Atkinson and Northern Railroad

The Atkinson and Northern Railroad was a proposed railroad in northern Nebraska that never carried a train. It was founded in the late nineteenth century to run north from Atkinson, in Holt County, for about 25 to 30 miles to Perry in Boyd County, and its purpose was to carry grain from farms in the two counties to market. Articles of incorporation were filed in 1898 with the company headquarters in Atkinson. A vote on a 10,000 dollar bond for construction failed in October 1898, but contracts were signed in March 1899 and work began on April 13, 1899, which set off some land speculation in the town. About eight miles had been graded by the end of April and the contractors paid crews 8,000 dollars the following month, yet no track was ever laid. Extensions toward Cedar Rapids and Lynch were suggested in 1900, construction stalled, and a new company formed in 1901 to take over the project as a narrow-gauge line, but the railroad folded before it began.