Headed for Oblivion. Somewhere between Mile Markers 3 and 4, the Black Hills Central's 11:30 AM train is heading east through what's known as Palmer Gulch, with Locomotive #108 on the point. As the train eases into this wide open field, it is initially drifting slightly downgrade, but as you see it here, that grade has just reversed and the presence of a little smoke from the stack indicates that the uphill climb to "Oblivion" has begun. Oblivion, about half a mile ahead, is the historic site of a logging camp that dated back to the late 1800s. In more recent times, Oblivion was the original destination for the Black Hills Central Railroad, when it first started tourist operations in 1957 as a narrow gauge line. In fact, there is a narrow gauge wye that still exists at Oblivion and it can be seen from the train as it passes through.
