Foundation and amateur football

The club was founded in Santiago on 14 July 1916 by workers associated with the Chilean State Railways.^[4] The institution originated among railway workers in the San Eugenio sector, an area of Santiago that contained railway workshops and other facilities. The club was initially known as Maestranza Atlético Football Club and was established to represent employees of the railway traction and workshops section.

Ferroviarios subsequently joined competitions organised by the Asociación de Football de Santiago. In 1927 it participated in the second level of the Liga Central de Football, and in 1929 adopted the name Club Deportivo Ferroviarios II Zona, reflecting its association with railway employees in the Santiago railway district.

Following the establishment of professional football in Santiago in 1933, Ferroviarios remained affiliated with the Santiago association. The reorganisation of the city's competitions resulted in several amateur clubs being incorporated into the professional championship for the 1934 season. Ferroviarios was among them and made its only appearance in the Chilean top division as an independent club that year.^[5]

After leaving the professional competition, Ferroviarios returned to amateur football. During the 1940s it competed in the División de Honor Amateur (DIVHA), which at the time formed part of the pathway between the Santiago amateur competitions and professional football. Ferroviarios won the competition in 1947, 1948 and 1949.

Ferrobádminton

Ferroviarios' 1949 DIVHA championship coincided with Badminton finishing last in the professional Primera División. The situation led to negotiations between the two institutions, which ultimately agreed to merge rather than compete separately. On 23 February 1950 they formed Ferrobádminton.^[6] Contemporary accounts described Ferroviarios as having the backing of the railway organisation and a substantial membership drawn from railway workers and their unions.^[6]

Ferrobádminton competed primarily in the Primera División during the 1950s and early 1960s. It finished third in the 1952 championship, its highest league position. The club was relegated to the Segunda División after the 1964 season, won that division in 1965 and consequently returned to the top flight for 1966. It was relegated again at the end of that season.

The merger remained in place until 8 January 1969, when it was dissolved and Ferroviarios and Badminton again became separate entities.^[7] Ferroviarios resumed competition under its own name, while Badminton subsequently relocated to Curicó. The period in which Ferroviarios was part of Ferrobádminton is generally treated separately from the club's independent competitive record.

Return as an independent club

After the dissolution of Ferrobádminton, Ferroviarios competed in the Chilean Segunda División. In 1969 it also reached the final of the Segunda División's opening tournament, losing to Naval.

The club came close to promotion to the Primera División in 1972. Its squad included former Chile internationals Leonel Sánchez and Luis Eyzaguirre, and Ferroviarios finished second in the Segunda División with 48 points, three behind champions Palestino.^[8] Ferroviarios remained in the second tier during the remainder of the 1970s.

In January 1978 the club entered into an arrangement with Norte Unido of Arica, under which the team was briefly known as Ferro-Norte. The arrangement lasted for less than a month.^[7] During the early 1980s the club also competed under the name Talagante-Ferro after relocating its football operations to Talagante. RSSSF records the use of the Talagante-Ferro identity between 1980 and 1983.^[7]

Ferroviarios was relegated from the Segunda División at the end of the 1982 season, ending its period in the professional divisions. It subsequently entered the Tercera División, which was administered outside the professional league structure.

Amateur divisions

Ferroviarios remained in the lower divisions of Chilean football during the following decades. In 1987 it was relegated to the fourth tier. The club returned to the Tercera División after finishing runner-up to Deportivo Polpaico in the 1997 Cuarta División, with both clubs obtaining promotion.

After subsequently returning to the fourth level, Ferroviarios won the 2003 Cuarta División championship, securing promotion to the Tercera División.^[9] The 2003 tournament was the final season of the Cuarta División before a restructuring of the lower divisions.

Ferroviarios later competed in the reorganised Tercera División B. In 2011 it reached the final promotion phase but remained in the division; Deportes Linares and Deportes Valdivia obtained promotion from the group.^[10]

Ferroviarios again reached the promotion stage in 2016, when it competed against clubs including Provincial Ovalle, which secured promotion with a 2–0 victory over Ferroviarios in Estación Central.^[11]

2018 promotion and subsequent seasons

In 2018, Ferroviarios qualified for the promotion play-offs of the Tercera División B. After eliminating Caupolicán, it faced Deportes Concepción in the semi-finals. Ferroviarios won the first leg 2–1, but Deportes Concepción overturned the result with a 3–1 victory at the Estadio Ester Roa Rebolledo on 2 December, before an attendance reported at more than 18,000.^[12]

The defeat placed Ferroviarios in a promotion play-off against Tercera División A side Tomás Greig. Ferroviarios lost the first leg 3–1 and won the return match by the same score, leaving the tie level at 4–4 on aggregate. Ferroviarios then won the penalty shoot-out 4–3, earning promotion to the Tercera División A after nine seasons in Tercera B.^[13]

The club spent one season in Tercera División A before returning to Tercera B following the 2019 campaign. Ferroviarios did not participate in the 2020 and 2021 editions and returned to competition in Tercera B in 2022.

Results

• Record Primera División victory — 7–1 v. Morning Star (1934)
• Record Primera División defeat — 0–6 v. Colo-Colo (1934)
• Primera División Best Position — 9th (1934)