Preliminary Information

In the 1870s, the Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railroad (or BCR&N) continued expanding from Cedar Rapids up to Manley. In 1902 the BCR&N was bought out by the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (known as the Rock Island or later just “The Rock”).

In 1984, a portion of the old Rock trackage around Waterloo was purchased by a newly created company. The Iowa Northern Railway (IANR). According to the Iowa DOT, IANR interchanges with UP, CP, NS, CKPKC, UP and CRANDIC. They primarily export agricultural products from eastern Iowa, however they do service industries along their line as well. John Deere exports all of their tractors going long distance on IANR. Manly Terminal is another major customer that imports and exports ethanol and chemicals to trans-load onto trucks.

In 2023, the Canadian National Railway (CN) put in an offer to buy the Iowa Northern. The process was completed in 2025. For now Iowa Northern still exists as a separate company with the financial backing and over a century of experience to support it.

IANR’s motive power originally consisted of mainly first generation GP series locomotives (GP7 and GP9). They have since upgraded to mainly second generation (GP38-2) and ex Amtrak F40-PH. They also utilize slugs heavily as the majority of their trackage has relatively low speed limits, and for yard work. You can see the full roster here.