Of course I found a train to ride on! There is a train that runs the twenty miles between Hill City and Keystone. It uses a steam engine, 2-6-6-2, and pulls six restored cars. Some cars were enclosed and some had no windows but a roof. I was in an open car. The route went up 4-6% grades, some of the steepest of any rail in the USA. Trees, streams, two tunnels, twenty road crossings with loud whistles. I saw many deer, took pictures, and enjoyed my train ride. I got on the train in Keystone. We stopped in Hill City for 30 minutes and then returned.
The engine burned hundreds of gallons on used engine oil each round trip. It used 2000 gallons of water each trip. South Dakota banned coal and wood burning in 1930. Seems like that was ahead of the times.
I took lots of pictures. Go to my Photos page to see them.
