By Aaron Isaacs and Jim Vaitkunas
We rode the Black Hills Central on September 2 and an article on the railroad is in the works. We chased the next day’s first trip. This is such a challenging, interesting railroad that it’s well worth a separate Photo Section treatment.
The crew gathers at the Hill City engine house before the first trip.
2-6-2T #104 is fired up and ready to go.
Heading to the depot for the first trip.
Less than a mile from Hill City, the train hits the base of the Tin Mill Hill grade.
Tin Mill Hill climbs over a steep ridge on a 4 percent grade that increases to 6 percent in places. It may not be obvious from this photo, but the engine is down on her knees. close to stalling, but doesn’t.
Near the top of the grade, #104, which has a very loud exhaust, blasts through a cut and whistles for one of the many crossings of Old Hill City Road, which parallels the line.
Headed downgrade, the train crosses the road again and passes through the low point (below) between the line’s two summits.
The passenger cars on this train are all ex-Oregon Electric wood interurbans. They survived on the the Pacific Great Eastern, then on the Vernonia, South Park & Sunset tourist road in Oregon. You won’t find such a train on any other non-electric tourist train.
The last few miles into Keystone travel down Battle Creek Canyon.
From 1972 to 2001, flooding closed the line into Keystone. Trains stopped at this new runaround, 1.5 miles to the west.
At Keystone, passengers unload on a high level platform at the edge of town. The line used to continue for another half mile.
The engine cuts off and heads for the water tank.
After watering, the engine runs around the train and heads back to Hill City.