Our trip was in fall last year and it was the only one, round trip, of the day. Left Hill City and at stopped at Keystone, we only had enough time to get off the train to use the restrooms and get back on. The shootout train trip sounds interesting, but if you want to explore Hill City or Keystone, it's a short drive and you can also go to Wall, and wave at Mt. Rushmore and Custer City.

Yes. They do have Christmas theme excursions. Best to look at their website or contact them directly.

Yes. As Cajun_YankeeGal correctly answered, there are specific wheelchair seats designated in our Bluebird railcar (1AB & 1 CD). Rows 2-13 in Bluebird are also a good choice for anyone who may wish to utilize our lift instead of climbing the four large steps needed to board the train. It is helpful if you call our reservation line 605-574-2222 or add a confidential comment to your online reservation describing the assistance you may need so we can arrange for the most appropriate seats. Thank you! --1880 Train Staff

Same train, same trip. Pick your car carefully. Cars have different location in the train and have different type seats. We took the trip with the break, it was great. Station in Hill City and in Keystone. We stay in Keystone so Hill City was our destination. Great town, lot to see and super friendly people. Next day we drove back to see rest of Main Street. Also the people at the train station and on the train were helpful and very friendly. Lady at desk called me two weeks after I made reservations to tell me better positioned seats were available in our car. Great experience.

I personally don't buy any tickets at the booth,only online to make sure I get the seats I want and avoid the line for that same reason.

We took our dog Armani on the train. He enjoyed looking out the window at the sights along the way. He is a service dog, so he can go anywhere.

Yes you an bring food and drink on the train they also have drinks and snacks you can purchase

The staff are pretty cool and can help you out a lot. Get a round trip ticket and plan on staying at whichever city you decide on for a minimum of 2 hours at least. If you are planning on lunch or dinner make it 4 hours. It is cheaper to get the round trip ticket. For example if you are staying in Hill City (I highly recommend that) then take the 10am train to Keystone, get a round trip ticket to return at either 4 or 5. It is a 1 hour trip each way and quite lovely. Go have a wonderful lunch in Keystone, shop and sight see then return to Hill City and have dinner at the Desperado! Have the Ribeye, you will not be disappointed. Mine was excellent! Have a wonderful time!

Thank you for your question about the open sided and enclosed cars. The open sided cars offer the best view, but the enclosed cars with windows you can open and close offer the most comfortable ride (with padded seats) and will keep you from getting wet!