Black Hills Central Railroad

The Black Hills Central Railroad is a heritage railroad that operates in South Dakota, United States.

Black Hills Central Railroad
Baldwin 2-6-2T #104 steaming out of Hill City station in 2001, on the 10-mile (16 km) run to Keystone, South Dakota
LocaleKeystone, South Dakota
Commercial operations
NameKeystone Branch of the Burlington Northern Railroad
Built byChicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
Original gauge4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) (standard gauge)
Preserved operations
Owned byBlack Hills Central Railroad
Operated byBlack Hills Central Railroad
Preserved gauge4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) (standard gauge)
1957Reopened

It currently operates the 1880 Train on the former Keystone Branch of the Burlington Northern Railroad (BN) between Hill City, South Dakota, and Keystone, South Dakota. This railroad line was originally built by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad as a mining railroad for gold in the Black Hills. It reached Keystone on January 20, 1900, and was later used to haul equipment for carving nearby Mount Rushmore.[1]

In 1957, William Heckman and Robert Freer started the Black Hills Central Railroad which began operating a tourist passenger excursion train service on this line.[2] In 1972, the Black Hills flood destroyed the last mile of the Burlington Northern/Black Hills Central line in Keystone, which was later restored in 2001.[3]

The Black Hills Central Railroad restores early twentieth century-era locomotives and train cars and has been featured on television shows such as the Gunsmoke episode "Snow Train", General Hospital, and the TNT mini-series Into the West. It also appeared in the movie Orphan Train.

Trains operate between early May and early October over the scenic 10-mile (16 km) line.

Preserved equipment

The BHCR operates rare, well-preserved, and operational steam locomotives:

  • # 7, Baldwin 2-6-2, built 1919 as P&NW #7.[4]
  • #103, Baldwin 2-6-2T, built 1922 as Silver Falls Timber Company (S.F.T.Co.) #103 before being sold to the BHCR in 1965.[5]
  • #104, Baldwin 2-6-2T tank locomotive (pictured), built 1926 as S.F.T.Co. #104 before being sold to the BHCR in 1965.[6]
  • #108, Baldwin 2-6-6-2T, built 1926 as Potlatch Lumber Company #24. Acquired by Northwest Railway Museum in Snoqualmie, Washington. Sold to the BHCR in 2016.
  • #110, Baldwin 2-6-6-2T, built 1928 as Weyerhauser Timber Company #110.[7]

The Black Hills Central Railroad also has two diesel locomotives on its engine roster:

References
  1. Hayes, Robert E. "A Thumbnail History of Keystone". Keystone Area Historical Society. Archived from the original on 2007-07-04. Retrieved 2007-05-22.
  2. Floyd, Dustin D. (2006). "Preserving the Rails". Deadwood Magazine. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
  3. Mills, Rick W. "A Time Line of Black Hills Railroads". Black Hills Visitor Magazine. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
  4. http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/locoPicture.aspx?id=105952
  5. http://donsdepot.donrossgroup.net/dr006.htm
  6. http://donsdepot.donrossgroup.net/dr006.htm
  7. http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/locoPicture.aspx?id=65656
  8. http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/locopicture.aspx?id=105950
  9. http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/locoPicture.aspx?id=158368

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