Taylor made for the 1880 Train

By now all of Hill City has heard the whistle blow as the 1880 Train chugs in and out of town on its daily routes. What you may not have heard is that last summer Hill City’s very own Taylor Edwards became what is believed to be the youngest conductor in the history of the 1880 Train at the age of 21.
Growing up Edwards recalled playing on the elementary school playground and watching the train go by in the afternoons. Like many boys that age, he was interested in all things trains, especially Thomas the Tank Engine. Thus, seeing a real one was enamoring.
“It was always a cool thing to see, an old steam engine like that,” said Edwards. “It caught my eye at a very young age.”
One year his elementary school class took a field trip to the 1880 Train.
“I remember my eyes were so big, and I was like, ‘This is so cool,’” he said.
That was an experience that stuck with him. However, Edwards admitted, “I would have never guessed that I would be where I am at now.”
At the age of 14 Edwards was ready to get his first job but was not sure where to start. It was his mom who suggested he come work at the 1880 Train, since she worked there herself. So Edwards ended up getting a job as a train attendant selling concessions to the passengers.
“That’s how it started,” said Edwards. “It wasn’t like I was pursuing it. I just got lucky.”
Edwards continued in this position for two summers before taking a year off to work at the KOA. However, the next year his mom suggested he apply for the maintenance position at the 1880 Train. For this job  Edwards mowed the lawn, fixed things around the property and simply did whatever needed to be done. That is when he started to move up.
The chief of operations approached him and asked how he felt about becoming a brakeman. Edwards responded, “Sure, why not?”
As a brakeman, Edwards monitored the train brakes, released the brake after hook up and set a hand brake on the slope coming into Keystone to avoid going too fast, among other things. Along with this he assisted passengers, made sure no one was left behind, collected tickets and checked on passengers throughout the ride.  
Then in the summer of 2021, Edwards was asked to become a conductor.
“I knew it was a lot more responsibility than the brakeman,” said Edwards. “I won’t lie, I was very nervous at first.”
Nevertheless, Edwards shared that he had great trainers to help him. They were supportive through the learning curve and trusted him. The hardest part was remembering the order things needed to be done and learning the hand signals to accurately direct the engineers. Finally, after two to three days of training and six runs, Edwards was officially a conductor at the 1880 Train.
As a conductor, Edwards does similar work to that of a brakeman. He checks all the brake pads each morning, runs tests to ensure the brakes are working properly, makes sure the passengers are all aboard and collects tickets. However, his favorite part is interacting with the passengers.
Before each departure, Edwards will stand in front of the train to answer questions and take pictures. He loves this chance to share his knowledge with people as well as hear where they are from and what they do. Meanwhile, the kids get so excited and tell him how much they love trains.
One day in Keystone, a little boy ran up to Edwards and said, “One day I’m going to have your job!”
This interaction struck Edwards deeply.
“I didn’t know I had that kind of effect on kids,” said Edwards. “That’s what keeps me going.”
As a conductor for the 1880 Train, Edwards has the opportunity to not just work at his dream job but to inspire other dreamers. People come to the train every day to build those memories.
“I want to be able to share that with them,” he said. “Maybe one day they’ll want to work on the train too.”
Watching the train go by each day meant so much to Edwards growing up. He wants to have the same effect on the next generation. What’s more, he never thought he would be able to work on the train since many people do not get to work at their dream job.
“I just worked through the years, and now here I am. It’s pretty surreal and full circle that now I’m on the train all the time,” Edwards said.
Edwards claimed he was lucky to grow up in Hill City. The smaller community allowed him to get to know lots of people while still meeting new ones today. Meanwhile, he shared that everyone was nice, supportive, welcoming and helpful.
“It’s like home outside of home,” Edwards said.
The teachers at school were his favorite part though. More specifically, he is thankful for his math teachers who made learning fun and helped him realize he liked math. As a result, after graduating in 2019, Edwards began pursuing a bachelor’s degree at Black Hills State University. Then in the fall, Edwards will be transferring to Dakota State in Madison to finish his degree and perhaps get a master’s while playing basketball.
“I’m majoring in math education so my goal is to teach and coach when I get older,” said Edwards. “I’m excited about that.”
This means Edwards will eventually leave the 1880 Train in pursuit of his next dream. It will be hard to leave, but for now he is planning to come back each summer and continue working on the train.
“This is what I want to do, and I enjoy it. So I’ll keep doing it as long as I possibly can,” Edwards said.
In the meantime, Edwards encourages everyone and anyone to come experience the train for themselves, even if they see or hear it every day.
No ride is the same through the beautiful Black Hills, and according to Edwards, “It’s a rare opportunity to ride a steam engine like that so I would encourage everyone to take advantage of it.”