History of the Railroads in Fairfield
(and how they became trails)
Rail Trails in Fairfield
The Jefferson County Conservation Board and the Jefferson County Trails Council recently turned parts of abandoned roadbeds into recreational trails -- 4.8 miles of the old Rock Island roadbed, and 0.55 miles of the original CB & Q roadbed.
Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad
Two sections of the original alignment of the Burlington & Missouri Railroad (now BNSF) are utilized. In 1901 the CB&Q railroad was straightened out and dual-tracked, leaving original sections of roadbed at the east and west ends of Fairfield.
- The "back side" of the driveway around Chautauqua Park is on this old roadbed. About 0.3 miles long, you can see more remnants of the old roadbed when you look east from the bottom of the drive.
A trail bridge in Chautauqua Park, a connector to the Loop Trail, was recently built across the creek where the railroad once crossed.
- Whitham Woods has a 0.25-mile section running through it from east to southwest. Recently cleared, you can view the original railroad bridge abutments. Whitham Woods.
From Business Highway 34 you can see remnants of the old roadbed just before you cross over Mitchell Creek, west of Whitham Woods (photo right).
Rock Island Railroad
Five sections of the abandoned Rock Island roadbed are currently utilized (the 1871 and 1946 alignment).
- A 1.3-mile section along the northwest border of Maharishi University of Management has become a crucial part of the North Segment of the 17-mile Fairfield Loop Trail. It connects 8th Street and Gear Avenue with North B Street.
The railroad bridge that once crossed over Highway 1 was removed in 1982 - a new bridge for the Loop Trail was build in 2009.
- The 0.4-mile Erma Hartman Memorial Trail starts at West Jackson Ave. (west of 7th St.) and runs southwesterly along the old roadbed to the East Entrance trail of Jefferson County Park.
- The Jefferson County Park entrance road, at Libertyville Rd., uses the original alignment of the Rock Island (it was abandoned in 1946 when the section to Libertyville was straightened out and shortened). The entrance road is 0.5 miles, and a trail extends another 0.5 miles northward to the East Entrance, where it joins the Erma Hartman Trail.
- Also in Jefferson County Park is 0.6 miles of trail on the newer roadbed. Connecting to the Cedar View Trail at 32nd Street, it extends northeasterly into the park. The trail continues, roughly paralleling the roadbed, to join the Erma Hartman Trail.
- The latest trail, the Cedar View Trail, uses 1.5 miles of this newer roadbed. Beginning at 32nd Street, it extends southwesterly from Jefferson County Park, crosses Cedar Creek on the new Cedar View Bridge, and ends at 223rd Street. (The old railroad bridge was dismantled in the 1980's). Cedar View Trail.
From there the Cedar View Trail utilizes 3 miles of county roads to travel to the town of Libertyville. In the future, more of the existing railroad bed may be turned into trail, depending on funding and easements.
BNSF Railroad History
The first railroad to arrive in Fairfield (1858) was from Burlington, Iowa, (the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad). The BMRR reached Omaha, Nebraska, sometime after the Civil War ended.
By then there was a bridge across the Mississippi River at Burlington, allowing connections to Chicago and beyond. The BMRR was absorbed by the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad (C B & Q) about 1872.
In 1901 the C B & Q dualized and straightened the tracks near Fairfield. Tall trestles (still in use) were built on the east (near Chautauqua Park) and west sides (near Whitham Woods) of Fairfield.
These tracks are now an important part of the The Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad (BNSF).
Rock Island Railroad History
In 1870 the city leaders lobbied to have a second railroad (the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad) come through Fairfield. It arrived in 1871 from Washington, Iowa, and continued on to Eldon, Iowa, and then Kansas City.
The Rock Island rerouted its tracks from Washington to Eldon in 1946 to shorten the distance. Parts of this shortened roadbed is visible in and around Fairfield.
The Rock Island carried freight and passengers to and through Fairfield until its demise in 1980. For some time Louden Machinery Company was the largest shipper on the Rock Island.
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