Routes

Batavia Branch

Date of Opening: September 1902

Date of Abandonment: July 3, 1957

Length of Route: 5.9 miles

Total Number of Stations: 8

Number of Tracks: 1

Type of Traction: Third Rail

General Overview:

The Batavia Branch was a small single track line that split off from a point on the Aurora Branch known originally as Eola Junction but which later came to be known as Batavia Junction (referencing the connection to branch rather than the small community that the junction was near). From the junction, the branch ran roughly northwest through rural prairie to the city of Batavia, located along the Fox River.

Constructed by the Batavia & Eastern Railway (a subsidiary of the Aurora & Elgin that was eventually merged into the larger whole in March of 1902), the Batavia Branch was built to the same high standards that made the Great Third Rail revolutionary when it opened. Service on the branch began in late September of 1902, however its solid construction and fast trips did little to attract riders to it. Most service on the line was handled by a single car shuttle operating between the Batavia Terminal and the Batavia Junction station where passengers could connect with trains operating on the Aurora Branch.

Unlike the Geneva Branch which was shut down during the Depression due to low ridership, the Batavia Branch managed to survive all the way until the Aurora & Elgin’s last day of passenger service. Low patronage and all. It may seem odd that the Geneva Branch was shut down while the Batavia Branch lived on, but the Batavia Branch had one thing that the Geneva Branch didn’t: Batavia Powerhouse.

Access to the powerhouse has been speculated as the possible reason that the branch was kept open in spite of the fact that, year after year, numbers showed that the branch was being operated financially at a loss.

Full branch profile and history coming soon.

Have any information, pictures of the right of way, pictures of trains on the right of way, pictures of Batavia Branch stations, or pictures of trains at those stations? If so, by all means, please contact us! We are always looking for more pictures and information.