular rails on the old weighing platform in front of the rail station.