The extension of this branch line to Büsum was opened for freight on 1 November 1883.

A 2.5 km long Spalding railway with a track gauge of 600 mm ended at the station Osterhof.

In the 1980s, the use of uneconomic train sets (a class V 100 locomotive hauling Silberling carriages with a control car) led to a temporary decline of the line.

Osterhof and Haferwisch stations were closed as part of the launch of the associated regular interval timetable between Heide and Büsum.

Since the timetable change in December 2011, the line has been operated by NBE Nordbahn Eisenbahngesellschaft mbh & Co. KG, a joint subsidiary of AKN Eisenbahn AG and BeNEX GmbH.