A Brief History of the Railroads in Fairfield

Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad

The first railroad arrived in Fairfield in 1858 from Burlington, Iowa. The Burlington and Missouri River Railroad eventually reached Nebraska and was absorbed by the C.B & Q (Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad) about 1872.

In 1901 the track on the east end of Fairfield and from the west end of Fairfield to Batavia was straightened and dualized.

A bit of trivia - 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 was recently built across the creek where the railroad once crossed.

Also, 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 here. From Highway 34 you can see remnants of the old roadbed just east of the Mitchell Creek Bridge (look east of the creek).

Now one of the main lines of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad (BNSF), it carries coal trains from Wyoming, freight trains from everywhere, and Amtrak's California Zephyr.

Rock Island Railroad

In 1870 the city leaders lobbied the Chicago & Southwestern Railroad to come through Fairfield instead of Ottumwa to provide competition for the C. B & Q.

This would also give Fairfield a north-south connection, giving Fairfield access to even more markets. It arrived in 1871, eventually becoming the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad.

Having two railroads in town influenced Joel Turney to move his wagon works to Fairfield in 1887. For several years he produced 5000-6000 wagons a year. The Louden Machinery Company depended on the railroads, and became one of the largest shippers in the Mid-west on the Rock Island.

In 1946 the track to the north and south of Fairfield was rerouted to shorten it. The Rock Island carried freight and passengers until its demise in 1980.

More trivia - 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 straighened 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. Much of the 1946 alinement of the abandoned roadbed is now being used for recreational trails.