Photo by Drew Jacksich from San Jose, California Republic, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
Upcoming Events
No ticketed events are currently listed for Black Hills Central Railroad. Many heritage operators publish schedules seasonally or run on regular open hours instead of dated events.
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About Black Hills Central Railroad
The Black Hills Central Railroad runs an authentic steam‑powered “1880 Train” through South Dakota’s Black Hills, traveling the 20‑mile (32 km) scenic corridor between Hill City and Keystone. Operating from early May through early October, the heritage line showcases early‑twentieth‑century locomotives and period cars while crossing historic former Burlington Northern track. The route threads forested ridges, passes former mining sites, and terminates near the South Dakota State Railroad Museum adjacent to the Hill City depot.
📍 HILL CITY, SD 57745
History
The Black Hills Central Railroad traces its origins to 1890, when the line that would become its backbone was built by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad and reached Keystone on January 20, 1900. In 1956 two steam‑enthusiasts, William Heckman and Robert Freer, launched a heritage‑steam venture, and the narrow‑gauge operation began in 1957 using a third rail on five miles of the standard‑gauge track. The third rail was removed in 1964, after which the railroad reverted to standard gauge; a 1972 flood destroyed the last three miles into Keystone, prompting temporary operations out of Custer. The line returned to the Keystone branch in 1977, and in 1981 the Black Hills Central acquired the former Burlington Northern trackage, extending service to a new Keystone Junction; the final mile into Keystone was restored in 2001. Burlington Northern abandoned the adjacent Deadwood branch in 1986, leaving the Black Hills Central isolated, and the railroad was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 5, 2003.
The Trains
The Black Hills Central Railroad runs the 1880 Train over the former Keystone Branch between Hill City and Keystone, South Dakota, on a standard‑gauge line that spans roughly 20 miles (32 km). Its historic roster has included Colorado and Southern No. 9, a 2‑6‑0 built by Cooke in 1882 and named Chief Crazy Horse for the 1948‑49 Chicago Railroad Fair, as well as White Pass & Yukon No. 69, an outside‑framed 2‑8‑0 constructed in 1908 and later known as Klondike Casey; both locomotives were eventually transferred to other heritage railways. The train’s consist features 1880‑style coaches, open observation cars and a railway‑post‑office car that were fabricated new by the Burlington Northern Railroad for the heritage operation.
Nearby
Hill City anchors the Black Hills Central Railroad, an easy centerpiece for a wider South Dakota rail outing.
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