Ran across this website for Pioneer Village in South Dakota, which now claims to have a working roundhouse and turntable, plus an operating dinner train. Anyone been there to see it? They have a former Duluth & North Eastern (ex-Army) 0-6-0 there, plus that much-traveled 0-4-0T that first ran excursions for the Cadillac & Lake City in Michigan, then Virginia, then to Deadwood, SD.

http://www.prairievillage.org/index.html
ryarger@rypn.org

This is the data on their turntable that I have found. Does anyone know how long this table is?

1999 – A Chicago & Northwestern turntable from Sioux Falls, SD was installed at the Historic Prairie Village in Madison, SD, 54 miles away. A small roundhouse has been built next to it.

Museum of Transportation
rdgoldfede@aol.com

> Ran across this website for Pioneer Village
> in South Dakota, which now claims to have a
> working roundhouse and turntable, plus an
> operating dinner train. Anyone been there to
> see it? They have a former Duluth &
> North Eastern (ex-Army) 0-6-0 there, plus
> that much-traveled 0-4-0T that first ran
> excursions for the Cadillac & Lake City
> in Michigan, then Virginia, then to
> Deadwood, SD.

I went up to Prairie Village (it's not Pioneer Village) last summer for what they specified as "Railroad Days," assuming that everything about their railroad would be open and as operable as possible. The two steamers were in the roundhouse and I was told it would be some time before they would be operable again. The diesel was pulling a short train around the loop of track that they have on the grounds, and that was it. The turntable was positioned for the diesel's roundhouse stall and wasn't operated while I was there. It appeared that there were only 2 or 3 men involved in the entire railroad scene.

I was also specifically interested in the chapel car, and was able to enter it and get several photos while two ladies were cleaning it. Afterward it was again locked up. There has been some very good restoration done in the chapel section itself, but at that time the living quarters were still awaiting restoration work. On Sundays there were services held in the car during last summer, with a schedule of volunteer clergy from churches in town.