Black Hills Central

This is the smallest articulated steam engine I have gotten, the biggest is the DM&IR Yellowstones. What a steam engine to pull trains up the steep 6% grade to Keystone. It take at least 8 units for BNSF and UP to get their trains over the grades in California, so this is a feat

BHC 110, a 2-6-6-2 pulls 6 passenger cars to Hill City and up a 6% grade, even BNSF and UP can use one unit for their trains up even a 2.2% grade

How often does this happen, a steam engine and a diesel meet in the same photo, maybe in the 1940s and 1950s, but often in 2010, 2-6-6-2 #110 is going to get serviced before the next rip and GP9 #63 is sitting silently, I would have liked to hear the 567 engine

Now pulling the train backwards back to Keystone, we got to see the scenery of the Black Hills. This is a neat tourist line, it's a must see

Arriving in Keystone, the 2-6-6-2 turns around and couples to the back of the train and will get ready to head back to Hill City with some new passengers

After getting off the train at Hill City, the 2-6-6-2 was going to get serviced before the next trip through the Black Hills and it will pass by GP9 #63

This is a recently new addition to the Black Hills Central RR, I am used to seeing a GP9 with a cut nose like SCXY #1363, but not one with it's high nose still intact. It was a sharp looking GP9, but not as sharp as SCXY #1363

This GP9 used to run freights like all GP9s across the US, but this one found it's way to the Black Hills Central in Western SD. This is the 3rd GP9 I have ever seen, the first is SCXY #1363, then the old Soo Line GP9 at the Jackson Street Roundhouse, and now BHC #63, this unit actually worked in Minnesota before making it's way here

One of two unusual caboose, I never seen caboose like this, but they were quite interesting