The Texas Short Line Railway was chartered in 1901 to build from Grand Saline, TX north to a connection with the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad at Hoyt, near present-day Alba, TX. The line opened in September, 1902, also serving some coal mines near Alba and a salt mine at Grand Saline. In 1910, the TSL built another mile of track within Grand Saline to connect to the Texas & Pacific line that ran between Dallas and Shreveport, LA. In 1929, the T&P purchased Texas Short Line outright, but continued to operate it as a separate entity. A year later, after the discovery of oil in Van Zandt county to the south, the TSL built another 10 miles to Van, located in the middle of the oil field.

As freight begin to taper off, TSL found itself in a deficit. The line between Grand Saline and Alba was abandoned in 1959; the remainder of the Texas Short Line between Grand Saline and Van was abandoned three years later.