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1880 Train/Black Hills Central Railroad

1,335 Reviews

#4 of 17 things to do in Hill City

Tours, Scenic Railroads

222 Railroad Ave., Hill City, SD 57745

1880 Train/Black Hills Central Railroad
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Traveler Overview

4.0 1,335 reviews

Excellent47%
Very good33%
Average14%
Poor4%
Terrible2%

Travelers talk about

“steam engine”(112 reviews)

“return trip”(97 reviews)

“nice ride”(53 reviews)

About

An 1880 Train ride is a two-hour, narrated 20-mile round trip between Hill City snd Keystone South Dakota in the beautiful Black Hills. Passengers view vistas of Harney Peak, mining encampments and participate in good old-fashioned fun. Trains...more

Contact

222 Railroad Ave., Hill City, SD 57745

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+1 605-574-2222

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1 - 10 of 1,317 reviews

StormyDaze0929

West Seneca, New York

20482

Reviewed 3 days ago via mobile

Looked Cool...Kind of a Waste of Time

Please believe some of the previous reviews. Even after reading the reviews, we thought it would still be fun to take the train ride. After all, the train looked really cool in person. The staff was dressed for the time period. The gift store was...More

Date of experience: September 2018

Thank StormyDaze0929

We appreciate your feedback and are sorry to hear you did not enjoy your experience. The trip is meant to take you back to a simpler time and it is one of the steepest grades (4-6%) traveled by a steam engine in the US. We...More

GrandTour968

Orlando, FL

415

Reviewed December 12, 2018

Journey Back

My ride on the train was a great experience. To see how people used to travel, the closeness to the beautiful surroundings, and the sounds of the engine and whistle were great. It rained pretty hard while we were on the trip so we also...More

Date of experience: August 2018

Thank GrandTour968

Thank you for joining us on the 1880 Train! We are happy to hear you enjoyed this step back in time and the gift of rain along the way! We appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback with us!

judyelroy

Mesa, Arizona

Reviewed December 11, 2018

Choo choo

Been on many train rides and this one ranks towards the bottom end. Nothing spectacular about this ride. Attendants were friendly enough.

Date of experience: May 2018

Thank judyelroy

We appreciate you joining us, Judy, and taking the time to post your review.

DJ605

Madison, South Dakota

7336

Reviewed November 29, 2018

Holiday Train

We have been on the train before during the summer and had enjoyed, so we thought we should try it when they had the holiday train. It was a great time, kids got to see Santa, hot chocolate and cookies plus it was snowing, so...More

Date of experience: November 2018

Thank DJ605

We appreciate you joining us the Holiday Express! We are glad to hear you enjoyed the experience. We hope to see you again next year!

Brian F

Spirit Lake, Iowa

397

Reviewed November 24, 2018

A real steam engine!

What a great trip we had on an old fashioned train with a real steam engine and a real steam powered whistle. Staff all dressed in old fashioned clothing. Great service as we road along through the Black Hills. Very efficient staff with good wine...More

Date of experience: September 2018

Thank Brian F

Thank you for joining us on the 1880 Train, Brian! We appreciate your review and are happy to hear you enjoyed your experience with us.

Beth B

Wisconsin, United States

7525

Reviewed November 13, 2018

Great Experience - Wonderful Scenery

We took the train off of the recommendation of a friend. I could not have been more satisfied. The train ride to Hill City and back to Keystone was beautiful, the scenery was unforgettable, and the whole experience was a delight. We rode on both...More

Date of experience: August 2018

Thank Beth B

Thank you so much for joining us on the 1880 Train, Beth! We are so happy to hear you enjoyed your experience and appreciate you taking the time to share about your ride.

oldgardner14

Erie, Pennsylvania

Reviewed November 9, 2018

One of the best parts of our visit to South Dakota!

My wife, Karen, and I took a ride on the 1880 Train/Black Hills Central Railroad when we traveled to South Dakota to see Mt. Rushmore. Our hotel was in Keystone, SD where we boarded the train, traveling to Hill City, SD The ride went through...More

Date of experience: August 2018

1 Thank oldgardner14

Thank you for joining us and for taking the time to post your review. We are happy to hear you enjoyed the experience and your time in Hill City!

douglaslane

Reviewed November 6, 2018

1880 Train Ride - Fun for Everybody

When we planned our trip to the Black Hills, on the top of our list was Mount Rushmore, Custer State Park and to round out the activities and give some variety we added the 1880 Train Ride. The train ride was so much fun for...More

Date of experience: September 2018

1 Thank douglaslane

We are so happy to hear you enjoyed your experience aboard the 1880 Train! Thank you for joining us and for taking the time to post your informative review. We hope to see you and your family again!

Howianna

New Caney, Texas

387

Reviewed November 6, 2018

Good trip!

This is a good trip for anyone who loves vintage trains! The scenery is good, the people are friendly, and the train didn't break down, so we were happy. We were a tad disappointed the train was diesel; we were hoping it was a coal-fired...More

Date of experience: May 2018

Thank Howianna

Thank you for joining us and for taking the time to post your review! We know how popular our steam engines are, so we do post your schedule for the year the middle of January. The steam and diesel engine use is published in this...More

britgal60

Lexington Park, Maryland

9240

Reviewed November 2, 2018

Shame it was closed

We would have liked to have seen all that we could have seen here, but it was closed due to reading themselves for the Christmas season activities. We did ask permission to walk around and photograph the trains outside but without a guide of some...More

Date of experience: October 2018

Thank britgal60

We appreciate you stopping by and are so sorry you were not able to experience all we have to offer! We are open every year the beginning of May through mid-October, and also offer Holiday Express rides November and December. We hope you are able...More

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Questions & Answers

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See all 19 questions

George M

Do you have restroom on train?

September 18, 2018|

AnswerShow all 2 answers

None on the train. There are restrooms at both ends/at the station!

Hougs

Can you buy tickets ahead of time? What side of the train (if you’re looking to the front) is best to see the shootout?

July 18, 2018|

AnswerShow all 7 answers

I am so sorry for just now finding this question. my wife made this reservation, but I think we were able to get ahead of time, and pick up the actual ticket at the ticket booth, we did not see a shootout on our ride.