O.T. Jct. is not the same as South Junction. O.T. Jct. is where the U.P. connected from their Columbia River Gorge Line, East of The Dalles,OR., to the Oregon Trunk for the run South to Bend,OR.
South Junction is located on Today's Oregon Trunk ( BNSF ) about 20 miles North of Madras,OR.
Originally both E.H. Harriman's Union Pacific ( Deschutes RR. ) and James J. Hill's Spokane, Portland & Seattle ( Oregon Trunk RR. ) built lines South from their respective mainlines in Clolumbia River Gorge, with O.T. on the West side of the Deschutes River, ( aka Des Chutes ) and the Deschutes on the East side. However the O.T. was denied permission to build through the Warm Springs Indian Reservation on the West side of the Deschutes River, so Hill made a deal with U.P. to jump over to the Deschutes RR. tracks for 11 miles to South Jct., wherein each RR. then had separate lines South through Madras to Metolius, OR., and joint trackage from there South to Bend. In 1923 O.T. abandoned their own line between South Jct. and Metolius account bad wood - lined tunnels and the U.P. line being 5 miles shorter. In 1936 U.P. abandoned their line between O.T. Jct. and North Jct. in favor of the O.T. line, so today's Oregon Trunk is a combination of the two original lines.
The old U.P. Right of Way is now a gravel public access road for many miles North from Sherer's Bridge North almost 20 miles along the East bank of Deschutes River. Do NOT drive this gravel road unless you have new 4 ply or better tires on your vehicle, as the " gravel " ( aka Volcanic Basalt ) will eat up tire rubber real nice. Also NO cell phone coverage down in the river canyon if you do get a flat !!!