At hill city sd the so called 1880 train has a fully restored 2-6-6-2t 1928 Baldwin mallet fully restored. We had a full load, (7 passenger cars with 2 people in every seat). This ride from hill city to keystone sd travels up and down the 4 and 6 percent grades. Yesterday with a packed train, aprox 80 people in each of the 7 cars the engine was taxed to the max. They also have a roundhouse tour for 5 bucks where you can see and talk to the repair crew. Talked to the head guy who restores everything they have including a drop pit to change wheels tires etc).
He told me that leaving keystone today the grade is so steep they will have to send high pressure steam to the front cylinders also to get the heavy train started and then switch to low pressure on the front cylinders.
I know the 1st few blasts out the stack were like thunder claps in volume and the remainder of the trip had the engine down to very few blasts per second on the 6 percent grades. This is a ex cb&q branch line off the old main line at Hill City. If ever in Hill City sd in the black hills this is a must for train people. At twenty five bucks per round trip and each car holding aprox. 80 people you can figure the amt of money made. The steam crew is full time all year and work is done on the engines all year as needed. The mallet is the number one engine for them as it is superheated and using the steam twice uses way less fuel and water than the two 2-6-2T engines they have. They are all oil burners and the crew stays quite clean on the engine and the engine stays very clean for a excursion steamer. In the heavy tourist season they make 4 trips 7 days a week with the mallet and only use the other engines in the less busy spring and fall. The small engines can only handle 4 cars on the grades and are not superheated. If you go on their website 1880train.com you can read more about the busiest steam train in the country. You also get beautiful scenery on this ten mile ride each way. Go right by the over 7000 foot mt Harney and other high peaks.
