This branch line was built in 1910 as part of the Malheur Valley Railway as they built westward from Ontario, OR. (See the Oregon Eastern Branch.) It traveled roughly 23 miles northwards from Vale to the small unincorporated community of Brogan, OR. There, a small wye and siding served to turn locomotives. Its main purpose was to serve the agricultural areas in the region; in 1914, this line reported a total of $75 of income for the railroad. The entire line came under the ownership of Union Pacific around 1924.
This branch was abandoned in segments. The northern segment, between Jamieson and Brogan, about 5 miles, was abandoned in 1964; the remainder of the line to Vale was abandoned in 1979. The track hardware of the line (ties, plates, spikes and rails) was then donated to the Sumter Valley Railroad by Union Pacific. Much of the right-of-way parallels US Route 26.
Vale was a town of note as it was the first stop within Oregon on the famed Oregon Trail.