The Twin Falls times. [volume] (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1905-1916, 1916-02-18
0. S. I. TO BUILD
CASTLEFORD LINE
Information Received Regarded
as Reliable
RAFT RIVER EXTENSION ALSO TO
BE BUILT DURING YEAR.
Rumor Circulating to Effect That
ROgerson Branch Is to Be Extended
Six Miles Farther South.

An extension of the o. s. L. from
Goodwin. small station on the Roger
son branch eight miles southeast of
Twin Falls, to Castleford, distance
of approximately twenty-five miles
from Goodwin, and the completion of
the Raft River extension out of Bur-
ley, started several years ago, but
later abandoned, are the two activities
in railroad building which this section
of the state is to witness during the
coming year. This information, re-
ceived from source that is regarded
as absolutely reliable, was received by
The Times late yesterday.
That these two extensions constitute
the only building that the Oregon
Short Line will undertake this year
is the additional inforamtion given
The Times by its informant. How
ever, there is a rumor afloat to the ef-
feet that the Rogerson branch is to
be extended six miles south of the
present terminus, but this report has
not been verified.
Short Line surveyors, ostensibly en-
ployed by an eastern syndicate headed
by 1. B. Perrine, have been working
on the proposed Castleford route, and
it has Just developed that the Short
Line proposes to extend line from
its Rogerson branch, commencing at
Goodwin, through one of the most fer
tile sections of the Twin Falls tract to
Castleford. The line as laid out fol-
lows the upper side of the High Line
canal, the road taking advantage Of
the present canal crossings on the
Rogerson branch, passing through the
pumping project south of Filler and
thence on to Castleford Most of its
right-of-way is on lands which form
the extreme northern section of the
Salmon tract Presumably the plans
of the railway company are to make
this vast territory more accessible to
the sugar factory which is to be
erected at Twin Falls this spring.
The other extension to be built by
the Short Line extends from Burley
into the Raft River country to Sire
.velle, the building of which was COM
menced several years ago, but stopped
by the governments enjoining the
railway company from crossing the ca
nails on the Minidoka project The
litigation continued for several years
and was finally won by. the company
but in the meantime e. II. Hartman,
former head of the Union Pacific, had
died and the policy of the road was
changed to that maintained at the
present time This policy is that new
territories must develop by themselves
and attract the railway as a business
proposition, instead of the railway
building into new sections to develop
the country Many of the Short Lines
branches being operated at loss, the
fiji RI annnf
different policy. The grade had been
completed the entire distance from
Burley TO Strevelle, a distance OF
nearly hundred miles 1t Will now
be necessary to repair the grade in
places, it having served the country
admirably as a public highway for sew
eral years With the repair of the
grade and the construction OF bridges
all that remains is the laying of ties
and rails.
Streyelle Is situated on the divide
between the Raft River country and
the country draining into Salt Lake
and Is but thirty miles from the old
line OF the Union Pacific at Kelton
Utah 1t was supposed at the time the
railway company was building the
grade to Strevelle that the company
planned on connecting with the old
u. P. road at Kelton, thus affording a
shortcut into Ogden and Salt Lake
The Raft River country has devel-
oped wonderfully during the last three
years, In spite of the handicap OF
being without a railroad. The Short
Lines activity at this time simply
means that there is sufficient tonnage
in that section to make it profitable
for the railway company TO go after it