It was originally built in 1869 as part of the larger system, the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad (FE&MV) and effectively nicknamed the “Cowboy Line”.
Traffic volumes on this stretch of the cowboy line began mildly declining in the mid-1970s & abandonment was beginning to be discussed.
In the spring of 1982, the declining freight traffic levels were combined with flooding along the Elkhorn River across Northeastern Nebraska.
After the flooding occurred, the C&NW promptly filed a request with the Interstate Commerce Commission to abandon the line & was granted permission a short while later.
By October 1984, the Eastern Nebraska Chapter NRHS began negotiations to purchase the abandoned line.
In 1987, FEVR was evicted from the downtown freight house, relocating to a newly acquired property on Somers Avenue.
These colors were chosen to replicate the Fremont, Elkhorn & Missouri Valley railroad, which was the grand predecessor to the FEVR.
Small strings of empty covered hoppers & tankers were brought in by the Union Pacific & stored on FEVR rails west of Hooper.
In 2010, foreclosure was threatened on a bank loan & many of the FEVR assets were sold to a private party out of Richmond, Missouri.
May 2021, the process of removing the track was started, effectively eliminating any chance for a return of railroad service.
In its general north–south route, the tracks cross the 1848 Mormon Trail on its way west to Salt Lake City, Utah.
By the mid-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.
After 4 years of inactivity on the track, excursion operations were inaugurated by Steam Locomotive #1702 on Memorial Day 1986.
In summer 1988, this section of the FEVR track was removed, leaving the termination of the current system at Hooper.
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.
The connection line is currently out of service, with trees growing on the right-of-way, ties needing replacement, and other repairs necessary.