Re: Rio Grande, Geese, or something similar

There was a period when a motorized one car train was considered, however. In 1927 the Burnham shops rebuilt standard gauge combine 592 with a power plant and made it into a one-car train. No. 592 was used between Malta and Leadville, and on the Creede branch, but failed to meet expectations, and was converted back into a conventional combination car.
Possibly about this time the D&RGW management considered rebuilding combine 215 with a Hall-Scott gasoline engine and transmission driving the front truck to be a self-propelled one car train for use on the narrow gauge. A preliminary drawing was prepared, though it may actually have pre-dated the conversion of 592. (See pagees 143-145 of Danneman's _A Ticket to Ride the Narrow Gauge_ ). Obviously this plan never went beyond the drawing stage, and 215 was rebuilt with the cupola for use on the Pagosa Springs branch, and later was re-numbered 212 and used on the Silverton branch.
As noted, there was enough freight business on much of the D&RGW narrow gauge to warrant simply adding a combine at the end of a freight train, rather than trying to operate a one-car passenger train with a gas-mechanical or gas-electric car.
Charlie Mutschler
-30-