For the last month and a half I was camping and touring my way across the American West. While on the way home I figured that I could afford to spend a few days in South Dakota just cooling my heels. This lead me to riding the 1880 Train based in Hill City on Sat Aug 18th. It was a great time and the staff were more than happy to answer my questions about the operation. They told me that #7 was retired primarily because it's easier and quicker to do an overhaul/inspection on the tank engines that replaced it and haul the exact same amount of cars up that 6% grade. Apparently the same crew that runs the locomotives also double as the shop crew and this is why their "new" mallet is behind schedule on being restored to operation. 
Random D&NE tender. No sign of locomotive that went with it.
103 aka as "104's spare parts"
110 is a loud grand old lady
I still find it hard to believe that 104 and by extension 103 have the same loaded car capacity as 7. I mean 7 looks so much larger...
63 was acquired in 2006 long after the railroad was cut off from the national system. It must have been a sight to see it be trucked in over the mountains from Rapid City.
108 is sister locomotive to 110 and is being worked on as time permits.
Good ol No7 the railroad mascot and local film star
