Steam & Excursion > More Black Hills Central 1964

Some color slides from the family Black Hills trip, probably 1964.

1. Poster from that time. I'm surprised how well the color has survived all these years.
2. # 7 heading towards Keystone from Hill City. Notice the dual gauge trackage. Ex WP&Y 69 ran a narrow gauge trip
      from Hill City to Oblivion and return. There was a wye there and the 3 foot ended there.
3. 104 before being painted green. Peninsula Terminal Lettering has been covered.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/25/20 11:40 by zoohogger.

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4. CNW 444
5. #7
6. #69 with really handsome railfans posing for the camera. Yes, twins. 

Rick Z.

you would have thought dad could have taken one picture with #69 by itself.

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So that's what the Z. brothers looked like back then. I like that shot.  --Kelly

That's us for sure. I wonder which one I am?

Rick z

Thanks for posting these photos.

Was the 444 ever an active steam locomotive when it was at the Black Hills Central?

It is now on display at the Forney Transportation Museum in Denver.
 

According to what I've read it was used for the opening festivities at BHCRR but never turned a wheel under it's own power. At least now at the new Forney it has the main rods reinstalled. The whole time at old location they were still cabled to the top of the tender for the move from HillsCity to Denver.
Oh and Rick is in the striped shirt.
I think Rick is on the right. But I still can't tell them apart today. Just saw Tom a week ago Friday
Steve

RuleG Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thanks for posting these photos.
>
> Was the 444 ever an active steam locomotive when
> it was at the Black Hills Central?
>
> It is now on display at the Forney Transportation
> Museum in Denver.
>  



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/26/20 01:32 by wpjones.

On minor correction:

The shot of #7 passing through the cut is showing the train headed to Hill City rather than Keystone.  The locomotive has just topped the grade from Palmer Gulch and is about to cross the Old Keystone Road as it begins the descent down Tin Mill Hill into Hill City.

This photo was taken on May 22, 1994, and shows a questionably modified #7 just starting down the hill to Palmer Gulch.  The rear of the train is passing the location where the photographer was standing in 1964, and the power lines above the train here are just barely visible in the 1964 shot.

The biggest telltale to the train's direction, however, is the placement of the third rail for the narrow gauge trains.  These were still in place in 1994, and the second photo shows #7 blowing for the Old Keystone Road crossing at the top of Tin Mill Hill.  I was standing atop the cut seen in the 1964 photo when I took this photo, and note the placement of the third rail.

It's great to see photos of this operation thirty years before I discovered it!

Mary McPherson
Dongola, IL
Diverging Clear Productions

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Thank you for the correction and additional photos. Information is always useful.

rick Z

wpjones Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> According to what I've read it was used for the
> opening festivities at BHCRR but never turned a
> wheel under it's own power. At least now at the
> new Forney it has the main rods reinstalled. The
> whole time at old location they were still cabled
> to the top of the tender for the move from
> HillsCity to Denver.
> Oh and Rick is in the striped shirt.
> I think Rick is on the right. But I still can't
> tell them apart today. Just saw Tom a week ago
> Friday
> Steve
>
> RuleG Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Thanks for posting these photos.
> >
> > Was the 444 ever an active steam locomotive
> when
> > it was at the Black Hills Central?
> >
> > It is now on display at the Forney
> Transportation
> > Museum in Denver.
> >  

Thanks, wpjones, for answering my question.

The first time I was there to ride Motorcars was in 96 or 97 and by that time the only third rail left was in the crossings and the switches at Oblivion. The rest had come out for a tie replacement program. The third rail was in the crossings for a couple more years but was a real hazard if on a summit because the ends were higher then the outside rails. Not good for motorcars.
Steve

MaryMcPherson Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> On minor correction:
>
> The shot of #7 passing through the cut is showing
> the train headed to Hill City rather than
> Keystone.  The locomotive has just topped the
> grade from Palmer Gulch and is about to cross the
> Old Keystone Road as it begins the descent down
> Tin Mill Hill into Hill City.
>
> This photo was taken on May 22, 1994, and shows a
> questionably modified #7 just starting down the
> hill to Palmer Gulch.  The rear of the train is
> passing the location where the photographer was
> standing in 1964, and the power lines above the
> train here are just barely visible in the 1964
> shot.
>
> The biggest telltale to the train's direction,
> however, is the placement of the third rail for
> the narrow gauge trains.  These were still in
> place in 1994, and the second photo shows #7
> blowing for the Old Keystone Road crossing at the
> top of Tin Mill Hill.  I was standing atop the
> cut seen in the 1964 photo when I took this photo,
> and note the placement of the third rail.
>
> It's great to see photos of this operation thirty
> years before I discovered it!