| 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 | |
| Locale | Keystone, South Dakota |
| Commercial operations | |
| Name | Keystone Branch of the Burlington Northern Railroad |
| Built by | Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad |
| Original gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) (standard gauge) |
| Preserved operations | |
| Owned by | Black Hills Central Railroad |
| Operated by | Black Hills Central Railroad |
| Preserved gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) (standard gauge) |
| Commercial history | |
| Preservation history | |
| 1957 | Reopened |
The Black Hills Central Railroad is a heritage railroad that operates in South Dakota.
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, the Black Hills Central Railroad began operating a tourist passenger excursion train service on this line. 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.[2]
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.
The BHCR operates rare, well-preserved, and operational steam locomotives:
The Black Hills Central Railroad also has a diesel locomotive on its engine roster: