I just returned from a trip out west, where I had the opportunity to ride the above train last Friday. Adding this to my Durango and Silverton ride last fall and I can mark off two more of my "Bucket List" items as complete.
This is a standard gauge railroad and the engine pulling 6-8 passenger cars was a Baldwin 2-6-6-2 Mallet tank engine, built in 1928. The line does not have a turntable at either end of the line, Hill City; or, Keystone and is 9.5 miles in length, so for the return to Hill City, the engine runs backwards. The run down from Hill City takes 55 minutes and the run back up to Hill City takes just about 1 hour. There are places on the line where the grade reaches 6% and at that point I never saw the Malley loose her footing! The recorded messages that came over the comm. system in the cars talked about that the cars where purchased from an electric railroad in the west. Whether this meant they had originally been street cars, I don't know. They had been rebuilt by the BHC and were beautiful on the inside and out. At Keystone there was only a depot, a water tank and a run-around track to get the loco on the other end of the train. At Hill City there is a train museum and a lot of old equipment waiting for repair/restoration; or, simply for getting parts from. The BHC had a lot of cabooses, one 24 foot Northern Pacific caboose which was in the process of being restored; but, by using aluminum siding. Since the line that operated though this area was the CB&Q, much of the old equipment was from the Burlington. Although I did not specifically see it, I understand that the BHC has an actual "Drovers" Caboose. Keystone is the closest town to Mt. Rushmore, although it would be quite a walk to go from the depot to Mt. Rushmore.
Since I had never seen an articulated locomotive work, it was fun to see the front engine swing from side to side with the big low pressure cylinders working away at hauling the train.
Cost wise the "1880s Train" works out to about $14.00 per hour to ride and the Durango & Silverton approximately $24.00 per hour. There is no dramatic High Line, like the D&S; but, to ride behind an old Malley Tank Engine is certainly something one should consider a real opportunity!
We had the two oldest grand kids with, a 15 year old grand daughter and 13 year old grand son who likes trains. Along with the 1880s Train in South Dakota , we visited Medora in North Dakota, The Little BigHorn Battlefield in Montana, Yellowstone Nat. Park and Devil's Tower in Wyoming, all things I had driven past, many times before! On this trip I decided we would take our time and visit this stuff, it was a fun trip!
Of course I bought a book on the "1880s Train" so if any have questions I will do my best.
NP 2626 "Northern Pacific, really terrific"
Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association: http://www.nprha.org/
I visited the Black Hills Central two years ago and greatly enjoyed it. Locomotive #110 is one very loud locomotive! The whistle, the exhaust, the pop valves all are quite loud. I show this former Weyerhauser 2-6-6-2T as construction number 60561, built 7/1928. Yes, many of the passenger cars are former interurban cars. IMHO this detracts from the appearance of the train, as they clearly are shaped like interurban cars and not as "normal" passenger cars. Still, this steam train ride is clearly worth the visit, and there are multiple opportunities to photograph the train masking the curved ends of the interurban cars if you wish. There is a back road that generally parallels the line, and with the slow speed of the train there are multiple scenic locations for photography, although the shoulders of the road are often narrow.
Glad you had a good time. Riding behind live steam always re-enthuses my modeling efforts.
Bill
Mark,
I've wanted to visit the Black Hills for a long time. This is certainly more incentive to do so. What's the prototype background on the Mallet?
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
Glad you had a good time Mark. I think we may aim for that part of the world next summer with the trailer.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
Sounds like you had a good outing, Mark. Any photos?
Wayne
mlehman Mark, What's the prototype background on the Mallet?
What's the prototype background on the Mallet?
Dr. Wayne, Yes, I took some photos from about three cars back. I still haven't taken the time tio learn how to post them and sorry, I just don't feel like learning how to do it during the summer. However, Brent has saved the day with his video of the BHC Malley working at the this website < https://youtu.be/oTV6tz0a7bw > You really get to see how this engine works. In fact You Tube has many videos of this train in action.
Mike, I would add that the BHC's 2-6-6-2 looks pretty much like the Mantua 2-6-6-2 tank engine, excepting it's not a saddle tank engine, the tank is more like the old Varney "Little Joe" Docksider and rounded over the boiler. Also, the tank is blue in color. As far as the engine being loud, it did not seem so, to me. Yes, the whistle was loud; but, one would expect it to be.
Another thing I found interesting was that because this engine is a Mallet and is a compound engine, there is only one exhaust chuff heard, because the steam from the high pressure cylinders goes directly to the low pressure cylinders before exiting the engine as exhaust. I expected to hear more chuffs closer together, then when I realised how the engine worked, I understood. I hope someone who knows more about this, will chime in and better explain.
doctorwayne Any photos? Wayne While proclaiming the merits and joys of an articulated, we might as well view it. Here is a photo from my trip two years ago, near "Indian Cliffs, South Dakota". One can see the front of the first car and identify it as a former interurban. Bill
Any photos?
While proclaiming the merits and joys of an articulated, we might as well view it. Here is a photo from my trip two years ago, near "Indian Cliffs, South Dakota". One can see the front of the first car and identify it as a former interurban.
Beach Bill, that is the one, it took a while for me to recognize that the water tanks where blue as the engine was fairly dirty when I saw it and I'm guessing in the tanks have faded some. At first I thought that the Mantua 2-6-6-2 tank engine would be an exact copy. However, I have found that the Mantua/Model Power engine had rectangular tanks.
Visited the 1880's railroad in 2013 and thoroughly enjoyed the ride and the museum at the station. As noted, the railroad has no turntable or turning wye so the engine makes the return trip backward as can be seen in the photo attached. The photo also show typical terrain this rail line ran through when operated by the CB&Q.The initial grade leaving the station is very steep at about 6% grade for a fairly short pull. It shows what the mallet can do on hills.
Jim