Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railway Company 1881

The Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railway (BCR&N) was a railroad that operated in the United States from 1876 to 1903. It was formed to take over the operations of the bankrupt Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Minnesota Railway, which was, in turn, the result of merging several predecessor lines, the construction of which began in 1869. The corporate headquarters were in

Cedar Rapids, Iowa Cedar Rapids () is the second-largest city in Iowa, United States and is the county seat of Linn County, Iowa, Linn County. The city lies on both banks of the Cedar River (Iowa River), Cedar River, north of Iowa City, Iowa, Iowa City and north ...

, and it had operations in Iowa and in Minnesota.Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Northern Railroad
Portrait and Biographical Album of Linn County, Iowa, Volume 2
Chapman Bros, Chicago, 1887; pages 931-933. It was succeeded by the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway. The original mainline ran from

Burlington, Iowa Burlington is a city in, and the county seat of, Des Moines County, Iowa, Des Moines County, Iowa, United States. The population was 23,982 in the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, a decline from the 26,839 population in 2000 United States ...

via

Cedar Rapids Cedar Rapids () is the second-largest city in Iowa, United States and is the county seat of Linn County. The city lies on both banks of the Cedar River, north of Iowa City and northeast of Des Moines, the state's capital and largest city. I ...

north to

Albert Lea, Minnesota Albert Lea is a city in Freeborn County, in southern Minnesota. It is the county seat. Its population was 18,492 at the 2020 census. The city is at the junction of Interstates 35 and 90, about south of the Twin Cities. It is on the shore ...

, with a perpetual lease of the 'Minneapolis Road' from there to

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origin ...

. By 1882, branch lines had been built to Traer,

Postville Postville is a village in Allamakee and Clayton counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. It lies near the junction of four counties and at the intersection of U.S. Routes 18 and 52 and Iowa Highway 51, with airport facilities in the neighboring c ...

, Muscatine,

Iowa City Iowa City, offically the City of Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It is the home of the University of Iowa and county seat of Johnson County, at the center of the Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the time ...

, and the coal mines of the

What Cheer What Cheer (pronounced 'WOT-cheer') is a city in Keokuk County, Iowa, United States. It is a former coal town, and from the 1870s to the early 1900s was one of the major coal-producing centers of Iowa. Its greatest recorded population was 3,246, i ...

region, all in Iowa. Through passenger service was offered from Minneapolis to St. Louis in conjunction with the St. Louis, Keokuk and Northwestern Railroad (later part of the

CB&Q The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington Route, the Burlington, or as the Q, it operated extensive trackage in the states of Colorado, Ill ...

Dual gauge operations

In 1880, the Burlington Cedar Rapids and Northern granted running rights to the Burlington and Northwestern Railway from

north to Mediapolis, a distance of 13.77 miles. Since the latter line used three foot gauge until regauged in the 20th century, a third rail was put down on this stretch of mainline, converting it to

dual gauge In railway engineering, "gauge" is the transverse distance between the inner surfaces of the heads of two rails, which for the vast majority of railway lines is the number of rails in place. However, it is sometimes necessary for track to ca ...

Legacy

The last run of the Zephyr Rocket between St. Louis and Minneapolis over the former BCR&N mainline was on April 8–9, 1967. Freight service on the line from Burlington to Cedar Rapids ceased with the bankruptcy of the

Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (CRI&P RW, sometimes called ''Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway'') was an American Class I railroad. It was also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock. At the end ...

in March 1980. In the early 1990s, the

Hoover Nature Trail The Hoover Nature Trail (HNT) is a crushed limestone rail trail in eastern Iowa that follows the old Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad route between Burlington and Cedar Rapids. The trail is a shared-use trail for bicycling, hiking, jogging ...

began acquiring the Burlington to Cedar Rapids right of way for conversion to a recreational trail. Between Cedar Rapids and

Manly, Iowa Manly is a city in Worth County, Iowa, United States, whose population was 1,256 at the time of the 2020 census. It is part of the Mason City Micropolitan Statistical Area. History Manly (originally called Manly Junction) was laid out in 1877 a ...

, the former mainline remains in service, operated by the

Iowa Northern Railway The Iowa Northern Railway is a Class III shortline railroad operating in the U.S. state of Iowa. History The origin of the Iowa Northern Railway starts with the major portion of the Manly to Cedar Rapids line which was built in the 1870s by th ...

. Union Pacific still uses remnants of the former BCR&N branch to

Sioux Falls, SD Sioux Falls () is the most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the 130th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha County and also extends into Lincoln County to the south, which continues up t ...

that ran off of the mainline at Vinton, IA with segments remaining between Dows and Clarion, as well as between Goldfield, IA and Superior, IA.

