1880 Train - Hill City Depot — Attraction in Hill City

I've actually been here twice; my first experience was in 1988 while vacationing with my family. My childhood experience was such that I really wanted to get back here again as an adult to see how the place has fared over the past ~30 years. They did not disappoint. The trip takes a little over two hours but the experience is worth it. This is not a high-action adventure; rather, this is a mellow-paced trip through time. The railroad itself is kept in good shape; the railroad itself appears to be regularly maintained and the equipment is in good repair. The newer station in Keystone is a highlight, right at the entrance to downtown with its myriad shops and other venues.

A couple of thoughts - during the trip they keep you informed of all the various things going on with the train or the sights you'll see along the way. In fact, they almost do too good of a job with that. As a former railroader myself I have a penchant for wanting to tell too much of the story, but as a passenger there's a few times I was wishing they'd stop jabbering on the PA and just let me enjoy the ride. This is not necessarily a critique of this particular tourist railroad; just about every tourist train I've been on does this. Secondly, they are very adamant about sitting still while on the train; they do not allow for any moving around while the train is in motion. From a safety standpoint I can understand the concern, and I'm sure their lawyers and/or insurance company require them to comply. But as a former locomotive engineer from a stop-and-go commuter railroad, it's almost too restrictive. I can see where families with youngsters will have a less enjoyable time (i.e. trying to keep the kids still, not whining, etc.). Ironically enough I was on another tourist train two days later and we were free to walk throughout the 7-car train (North Shore Scenic, Duluth MN).

Overall this is a very enjoyable, informative and highly authentic experience. It is worth the...

We love trains and were lucky to be visiting during a weekend that offered the wine train! We opted to go from Hill City to Keystone, so we spent the morning Hill City, lunching at Alpine Inn and wandering about. The train left at 2:30, but only stopped briefly in Keystone before turning around. I didn't realize this or I might have taken the earlier train there and the later train back. We booked the end car thinking that we would be able to move around and take photos from the back. However, the end car (Hilyo) has very small windows compared to the other cars that have window walls that open. There is no indication on the website that the end car is different. That said, once we were in our seat, we opted for the small table to be placed in front of us to hold our wine and snacks, which meant that you could not easily get up and move around anyway. So really, only the person by the window could take any pictures. Lucky for me in the aisle seat, it was pouring rain and the windows needed to be closed! Even with the small windows and rain, we saw a bunch of deer along the way. The wines that were chosen for the "tastings" were local wines and all interesting. Our servers were very generous with the pours...definitely larger than tastings. The charcuterie plate was brie and baguette with chutney and olive oil, which was good. The second course of antipasto salad was also good, with good sized portions in both. The final course was a brownie which was rich and delicious. The mood on the train was merry and fun, especially after the first couple of glasses of wine! Our servers were a father/daughter team that were very funny, social, and lively, and they really made the experience better! The scenery slid by and we enjoyed the...

My dad is an absolute lover of all trains. When we were in Keystone and he suggested a train trip, it was a chance not to pass up. Open air car is the way to go. Don't skimp on just going one way. it's better to get the full experience if you can spare the time.

It was like you were stepping back in time to hear the whistle of the steam engine and see all of the steam escaping as we clicked along the old tracks and heard the tales of how everything came to existence and what still remained.

The popcorn is crisp and salty to enjoy while taking in all the sights. The Black Hills, the train, all kinds of wildlife like the osprey nest and local visitors along the way.

Jim was in town from San Diego and was full of fantastic information. He even included our question on the return trip, which we were just tickled over!

We remarked it would be a little cooler to be able to see the actual water going into the containment from the water towers. I'm sure that's a minor change, and there must be a reason that it goes directly into the containment unit so as not to waste water.

If you have the opportunity, please book your round trip tickets and take a little peek in their gift shop for ultra cute postcards and little trinkets that you might not realize that you need in your life!

At the risk of sounding cliche or cheesy, it was a father daughter trip, and the best part of my journey was getting a chance to talk about trains...