Goodbye, 2008

A couple months ago, we posted about the end of our season. It's crazy to think about all the events that have happened in the 'off season'. Residents of the Black Hills and surrounding areas helped make our Holiday Express rides a great success.

We look forward to seeing you, as well as all the visitors to the area, in our 2009 season. Starting Friday, January 1st, we will begin making reservations. Beat the crowd and book some of our most popular events like the Fireworks Express and our Wine Express into the West. Tickets go fast!

Happy New Year and enjoy 2009!

Snowed In

For what seems like the first time in years, Hill City is SNOWED IN! The Black Hills area was supposed to have a blizzard warning that lasted from Wednesday afternoon to Thursday evening and it didn't disappoint. There probably wasn't all that much total snow fall, but with the wind, the drifts reached waist height.

Benches down at the Depot are completely buried. The guys down in the roundhouse had to put their work on hold to dig out the parking lot and the office driveway. It's a winter wonderland out there!

An e-mail newsletter for the Holiday Express is in the works and should go out to our e-mail subscribers. Thanksgiving is right around the corner and that means we need to get the train and grounds decorated pronto!

Carpet!

The office is getting a face lift with new carpet.

So far, we've gotten it easy. The carpet layers have been working upstairs and in the accounting office. Tomorrow... the main office. We'll be moving all the computers and trying to remember what was plugged in to which outlet.

It seems the cat may be here to stay. Should we name here? I've been hearing people call her Smokey, Cinder, and Ember. Being a black cat, she'll be perfect for stalking the train grounds during the Fright Train.

Some Early Holiday Cheer

With a decent snow on October 11th, we've gotten into the holiday spirit a little early (although, for those of us up here in the office, it's not ever far away).

I knew the white stuff wouldn't stick around long, so I snapped a quick photo of the Drovers Car in the mini-blizzard.



The Fright Train has come and gone, so that means it's time to get geared up for the Holiday Express rides. Our special events coordinator purchased a plethora of lights, ornaments, and garlands. I've got Christmas music playing in the office (I've been getting some wierd looks, maybe I should wait until after Thanksgiving...)

Fright Train Preparations Continue

With the Fright Train quickly approaching, the crew has been hard at work preparing decorations for the depot, train, and the route as well. We've convinced the roundhouse guys to create ghoulish headstones out of scrap wood, adding to the feel of our 'ghost town', Oblivion.

Meanwhile, the special events coordinator and I have been tinkering with the lighting in the cars, trying to find that perfect balance between spooky lighting... and overloading the generator.

We're pumped for our Fright Train passengers to enjoy the product of our hard work and we're already coming up with new ideas for next year!

End of 2008 Summer Season

This Sunday, our 2008 summer season officially came to a close. Passengers this weekend must have wondered if they traveled here in December rather than early October. Snow covered the ground at our Hill City Depot, giving us a preview of our Holiday Express rides.

With another great season under our belt, it was perhaps the most eventful yet. Day Out With Thomas visited us in June. Our Fireworks express was a little different with a new stop at the K - S Lodge just outside of Keystone, and Wine and Cheese options have been added for large groups to partake in. This year, Prairie Berry took over catering of the Wine Express Into The West, yet again raising the bar.

Still ahead is the Fright Train, another co-op between The 1880 Train and Prairie Berry. Finally, to cap off the year, The Train will be having holiday rides again. It's been many years since we last did these, and the crew is excited to bring them back, better than ever.