Black Hills Railroad

The hobby of model railroading, like many hobbies, have a number of unique terms that are sometimes difficult to understand for people new to the hobby.  Below is a short listing of model railroad terms: A  Accessory: a non-essential electric device.  Switch motors, signals, and block switches are just a few examples.  Air brush: a device which applies paint using compressed air.  Like a spray can, but with a steady supply of air and a much finer mist. Alternating Current:  Electricity that switches direction of travel, typically 60 times per second (60Hz) in the US. Used mostly in O scale, 3 rail trains. Amperage: a unit of measurement for the amount of electrical current.  Analog: Control of trains without digital signals.  Either through AC or DC electric current. B Backdrop: a panel that is meant to give the illusion of distance on a mode railroad.  This can be a basic sky-blue board, painted scenes, photographs stitched toge...

While gold was discovered in the Black Hills in 1874, rail connections to Deadwood were not completed until 1891.  In that period of time, several communities were build as well as a large system of mining and logging camps throughout the hills.  All those materials needed to be hauled in, and all the minerals and timber needed to be hauled out somehow.  The only way into or out of the Black Hills was across 200 miles of prairie. Unlike the comfort of travel today by highway, travel across the "Great American Desert" in the 1800's was difficult and often dangerous.  South Dakota in the summer experiences intense heat of 100 plus degrees and cold winters with temperatures as low as -40 degrees.  Winter storms presented impassible trails, deep snow drifts, and frigid temperatures that would kill anyone without adequate shelter.  Thunderstorms in the summer could spawn high winds, micro bursts, and tornadoes.  Spring and Fall weren't pleasant either sin...

On Sunday night it was decided to begin construction on a couple of modules.  I do not know yet if these will become a layout, or if they will be photography dioramas.  So far I've only spent about 30 buck each on them for the foam and wood, that should be about half the cost total.  Each module is 1x3 feet and 5.5 inches thick.  1.5 inches of that is 1x2 lumber making up a frame and the rest is foam.  Below you can see the construction up until this point: Photo by James Willmus  Here is the overall setup for the module.  It's small and light enough to be used on top of a camera tripod.  I'll have to work on getting newer, better tripods as the head on this Vanguard has been cracked for years and is getting worse.  In the center of the module is a 1/4x20 insert so that a bolt can be anchored into the lumber.  If need be, it is possible to make a tall sawhorse and run a bolt up into the module.  These things are also light e...

Otto Perry made frequent stops to the Black Hills as a railroad photographer, and he captured the best images of the line.  The last era of the line was from 1933 to 1947 when #55 and #7 were used for operations.  A pair of 2-6-2's were used previously.  Additionally, the line had a railbus and a small fleet of passenger cars.  As for all those freight cars? Most of them were owned by the CBQ, Milwaukee Road, or the CNW railroads. The digital copies shown are low resolution, meaning that they cannot be used in lieu of purchasing copied images from the Denver Public Library Archives.  These copies can be used for reference, personal, or non commercial use, but citation must be given to the Denver Public Library.  Please respect these laws. Anyways, let's dive into the photos: Denver Public Library, Otto Perry Collection, OP-14541  June 11th, 1938 must have been a fine summer day as RCBH&W Engine 55, a 2-6-0, is westbound out of Rapid City ...

Photo by James Willmus Mystic, South Dakota is now a ghost town next to the George S Mickelson Trail and is accessed via the Rochford-Mystic road which runs North from Hill City.  Most towns in the Black Hills were railroad towns, but Mystic had the distinction of being a two railroad town. Founded in 1895 at the mouth of Pony Gulch where Castle Creek opened into a small meadow, Mystic became one of the busiest small communities in the Black Hills. People had lived in the immediate area since the gold rush days, but it wasn't until 1889 when the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad built their line to Deadwood that the town became connected to the world via railroad. In 1906 the Rapid City, Black Hills and Western Railroad reached Mystic and built a three track interchange yard with the Chicago Burlington and Quincy line, thereby giving Mystic the important status as a stopping point for all trains East, North and South along the two railroads. Photo by James Willmus...