The primary commodities hauled are fertilizer, construction aggregates, grain, cotton, chemicals, peanuts and plastics.

The ATSF system, opened by the South Plains and Santa Fe Railway to Seagraves in 1918 and to Bledsoe in 1925 (later cut back to Whiteface).

[1] The Santa Fe sold the two lines to the Seagraves, Whiteface and Lubbock Railroad (reporting mark SWGR) in April 1990, and in November 1995 RailAmerica took over operations through the West Texas and Lubbock Railroad (reporting mark WTLR),[2] which also operated the affiliated Plainview Terminal Company.

[6] Also in 2007, the WT&L bought the BNSF line between Plainview and Dimmitt,[7] which Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad subsidiary Fort Worth & Denver South Plains Railway had completed in 1928.

[8] In May 2015, Watco purchased the WT&L from Iowa Pacific, with the railroad planned to be renamed the Lubbock and Western Railway.