The Legend-News

Monday, 2000 March 20 : Volume 3, Number 11

Convoy 2000
There are rumors that the pace car for Convoy 2000 will be the Mach 5, driven by "Speed" Racer. We have not been able to confirm this rumor. However, we do believe that Racer X -- who is really Speed's brother, but Speed doesn't know that -- will be handling the back door.

The Museum of C.W. McCall and Other Wild Places
There are new additions to the Museum: the FCC forms that accompanied the Midland 13-882C CB. Yes, once upon a time you actually needed paperwork to legally operate a CB.

Surfin' With The Rubber Duck
The ice is gone from the pond, but the scum's starting to grow. Ah, Spring!

We've got three subjects this week: C.W.'s main squeeze, Mavis Davis; The Train To Yesterday: The Silverton; and The Gallopin' Goose. As always, should any link actually pertain to the subject of the search, you're pretty lucky. :)

First up, some unrelated references to the name "Mavis Davis".

Bring Me the Head of Mavis Davis. What did Mavis do while C.W. was on the road? In what intrigue was she involved? Why would anyone want to kill her? And, most curiously, why was this movie never shown on the USA Network as a Terrorized-Woman-Of-The-Week movie?
The Mavis Davis Safe Sex Video. Why you should always use a convoy when trucking.
Daewoo Wins All Round. Who's Giles? Does C.W. know about him?
Women in Mystery Fiction: A Selected List. A parole officer and a waitress? This lady is talented!
Badger. Badger? We don't need no stinking Badger!
Asking the Kuiper team your questions. Maybe she's a sixth-grader from Teaneck, New Jersey.
Salsa - Various. Or a really hot dancer?
Mavis in Las Vegas. With pictures!
Around the World in 80 Ways. She sure loves to travel.
American Rhododendron Society. She's a flower. And soon to be starring in "Mavis and Rhodie".

And now, the news. Articles about The Silverton from the newspaper of its home base, The Durango Herald. If this were a soap opera, it might be called "All My Choo-Choos".

Local man tenders bid on the train. (24 Sept. 1996) Who would want a Mickey Mouse railroad?
Florida company plans to buy railroad. (6 Nov. 1996) After the event of 13 Sep. 1996, this was just a coincidence, right?
Narrow gauge gets new owner. (18 Mar. 1997)
D&SNG plan to raise rates could be effective April 14. (27 Mar. 1997) Gee, that was unexpected.
Railroad's new bosses greet business community. (3 Apr. 1997) I'm still waiting for the action figures.
Forest Service: Railroad still owes for fire. (12 Apr. 1997) Townspeople cry "when will it go electric?"
New boss: Railroad workers' jobs safe. (18 Apr. 1997) The job is pretty safe, except for the forest fires and mudslides.
Tourists say railroad knew of faulty train. (25 July 1997) Nothing like a professional opinion.
Town spars with D&SNG owners. (7 Aug. 1997) In a related story, Walt Disney World announced plans to build a miniature Orlando, Florida.
Railroad shifts gears, launches bus service, scraps partnership. (8 Aug. 1997) Yeah, it's just a coincidence that the railroad has new owners.
North valley residents consider joining fight against train soot. (14 Aug. 1997) The next thing you know, Anaheim, California will be complaining about Disneyland. What did they expect when they moved next to a railroad?
Money woes force railroad's boss out. (26 Nov. 1997)
Railways boss promises smooth ride for D&SNG. (2 Dec. 1997)
Bradshaw buys back railroad. (26 Jun. 1998)
Railroad sold again. (10 Jul. 1998)
Railroad boss plans development, Silverton museum. (29 July 1998) The plans for the mini-Durango fell through, I guess.
D&SNG sues Durango over 1996 collision. (3 Sep. 1998) Remember: the train can't manuever.
Owner of D&SNG sued. (9 Sep. 1998)
Ex-D&SNG owners may face bankruptcy. (19 Sep. 1998)
Smoke gets in their lives: Railroad to install filter system. (1 Aug. 1999) ...with menthol.
D&SNG launches first-ever Railfest. (26 Aug. 1999) Less music than Woodstock, though.
Trains rolling on schedule after mudslides cleared. (31 Aug. 1999) Yes, they were on schedule before the mudslides.
Railroad settles '94 fire tab for $400,000. (8 Dec. 1999)

The narrow gauge railroad is so important, The Durango Herald has its own page which lists train stories that it has published.

And you can visit the official site of the Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad.

Lastly, Number 5 doesn't spend all of its time in a park in Dolores.

Galloping Goose returns to tracks (22 Sept. 1998)

Song A’ Th’ Week
Ah, long-distance travel. The slow progress across treacherous terrain, the smoke from the engine's fire, the noise of the hollerin' passengers. And that's the morning gridlock on the Kennedy Expressway! Nothing really changes, does it?

The Gallopin' Goose

(Chip Davis, Bill Fries)
From the album Roses For Mama

On a cold November mornin'
Back in nineteen-thirty-seven
With an early snow a-fallin'
On the three-foot tracks at Ames
Came a mighty strange contraption
Known to trainmen as a motor
But to folks in Colorado
She was known by another name

Up the canyons south of Sawpit
Past the red Cathedral spires
'Cross the yellow mountain switchbacks
And the rapids far below
On the high and lofty trestles
Near the fabled mines of Ophir
In the silver San Juan Mountains
Came a goose a-plowin' snow

[Chorus]
With a Pierce-Arrow engine,
Runnin' hot and on the loose
Came the Rio Grande Southern
The Gallopin' Goose
With a Pierce-Arrow engine
Runnin' hot and on the loose
Came Number Five, The Gallopin' Goose

'Twas a four-door auto-mobile
On a dozen wheels of iron
Sixteen feet of rockin' boxcar
Spot-welded to her tail
Loaded down with mercantile
Ten bags a' high-grade ore
Two mothers nursin' babies
Seven miners an' the mail

Up the side a' Sunshine Mountain
By internal gas combustion
Eight Pierce-Arrow pistons pullin'
Fifteen thousand pounds a' lead
At the snowshed on the summit
The conductor said his prayers
He'd acquired a busted driveshaft
On the pass at Lizard Head

[Chorus]
With a Pierce-Arrow engine
Runnin' hot and on the loose
Came the Rio Grande Southern
The Gallopin' Goose
With a Pierce-Arrow engine
Runnin' hot and on the loose
Came Number Five, The Gallopin' Goose

[Musical interlude here.]

Down the three-percent to Rico
In the valley of Dolores
They still talk about the Southern
An' her flock of flyin' geese
From the roundhouse at Ridgway
To the depot at Durango
All the tracks are gone for scrap iron
And the ganders rest in peace