The Eagle Mountain Railroad, owned by Kaiser Steel Corporation, is a 51-mile branch line that serves the iron mines in and around Eagle Mountain, near California's Salton Sea. It branches from the Union Pacific's transcontinental route (ex-Southern Pacific) near Niland, CA, at a location named "Ferrum", at which a small 5-track staging yard and turning wye are also located.
Construction on the line started in August of 1947 and was completed the following year. At first, the iron mines produce great quantities of iron ore, all of which were hauled away in Southern Pacific gondolas twice daily. As demand for the iron ore declined, so did the freight traffic, until the 1980s, when the line saw only one train a week. The last revenue train ran over the rails in 1986.
A majority of the track remains today, but time has taken its toll on some portions of the line.