Tom Tworoger and his grandson Kai, from Miami Beach, Fla., sit up front on the Galloping Goose during rail fest in Durango. Tom is a professor of business with a summer home in the Animas Valley. Kai appreciates railroad history and loves to go fishing. The duo takes advantage of the Durango-Silverton Railroad for fishing excursions, getting dropped off at Cascade Creek, and four hours later catching the train back to Durango. Riding the Goose "is like stepping back in time," Tom says.
Doug Jones, a software programmer from Hermosa, enjoys his third time riding the Galloping Goose. A railfan and history buff, Jones tours the Southwest during his time, off taking photos and buying history books. He is especially proud of his experience as a fireman-in-training on the Cumbres & Toltec railroad. "At fireman school, you get to take turns shoveling coal into the firebox of a steam locomotive, so that was different."
Doug and Sue Fisher, of Kansas City, Mo., are retired, and are revisiting their favorite vacation destinations. They once sat in the Galloping Goose at the museum in Dolores, and are enjoying an actual excursion on the tracks. Doug spent 30 years as an immigration and citizenship official and Sue organized call centers for AT&T. They fondly recall vacationing in Durango with their children, who are passing on the tradition. "Now our children are taking their kids here. We love it because the people are so nice," Sue said.
Stephana Iannetti, of Pittsburgh, is a pro at taking tourist trains, and says the Galloping Goose "is the best one yet." She came to Durango to ride the rails, and discovering the Goose tour was "a nice surprise."
Clayton Bodine, 16, of Covington, Ind., rides the Galloping Goose for the first time. He and his family are on vacation riding the rails and touring historic gold mines in the area. "I like this old bus train. It's completely different."
Lynne Felkamp, and her son Jonathan, drove over from Evergreen, Colo., to satisfy Jonathan's unquenchable interest in railroads. "It's more than a hobby with him, he is studying mechanical engineering, and is active with train organizations around the state." Jonathan was a student of Crow Canyon, and remembers historian Lew Matis, a Galloping Goose motorman and educator at the school.
