One of the nation's oldest tourist trains. South Dakota's Black Hills Central isn't the most well-known steam tourist train in the country, but it definitely qualifies as one of the oldest. The operation was started back in the late 1950s, before steam power was a novelty. Heck, the steam era wasn't even quite over in some places at that time. The operation began with narrow gauge equipment, including a locomotive that came from the White Pass & Yukon. And originally, the service only extended from Hill City to Oblivion. Imagine that: "The Road to Oblivion." How's that for a marketing slogan? At any rate, this operation has come a long way in 60 years....yes, in 2017, they are celebrating 60 years of operation. They have nice facilities, great people and are running pretty much full 7-car trains during peak tourist season. The string of nicely restored interurban cars and open observation cars make for a great mix of opportunities for riders to not only enjoy the scenery, but a unique combination of early 20th century railroad equipment.
