The presence of hard and brittle thin White Etching Layers (WELs) on rail surfaces plays a critical role in varying the tribology behaviors at the wheel and rail interface. The reciprocating sliding tests at room temperature and 600°C were carried out for two types of WELs, including thermomechanically-induced WEL (TP-WEL) and mechanically-induced WEL (SD-WEL). A normal rail sample was also employed for the comparison. The wear mechanism of WEL-free rail shifts from abrasive wear at room temperature to adhesive wear and oxide wear at 600°C. The oxidized-WELs contribute to the wear performance of WELs covered rail. Among the two types of WELs, TP-WEL has lower wear resistance, while SD-WEL develops high friction and less wear loss.