Brandon in Buchanan County, Iowa — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Brandon Bridge
Cedar Valley Nature Trail
| — | Great American Rail-Trail | — |
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 18, 2025
1. Brandon Bridge Marker
Built in 1913, only surviving double arch bridge on Waterloo, Cedar Falls & Northern Railway, city’s first interurban line.
Erected 2024 by William G. Pomeroy Foundation. (Marker Number 2.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Bridges & Viaducts • Railroads & Streetcars. In addition, it is included in the William G. Pomeroy Foundation series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1913.
Location. 42° 18.79′ N, 91° 59.609′ W. Marker is in Brandon, Iowa, in Buchanan County. It can be reached from Finley Avenue just south of 330th Street (County Highway D48), on the left when traveling south. The marker is located along the Cedar Valley Nature Trail (former WCF&N railroad bed) on the west side of the Brandon Bridge. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3281 Brandon Diagonal Boulevard, Brandon IA 52210, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Eastern Iowa. It is also in the American Midwest and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere.
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Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 10 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Brandon to La Porte City - Corridors In The Cedar Valley (approx. half a mile away); Iowa's Largest Fryin' Pan (approx. ¾ mile away); Veterans Memorial (approx. ¾ mile away); Moments in Time on the Cedar (approx. 10 miles away); Flooding of the Cedar River (approx. 10 miles away); Red Cedar River (approx. 10 miles away); Minne Estema Park (approx. 10 miles away); The Many Bridges Built to Cross the Cedar River (approx. 10 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Brandon.
Also see . . .
1. Brandon Bridge (William G. Pomeroy Foundation). (Submitted on September 27, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
2. Century-Old Bridge in Brandon Is a Legacy to Iowa’s Railroad Heyday (RailsToTrails.org).
(By Cory Matteson) Excerpt: After a catastrophic 2008 flood destroyed two historic bridges that offered people on Iowa’s Cedar Valley Nature Trail passage(Submitted on September 27, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)over the Cedar River, only one functional double-arched span bridge—created on the path over a century ago—remained.Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 18, 20252. Brandon Bridge MarkerLooking east. Today the Brandon Bridge carries the Cedar Valley Nature Trail across Lime Creek.
Built just east of Brandon, Iowa, in 1913 as part of an expansion of the Waterloo, Cedar Falls & Northern Railway (WCF&N), the bridge was considered an early highlight among people in the town who were thrilled to gain rail access. Indeed, the arrival of the electric interurban line served as a turning point for Brandon, one that its boosters spent time and money advocating on behalf of. The Waterloo paper described the railway’s debut as an awakening in a town that was “lethargic for years.” The double-arched, cement bridge now offers people on the Cedar Valley Nature Trail a pleasant passage over Lime Creek below it.
The arch architecture was something of a signature of the WCF&N’s bridges, and variations on the theme—single-, double- and three multi-arched versions—carried cargo and passengers over waterways.
3. Waterloo, Cedar Falls and Northern Railway (Wikipedia).
Excerpt: The Waterloo and Cedar Falls Rapid Transit(Submitted on September 27, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)was organized in 1895 to build an 8-mile line from Waterloo to nearby Cedar Falls, Iowa, which it completed in 1897. In 1904 the company renamed itself Waterloo, Cedar Falls and Northern Railway (WCF&N) and began expanding outward, completing a 22-mile line from Waterloo north to Waverly in 1910 and a 60-mile line south to Cedar Rapids, where connection was made with the Cedar Rapids & Iowa City interurban, in 1914. In the 1920s it operated eight passenger trains per weekday to Cedar Rapids, four to Waverly, and every half hour from Waterloo to Cedar Falls.Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 18, 20253. Brandon Bridge MarkerLooking west along the Cedar Valley Nature Trail from atop the Brandon Bridge. The marker is on the left.
In 1956 the railway was jointly purchased by the Illinois Central and Rock Island railroads, who renamed it Waterloo Railroad and converted its freight operations to diesel power. Illinois Central became sole owner in 1968 and abandoned most of the Waterloo Railroad in the 1970s.
A section of former WCF&N track near Waterloo remains in use for freight service by Illinois Central's successor Canadian National. Since the 1980s most of the right-of-way between Waterloo and Cedar Rapids has been used for the Cedar Valley Nature Trail.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 18, 2025
4. Cedar Valley Nature Trail
Looking east from Finley Avenue. Former Waterloo, Cedar Falls & Northern Railway (WCF&N) railroad bed. The marker is visible in the distant right background, on the west side of the Brandon Bridge.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 18, 2025
5. South side of the Brandon Bridge, as viewed from Finley Avenue
Credits. This page was last revised on September 27, 2025. It was originally submitted on September 27, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 67 times since then and 26 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on September 27, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