Surviving passenger facilities

At least eight of its stations survive: * Station in

Clarion, Iowa Clarion is a city in and the county seat of Wright County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,810 at the time of the 2020 census. Clarion is the birthplace of the four-leaf clover emblem used by the 4-H Clubs of America, conceived of in 1 ...

, listed on the National Register of Historic Places listings in Wright County, Iowa * Depot in

Dows, Iowa Dows is a city in Franklin and Wright counties of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 521 at the time of the 2020 census. The town was incorporated on May 3, 1892. History Dows got its start in the year 1880, following construction of th ...

, listed on the National Register of Historic Places listings in Wright County, Iowa * Depot in

Greene, Iowa Greene is a city in Butler County, Iowa, United States, along the Shell Rock River, and along Butler County's northern border, where Butler and Floyd counties meet. The population was 990 at the time of the 2020 census. History The community o ...

*Depot in Kalona, Iowa (relocated to Kalona Historic Village). * Depot, track and bridge in Rock Rapids, Iowa, listed on the National Register of Historic Places listings in Lyon County, Iowa * Station in

Vinton, Iowa Vinton is a city in Benton County, Iowa, United States. The population was 4,938 in the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, a decrease from 5,102 in 2000 United States Census, 2000. It is also part of the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Cedar Rapids Ceda ...

, listed on the

National Register of Historic Places listings in Benton County, Iowa This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Benton County, Iowa. This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Benton County, Iowa, United Sta ...

* Depot in

Walker, Iowa Walker is a city in Linn County, Iowa. The population was 688 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Cedar Rapids, Iowa metropolitan area. History Walker began as an outgrowth of the Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railway. It was named in ...

* Depot in

Rockford, Iowa Rockford is a city in Floyd County, Iowa, United States, at the confluence of the Shell Rock and Winnebago rivers. The population was 758 at the time of the 2020 census. Geography Rockford's longitude and latitude coordinatesin decimal form ar ...

* Depot in Pipestone, Minnesota, listed on the National Register of Historic Places listings in Pipestone County, Minnesota *Depot in Sioux Falls, South Dakota *Depot in

Lone Tree, Iowa Lone Tree is a city in southeastern Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It is part of the Iowa City, Iowa Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,357 at the time of the 2020 census. History Lone Tree was platted by John W. Jayne in ...

, now a community center

Other structures

The corporate headquarters building at 411 1st Ave. SE in

still carries the BCR&N Ry initials at the top of the wall facing the tracks. The historic facade facing First Avenue, constructed in 1885, has been completely modernized. The building now serves Skogman Realty. The former roundhouse of the Iowa City branch was still standing in Iowa City in 2010. The former Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Northern Freight House, built in 1898 on the corner of Front and High Streets in

, is now a restaurant. This building was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1983. During the

Iowa Flood of 2008 Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to ...

, this building was inundated with four feet of water. The construction of this freight house (replacing an earlier structure) lead to a court battle with the Burlington Gaslight Company that was ultimately decided by the

US Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point of ...

. A two-span through truss bridge, composed of a Warren truss and a Lattice truss, exists in

in Napoleon Park. It is now being used by the

Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railway The Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railway , also known as the CRANDIC, is a Class III railroad operating in the United States, US state of Iowa. The CRANDIC currently operates of main line and more than of yard trackage in four east central Iowa ...

, albeit infrequently. An abandoned three-span Parker through truss bridge, built circa 1890, exists over the Iowa River in Columbus Junction. Several bridges and culverts in

have been reused on the Cedar River Trail. Several other bridges have been reused on the various portions of the

. A partially destroyed bridge exists in the

Czech Village Cedar Rapids () is the second-largest city in Iowa, United States and is the county seat of Linn County, Iowa, Linn County. The city lies on both banks of the Cedar River (Iowa River), Cedar River, north of Iowa City, Iowa, Iowa City and north ...

neighborhood of

operates across several BCRN structures, including a Warren through truss bridge over Beaver Creek northeast of

Cedar Falls, Iowa Cedar Falls is a city in Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 40,713. It is home to the University of Northern Iowa, a public university. History Cedar Falls was first settled in March 1845 b ...

. A former Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Northern deck truss bridge, built circa 1882, exists over the West Fork Des Moines River in

Estherville, IA Estherville is a city in Emmet County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,904 in the 2020 census, a decline from 6,656 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Emmet County. History Emmet County was initially created by an act of t ...

. The bridge is still in use by the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...

References

External links

{{Portal, Railways Defunct Iowa railroads Defunct Minnesota railroads Predecessors of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad Railway companies established in 1876 Railway companies disestablished in 1903 1876 establishments in the United States