Rock Island — Gruver to Gerled

IA · Gruver → Gerled

A prairie grain branch that faded out without a goodbye.

Heads up: Union Pacific still owns this line and no abandonment has been filed, so trains could legally return. The track continues on both ends. Get permission before riding.

This line across the far north of Iowa was built in 1899 by the Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Northern, which the Rock Island took over a few years later. For most of the 20th century it carried grain from the elevators at Gruver, Armstrong and Swea City out to the main lines.

When the Rock Island collapsed in 1980, the Chicago & North Western took the line over, and in 1995 it became part of Union Pacific as the Rake Subdivision. Traffic was already light: Iowa's 2018 rail records list it as a thinly used branch.

Since then the trains seem to have stopped. Recent street-level photos show the rails between Gruver and Gerled buried in grass, with weeds growing up between the ties. Union Pacific has never filed to abandon it, though, so on paper it's still a working railroad.

⚠️ Before you go: every railroad on this map is private property. A line that looks abandoned may still be owned by a railroad, used to store rail cars, or put back into service at any time — sometimes with no warning. Before going near any track, make sure it's truly abandoned (no recent use, rails not polished, no signals or cars stored on it) and that you're allowed to be there. Never assume a track is dead.

📷 Photos & stories from riders

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