This line was orginally built in 1910 by the Hanford and Summit Lake Railway and was part of a larger line that ran between Ingle and a connection with the San Joaquin Valley Railway at Hardwick (see the Kerman Branch, also abandoned). Eventually, both lines came under the control of the Southern Pacific Railroad.

In 1938, SP abandoned a portion of the Kerman Branch from its connection with this line in Hardwick north to Caruthers. The SP decided to consolidate this line with the remainder of the Kerman Branch between Hardwick and Armona as the Riverdale Branch. In Armona, this branch left the Southern Pacific line (which ran from Goshen Junction to Coalinga) at the site of the SP's Armona passenger station.

This line was abandoned in 1951, with the rails being pulled up sometime between 1952 and 1960. The former Armona passenger station was converted into a lumber store sometime in the late 50s or early 60s.