Hesston's Blue Goose

Be sure to watch in full screen! This is rare, declassified, from-the-vault and hush-hush footage of the first time the Hesston Steam Museum's "Blue Goose" engine was fired up and operated on the museum's main line. Probably from July 2008. As a working volunteer at the museum, I got some treats, like riding in the cab and hiking in the woods. Enjoy.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• yt:stretch=16:9

[CGiordano464]

thats a funny looking engine? big drivers . whats her story?

[TheMadkitties1]

Great question. It was built in 1968 by the Sandley Locomotive Works in the Wisconsin Dells for the Brookfield Zoo. With steam engines, pulling power and speed are usually determined by the wheels. With a zoo, there are no hills like there are at Hesston, so it could pull a fast, little train. It's my favorite engine because of it's American-style design, and even though it's small, it sounds like it's huge.

[dreambuilders48808]

How many engines do they have? Every time I go there I see something new!

[TheMadkitties1]

Alright, let's see if I get this right. As of now, Hesston has five engines that will run this year: the Blue Goose, the O&K, Rudy (our new gasoline engine), our two Plymouth switchers, and Shay #7. The CSK, the little green engine, will have some work done on it this year. Along with the Blue Goose, there is an 0-8-0, a hybrid of German and American parts, which came from the Brookfield Zoo. We have two old Porter 3ft gauge engines that need new boilers that totals up to 10.

[CGiordano464]

@TheMadkitties1 Thanx! Wish you lots of fun down there and hope you get to run them some day. Steamers are a blast!

[dreambuilders48808]

@TheMadkitties1

Thanks for the info. I have only been there 2 or 3 times. I think I talked to you

by the train shed. I was there with a tripod and my wife.