PLANKINTON — With a surprise freight train chasing them down the former Mitchell to Rapid City line, a group of motorcar operators with the North American Rail Car Operators Association pulled into a siding to let the Kennebec bound train pass. That afforded the group a chance to make a donation on behalf of Ringneck and Western Railroad to the Sweet-Van Dyke Railroad Museum and Cultural Center in Plankinton. President Gayle Van Genderen says the railroad played an important role in Plankinton’s history…
The museum also has one of the few operational Whirla Whip ice cream machines in existence…
The operators enjoyed their Whirla Whips as the Kennebec train passed by. That train suffered a mechanical issue that led to a slow, town to town hop scotch of west bound travel, trying not to catch up to train. The long day ended back in Oacoma where Gary Smith, a New Jersey native made the trip for his first time. He says it a nice change from operating a motorcar back home…
With the freight train still creeping to Kennebec, the motorcar operators secured their vehicles to the tracks. The following day on Sunday the group took part in a shorter ride, west from Oacoma to Presho to see the entire length of the Ringneck and Western’s track as Riding South Dakota’s Rails waved it’s own red flag to stop.
