This railway was built by the St. Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba Railroad in 1887, and connected the communities of Rutland and Ellendale. In 1905, the line was acquired by the Great Northern, who extended the line beyond Ellendale to Forbes. The GN was merged into the Burlington Northern later.

The route was abandoned in stages:

• Rutland to Ludden Junction abandoned in 1974
• Ellendale to Forbes in 1981
• Ludden Junction to Ellendale in 1984