The tracks used by FEVR trains were laid in 1869-71 by the
Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad (FE&MV); it was one of the oldest sections of existing railroad track in the state of
Nebraska. This line was nicknamed the "Cowboy Line." In its general north–south route, the tracks cross the 1848 Mormon Trail on its way west to
Salt Lake City, Utah. The FE&MV was acquired by the
Chicago and North Western Railway in 1903 and became a gateway to
Chadron in northwest Nebraska, where the tracks then lead north to
Deadwood and
Rapid City, South Dakota, then on to
Colony, Wyoming. From Chadron, the tracks leading west terminate in
Lander, Wyoming. This section of the cowboy line was known as the West Point Subdivision during C&NW ownership (according to a 1980 system timetable). The West Point subdivision track ran from Fremont to Norfolk. This line mainly hauled grain, agricultural goods, lumber, bentonite from South Dakota & occasional coal loads from the booming coal fields of Wyoming. By the 1970s, freight traffic levels began mildly declining & abandonment rumors became emminet through the early 1980s. However, along with the declining freight traffic volumes, flooding damaged many sections of the West Point subdivision in spring of 1982 & abandonment was applied for. C&NW was granted permission to abandon the track later that year. The abandonment left the future of the track very dismal. The remaining section from Fremont to West Point was acquired by FEVR in 1985 & repairs to the track commenced. After 4 years of inactivity on the track, excursion operations were inaugurated by Steam Locomotive #1702 on Memorial Day 1986. When FEVR started out, it was originally planned out to acquire the entire line from Fremont to
Norfolk. However, the plan never came to fruition as C&NW had already removed the section of the track from
West Point to Norfolk in Spring 1985, leaving West Point as the end of the track. Unfortunately, the line from Hooper to West Point was deemed too costly to repair. In summer 1988, this section of the FEVR track was removed, leaving the termination of the current system at Hooper. The section between
Nickerson and Hooper was embargoed in 2003, due to a faulty bridge north of Nickerson. Now the line goes from Fremont to Nickerson, passing the historic Rawhide Creek on the line. Between Fremont and the village of Nickerson, a 'track'-diamond intersection exists in the
BNSF Railway's
Sioux City subdivision which was constructed by the C.B. & Q Railroad. This diamond was removed in the spring of 2014 by the BNSF Railway. South of Linden Avenue, the FEVR interchanges with
Union Pacific Railroad (UP), which owns the connection line from M Street to Linden Avenue. The connection line is currently out of service, with trees growing on the right-of-way, ties needing replacement, and other repairs necessary. FEVR had been interested in acquiring the track for a number of years. In early June 2015, the railroad's crossings over State and Federal Highways were marked "Exempt", with crossing signals and warning devices bagged, and crossing gates removed. These crossings include Broad Street north of 23rd Street in Fremont (US Highway 77), US Highway 30 / 275 west of Luther Road north of Fremont, Nebraska Highway 91 in Nickerson, Nebraska and US Highway 77 at Winslow, Nebraska. November 2016 saw 2 more crossings removed. The crossing ownership at Linden Avenue changed to UP & was removed as well as the UP crossing at Military Avenue. In 2011 the FEVR was in danger of closing and, the line and locomotives were sold to a company promising to repair the line to Hooper. Unfortunately this was not the case and, the railroad shut down anyway. The line laid dormant from 2012 until May 2021 when the track materials were sold and the line was pulled up southbound from Hooper to Fremont. ==Fremont Dinner Train==