We are still rolling along to Keystone.
The train took this curve.
Narrow gauge wye at Oblivion. While the original railroad was standard gauge, a third rail was added at the start of this tourist train and Oblivion was the eastern destination from Hill City in those days.
There are plenty of curves on this railroad.
Another view of Elkhorn Mountain.
Down at the end of the road.
Elkhorn Mountain and a home.
The train crossed the Leaky Leaky Valley.
Beautiful view abound in the Black Hills of South Dakota.
The train took more curves along our route.
The train ran through a canyon.
A slip and slide at the Judson Baptist Camp.
The engine performed a blow down at this point of the trip.
Curving through the canyon the rest of the way to Keystone.
Arriving at Keystone station.
The engine ran around the train after taking on water. This is when the trouble started. The steam line to the braking system was blocked so we could not use Black Hills Central Railroad 110 on the trip back to Hill City. Their GP9 63 would come from Hill City to Keystone to save us and we would depart once the engine arrived, which was planned for sometime around 12:30 PM. They turned the passengers loose on Keystone and Chris went for food while Robin and I stayed aboard, with me talking with my fellow passengers during the delay.
Black Hills Central Railroad 110 was placed on the rear of the train to get it back to Hill City and we all waited.
At 12:27 PM, Black Hills Central Railroad 63 arrived and once all the passengers had returned, the train departed Keystone.
On the return trip the train took several of the curves.
Here is the end of third rail sign from the narrow gauge days.
The white building is a Sears and Roebuck house kit from 1912.
The steam engine is trailing along the rear of our train.
A deer and her fawn. We returned to Hill City and it had been an interesting trip aboard the Black Hills Central Railroad. We had lunch at the High-Liner Snack Shoppe then left Hill City to Keystone over the route we would have chased the steam train had it run another trip, which it did not. We reached Keystone then turned onto US 16A.
We drove through this tunnel on the way to Rapid City and our next stop at Storybook Park.
Homestake Mining Company 18 inch gauge 0-4-0 24 is a compressed air locomotive built by H.K. Porter in 1909. It has been moved to Walt Green Park and Mickelson Trail Trailhead in Lead.
South Dakota Cement Plant 0-4-0T built by H.K. Porter in 1911 and is now called Patsy.
Porter builder plate 4979 built in 1911.
Next we went to Dollar General, which was my first visit to that chain and the three of us acquired what we needed. Next we crossed the street to Safeway for food for our upcoming two night stay and drove to our next destination.
The Milwaukee Road freighthouse in Rapid City. We then went east to the Rapid City, Pierre and Eastern rail yards and got lucky.
There was a Rapid City, Pierre and Eastern train getting ready to go.
Rapid City, Pierre and Eastern SD40-2 6431, ex. Iowa Chicago and Eastern 6431, exx. Union Pacific 3909, nee Missouri Pacific 3225 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1976.
Rapid City, Pierre and Eastern SD40-2 3429, ex Iowa, Chicago and Eastern 6421; nee Union Pacific 3722 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1980.
Rapid City, Pierre and Eastern SD40-2 6432, ex. Iowa, Chicago and Eastern 6432, nee Union Pacific 3653 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1979.
Rapid City, Pierre and Eastern snow plow 1001.
Rapid City, Pierre and Eastern snow plow 1002.
There was another set of Rapid City, Pierre and Eastern power here.
Rapid City, Pierre and Eastern GP38-3 2087, ex Dakota Minnesota and Eastern 3832, exx. Kansas City Southern GP40 789, exxx. Illinois Central Gulf 3053, nee Illinois 3053 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1967.
Rapid City, Pierre and Eastern GP39-2 2086, ex. Dakota Minnesota and Eastern 3831, exx. Kansas City Southern GP40 760, exxx. Conrail 3130, nee Penn Central 3130. From here we drove to Dakota Jct.
Nebraska Northwestern Railroad SD9 303, ex. Dakota Northern 303, exx. Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range 303, nee Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range SD18 192 built by Electro-Motive Division by 1960 at Dakota Jct.
We went into Chadron for a post office drop and to pick up some dinner at Subway. From there we drove to the Ponderosa Ranch and put our stuff in the cabin before having dinner on our picnic bench.
A Ponderosa Ranch view.
Our cabin here at the Ponderosa Ranch.
Chris Parker and Robin at the picnic table.
More Ponderosa Ranch views. The owner then came, told us the rules and how to get pictures then took our money for our two-night stay here.
Sunset at the Ponderosa Ranch. I started to work on this story but only managed to put the pictures into the computer because once darkness fell, it was a star festival overhead. I went to bed a very happy person.
| RETURN TO THE MAIN PAGE |