The Crouch Line: an Introduction

By
#55 Westbound on Jackson Blvd, Rapid City, SD.  Otto Perry, 1933.  Denver Public Library Digital Collections.


The story of some railroads are simply too endearing and nostalgic to let pass into the annals of history. This is the case for the Rapid City Black Hills and Western Railroad.  A small railroad that ran from Rapid City to Mystic, all in Pennington County, South Dakota.  This little pike traded cars between some of the biggest railroads in the day, the Chicago Burlington and Quincy, the Milwaukee Road, and the Chicago Northwestern.  Built as a bridge line between three large railroads ensured a long lifespan from when the first spikes were laid in 1893 to the last being pulled in 1948.  As Shortlines go, it was a heck of a life.  It changed hands many times, each time gaining another name.

Rapid City Black Hills and Western
Rapid Canyon Line
Dakota and Wyoming
Missouri River and Northwestern
Dakota, Western, and Missouri River
Dakota, Wyoming and Western
Dakota Pacific
Dakota, Wyoming and Missouri River
Black Hills and Missouri River
Black Hills and Wyoming

But Black Hills Residents came to call this railroad The Crouch Line.

 And like many short lines, The RCBH&W wasn't exactly profitable.  Most years were in the red, but that didn't stop investors across 5 decades to try their hand at being a railroad owner.  One man's name stands out, however.  Charles D. Crouch managed to actually complete the railroad to Mystic after the project was initially abandoned by the previous owners in the 1890's.  By 1904 the trains were running up and down the line.  Crouch was determined to make the railroad work, going so far as to personally help and supervise track crews.  Many of the curves were so tight that rails being laid needed to first be curved to the proper radius at the shops in Rapid City.  The small creek which the line followed up to the CBQ mainline was narrow and cut through a steep canyon.  Avoiding costly tunnels, the track was forced into the canyon and valleys, crossing Rapid Creek 105 times in 32 miles.  Whether he was securing loans, running a locomotive, drumming up business, searching out investors, laying track, or any number of other tasks, Crouch was doing it.  A committed boss if there ever was one. To area residents, the line would forever be associated with his name, no matter who owned the railroad.

Unfortunately, Crouch lost control of the railroad after accumulating too much debt.  Though he was determined to keep the line, a New York Company purchased it in 1908 after promising to pay outstanding debts on the railroad.  Of course, Investors want to make money, not lose it, so after a few short years the owners from New York were looking to cast off their unprofitable venture.  By this time, however, the Crouch Line was a great benefit to the economy of Rapid City.  Not only did the railroad keep freight costs to a minimum due to increased competition, but the price of coal was much cheaper as a result.  In addition, the growing tourist industry of the American West meant many visitors were coming to the Black Hills every year.  The shortline was just what the town needed to shuttle tourists from the hotels and bars in town up Rapid Creek and into the surrounding Black Hills for trout fishing, wildflower picking, picnicking, and other forms of recreation.



#55 Mystic, South Dakota.  Otto Perry, 1935.  Denver Public Library Digital Collections.


And so local businessmen pooled what they had together to buy the railroad.  While other shortlines in the time were being abandoned or bought out by larger railroads, the Crouch Line would continue under local ownership for nearly 3 additional decades. Two world wars and a depression later, the memory of the Wild West was fading, giving way to the new western US.  Now people would travel on four-lane highways and airplanes, freight would be locally delivered by trucks, and tourists could now travel all over the Black Hills in a day, whereas it would take two or three days minimum by railroad.  Only then, in 1947, did the local owners of the line finally decide to close up for good and move on to newer, and better projects.

One might think this is the end of the story, but thankfully it is not.  The Black Hills today still has a steam railroad, the Black Hills Central.  Also known as The 1880 Train, the line runs from Hill City to Keystone in the central region of the hills.  And that's not all, while almost everything was scrapped from the line, some artifacts remain in museums, attics, and basements.  In addition, the memory of the Crouch Line may have faded, but it is not gone.  On the contrary, many people look back with a sense of shared local history.  For at least a time, Rapid City had its own railroad, operated by friends and neighbors who have long since passed on.  The memory of this railroad is a memory of the people who founded the town and tamed the Black Hills, giving future generations the chance to call the magnificent Black Hills area their home.

And this is where my project comes in. For the last two years, I've been obsessed with this short line, despite not even knowing about its existence until graduating high school 6 years ago.  You see, the Black Hills to me are home, that won't change no matter where I go or what I do.  Though I want to return the Black Hills, its simply not possible at this point.  Education and work is a necessity.  But until I return, the Crouch Line is a great story, one which should be told through the artistry of model railroading.  And so this is my project, building a miniature Rapid City Black Hills and Western.  Before that can happen though, I need to first lay out a plan.  From what I have figured so far, here is how it all breaks down:
  • Research the railroad extensively.  This includes the names and lives of people associated with the railroad, in addition to the scenery, biodiversity, terrain, communities, equipment and detailed history.
  • Plan a scale model railroad.  Incorporate the most important elements of the railroad during a certain year in its operation.
  • Design the railroad.  Experiment and figure out how to build a railroad that suits my needs while being a faithful replica of the prototype.
  • Build.  The challenge here is to make a museum-quality operating railroad that will be a time machine for people viewing the layout.
Because this railroad means so much to so many, my biggest challenge will be doing justice to the importance of the Crouch Line to the communities it once served.  The railroad should be prototypically accurate, operate realistically, and be educational to all those who take the time to view the layout.  I want to tell a story using model trains as a medium.  No doubt, it will be a lot of work, but I think this will be worth it in the end. 

--James Willmus


Mickelson Trail checkpoint, Mystic, South Dakota.  James Willmus