Historic First: South Dakota’s1880 Train Engineered By Women Crew
For the first time ever, the historic 1880 train in South Dakota was engineered by a two woman crew. Sisters Lori and Kirston Hilpert were the first all-female crew as it left Hill City, SD on Saturday on it's way to it's usual destination of Keystone.
According to NewsCenter1, Lori usually works in the train station and Kirston works on the train. But schedules work out sometime and the two were able to spend the day together making locomotive history.
“My little sister firing the engine while I got to drive, it was fun,” said Kirston Hilpert, 1880 Train engineer via NewsCenter1.
The sisters also said that the cab is really loud so communicating clearly is important because, yeah, there is steam, heat, and pressure involved.
If you haven't taken the 1880 train through the Black HIlls, you really should. The trip is narrated giving the history of the Black HIlls as you cruise to Keystone. There you can disembark and walk the main street of Keystone for coffee and their famous fudge shops. It's an hour ride each way so budget about 3 hours for your round-trip.
On the trip you'll see wooded canyons and wildlife. You'll see remnants of old mines and even telegraph line poles that still stand. In the distance you'll see Black Elk Peak (formally Harney Peak) or perhaps catch a glimpse of a ghostly gold prospector.
Two things to note if you're a new passenger, only service animals are allowed on the train and there are no restrooms - so keep the coffee intake down as that can be a long ride when you gotta go.
You can see the schedule and purchase tickets here if you'd like to ride the historic 1880 train. You may even see Lori and Kirston Hilpert. If you do, make sure to congratulate them on their historic first.
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