The Rock Island Depot Railroad Museum

Fairbury, Nebraska

     Located in one of the state’s two intact Rock Island depots, the Rock Island Depot Railroad Museum at 910 Second Street in Fairbury, Nebraska, gives visitors a look at life when trains were the fastest and classiest way to go anywhere, from the billowing steam engine to the 1950’s stream-lined Rock Island Rocket.

     Get acquainted with the men who made the Rocket race across the country and learn about the life of a railroader. Since Fairbury was the Western Division Headquarters for Rock Island for many years, dispatching all Rock Island trains west of Des Moines, the community is full of railroad history.

Did You Know:

• That before the depot was built in 1914, the Western Division Headquarters were located in various buildings downtown?
• That in the 1920s, Rock Island employed 1,290 people just in Fairbury?
• That eastbound trains were even-numbered and westbound were odd-numbered?
• That two presidents, Dwight D. Eisenhower and Theodore Roosevelt, traveled through Fairbury on the Rocket?

The  main floor of the depot has been  restored and is used as a railroad museum, including the baggage room, which looks just like it did when the Rock Island closed the depot's doors in 1980, complete with baggage carts. The downstairs also houses a gift shop.  The second story, which served as offices for the Western Division, has recently been restored and features a conference room, model railroad display, historical library/archives and displays as well as a central office for the Jefferson County Historical Society.

     Outside, the grounds are being restored as well. The original freight house still stands and across the tracks now used by Union Pacific can be seen the old diesel shop. The garden, which was a showplace in the 1920's and 30's, is being restored and is home to the brick Memory Wall which honors those men and women who made train transportation an important part of Fairbury’s history. It also serves as a way to remember all Rock Island employees and their families.

The two latest additions to the grounds are the 7-1/4 inch scale railroad, called "The Little Blue Railroad," which offers rides to visitors during the summer months and on special occasions, and Rock Island Motor Car 9047. The doodlebug was acquired through a local donation and was moved about 30 miles to the depot in June. A grant from Rock Island Technical Society will help restore 9047 to her 1948 glory.

The Depot is located at Bacon Road and I Street, just west of the Nebraska Highway 15 Viaduct. Our hours are 1-5 p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, or by appointment. You can e-mail us at fairburyridepot@alltel.net.