Locomotive No. 7 Returns to Keystone June 14, 2001
Black Hills Central Railroad 2-6-2 No. 7 was built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1919. It later served on the Prescott & Northwestern, an Arkansas short line, before moving to Hill City, South Dakota for tourist service in 1962. For many years it wore the name General Custer on its cab, and the fake funnel stack was added for a Disney movie the forgettable clunker "Scandalous John" in 1971 (she looked better in a 1970 episode of Gunsmoke, with a straight stack and kerosene headlight).
The BHC operates the 1880 Train between Hill City and Keystone on a former CB&Q branch line. It started narrow-gauge steam operations in 1957 by laying down a third rail between Hill City and Oblivion, half way to Keystone on the still-active CB&Q Keystone Branch. The bulk of the tourists were in Keystone, however, being the location of Mount Rushmore, so beginning in the summer of 1962 No. 7 was used to pull a standard gauge tourist train from Keystone to Oblivion, where it met the narrow gauge train.
No.7 was a regular fixture in Keystone in those days, and the trains were operated by Burlington crews.
Later, when the narrow gauge train became too expensive to keep in operation, No. 7 pulled the train the entire distance between Hill City and Keystone.
In June 1972 a massive flood wiped out the last mile of track into Keystone; owner Burlington Northern decided to abandon that segment of track, and the rails ended at Keystone Junction, a mile up the road from downtown Keystone. In 1985 the BN abandoned the branch, and it was purchased by the Black Hills Central.
There was no money to repair the track into town, so for three decades the train ended its journey at Keystone Junction. However, when the Warder family purchased the BHC in 1990 they made plans to return the train to Keystone.
Three new wood trestles, and a mile of new steel rail and ties were required to bridge the gap; a brand new station was also constructed in town. Locomotive 104 made the first run over the new rail on May 14, 2001.
Engine No. 7 the signature 1880 engine on the BHC had been out of service for many years when the Warders purchased the railroad. It was overhauled and went back to work in 1993, and has run over the line ever since.
The engine was slated to be filmed by the History Channel in June, 2001. The train crew decided that it should have at least one test run over the new track into to Keystone before the film crews arrived. So, on the last run of the day on June 14, 2001, the No. 104 was taken off the train and No. 7 was put on. The 2-6-2 then took the 1880 Train to Keystone, passing over the newly-built trackage and returning to downtown Keystone for the first time in 28 years. The engine ran well, despite the audible squeak (loose packing in one cylinder, I was told it was repaired following the run).
Today, No. 7 is again a regular fixture in downtown Keystone, and is frequently doubleheaded with 2-6-2T No. 104 when more than four coaches are used on the 1880 Train.