It was built primarily on the own land of its owners, the Richardsons, and was intended to carry workers and freight from the Great Northern Railway (Ireland) GNR(I), in Newry to the family's flax mill in Bessbrook.

Additionally Hopkinson was to run the line on a six-month trial, showing that the cost of operation was not more than that of steam traction.

The 3 ft (914 mm) line ascended steadily from Newry to Beesbook, with an average incline of 1 in 86, and a maximum of 1 in 50.

The water turbine was a double bucket inward-flow vortex wheel design (manufactured by MacAdam Brothers, Belfast.

The centre track conductor was not laid at twelve level crossings;[note 1] electrical connectivity was maintained by having a collector on the front and rear of the locomotive-carriages, the distance between which was greater than the insulated section.

[note 2] After a lightning strike resulted in several electrocutions, and caused blown fuses at the generator the rails were connected to earth at several points.

[10] The tramway also introduced a system to allow road-worthy flangeless wheeled wagons on the line, first proposed by Alfred Holt, engineer, and brought into practice by Henry Barcroft of the Bessbrook spinning Co.;[note 1] the system used a section set of rails, outside the main and slightly lower (7/8 inch), on which the flangeless wheels ran, using the inner main rails as guides.

[1] On the closure of the tramway, tram engine No 2 went back to Mather and Platt in Manchester, who refurbished it as a cricket hut at Park Works.

[12] Another carriage, which has lain derelict in a field since the line closed, was rescued in December 2014 and is under restoration by the Southern Regional College.