Deadwood Central Railroad

Deadwood Central Railroad
Reporting mark DCRX
Locale South Dakota's Black Hills, USA
Dates of operation 1888–1930
Track gauge 3 ft (914 mm)
Length 15.781 miles (25.397 km)
Headquarters Deadwood, South Dakota

The Deadwood Central Railroad (DCRX)[1] was a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge railroad in the U.S. state of South Dakota. It was founded by Deadwood, South Dakota resident J.K.P. Miller and his associates in 1888 to serve their mining enterprises in the Black Hills.[2] In 1928, the railroad stretched for a total length of 15.781 miles (25.397 km).[3]

History

The first intent of the railroad was to connect Deadwood and Lead City. The company was organized on August 20, 1888,[3] and on September 21, the railroad was chartered.[4] In 1893, the railroad was bought out by the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad, a subsidiary of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (CBQ). The line continued to operate as the Deadwood Central Railroad.[4]

In 1902, the track between Lead and Deadwood was electrified and passenger service was provided with 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge interurban cars. Between Pluma and Deadwood, the tracks were shared with the 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge CBQ, with a third rail laid to make the track dual gauge.[5] This service was abandoned in 1924[5] with the permission of the Interstate Commerce Commission, due to operating losses and deterioration of equipment.[6] In 1904, the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad name was dropped after a policy change, and all railroads operated by it began being operated under the name of the CBQ.[4]

In total, the railroad had operated nearly 26 miles of track, but over time, much of this was abandoned and taken up. The railroad also operated six engines. Due to the stock market crash of 1929, like other local railroads, the Deadwood Central Railroad was abandoned in 1930. Trucks began to operate in place of the railroad. One of the engines was dismantled in 1930, and another was leased to the Colorado and Southern Railway but was dismantled after being returned to the CBQ in 1939.[4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Railroad Reporting Marks -- D". Piedmont and Western Railroad Club. Retrieved March 7, 2014.
  2. ↑ Hilton, George W. (1990). American Narrow Gauge Railroads. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. ISBN 0-8047-2369-9.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Strouse, L.K. (1928). Interstate Commerce Commission Reports: Decisions of the Interstate Commerce Commission of the United States 134. Interstate Commerce Commission.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Fielder, Mildred (1985) [First published 1964]. Railroads of the Black Hills. Deadwood, SD: Dakota Graphics. LCCN 64-21320.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "I.C.C. Applications". The Wall Street Journal. May 13, 1924. p. 4. Deadwood Central Railroad Co. has asked for permission to abandon 4 miles of its electric trolley line from Deadwood to Lead, S. D.
  6. ↑ Hilton, George W.; Due, John F. (2000) [1960]. The Electric Interurban Railways in America. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. ISBN 0-8047-4014-3.