Deadwood Central Railroad


The Deadwood Central Railroad was a narrow gauge railroad in the U.S. state of South Dakota. It was founded by Deadwood, South Dakota resident J.K.P. Miller and his associates in 1888 to serve their mining enterprises in the Black Hills. In 1928, the railroad stretched for a total length of.

History

The first intent of the railroad was to connect Deadwood and Lead City. The company was organized on August 20, 1888, and on September 21, the railroad was chartered. In 1893, the railroad was bought out by the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad, a subsidiary of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad. The line continued to operate as the Deadwood Central Railroad.
In 1902, the track between Lead and Deadwood was electrified and passenger service was provided with narrow gauge interurban cars. Between Pluma and Deadwood, the tracks were shared with the CBQ, with a third rail laid to make the track dual gauge. This service was abandoned in 1924 with the permission of the Interstate Commerce Commission, due to operating losses and deterioration of equipment. In 1904, the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad name was dropped after a policy change, and all railroads operated by it began being operated under the name of the CBQ.
In total, the railroad had operated nearly 26 miles of track, but over time, much of this was abandoned and taken up. The railroad also operated six engines. Due to the stock market crash of 1929, like other local railroads, the Deadwood Central Railroad was abandoned in 1930. Trucks began to operate in place of the railroad. One of the engines was dismantled in 1930, and another was leased to the Colorado and Southern Railway but was dismantled after being returned to the CBQ in 1939.