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, and it had operations in Iowa and in Minnesota.[1] It was succeeded by the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway.
The last run of the Zephyr Rocket between St. Louis and Minneapolis over the former BCR&N mainline was on April 8–9, 1967.[4] Freight service on the line from Burlington to Cedar Rapids ceased with the bankruptcy of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad in March 1980. In the early 1990s, the Hoover Nature Trail began acquiring the Burlington to Cedar Rapids right of way for conversion to a recreational trail.[5]
Union Pacific still uses remnants of the former BCR&N branch to Sioux Falls, SD 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.
The corporate headquarters building at 411 1st Ave. SE in Cedar Rapids 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.[1] The building now serves Skogman Realty.[9]
The former roundhouse of the Iowa City branch was still standing in Iowa City in 2010.[10]
A two-span through truss bridge, composed of a Warren truss and a Lattice truss, exists in Iowa City in Napoleon Park. It is now being used by the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railway, albeit infrequently.[15]
An abandoned three-span Parker through truss bridge, built circa 1890, exists over the Iowa River in Columbus Junction.[16]
Several bridges and culverts in Cedar Rapids, Iowa have been reused on the Cedar River Trail.[17]
Several other bridges have been reused on the various portions of the Hoover Nature Trail.[18]
A former Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Northern deck truss bridge, built circa 1882, exists over the West Fork Des Moines River in Estherville, IA.[21] The bridge is still in use by the Union Pacific Railroad.
^Northwestern Group -- States of Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakotam South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana; Burlington and Northwestern Ry, Poor's Manual of Railroads for 1894, New York; page 250.
^Frailey, Fred W.(1998). Twilight of the Great Trains, p. 113. Waukesha, Wisconsin: Kalmbach Publishing. ISBN0 89024 178 3.
^Joseph P. Schwietertman, West Branch, Iowa (2,188), When the Railroad Leaves Town Truman State University Press, 2004; pages 140-144.