In 1773, James Watt surveyed a canal to connect the coal mines to Campbeltown to reduce the costs of transportation.

As rail transport developed in the 19th century, the colliery owners sought to build a tramway to replace the canal.

In 1876 a lightly constructed industrial railway was built connecting Kilkivan Pit to Campbeltown,[1] a distance of 4+1⁄2 miles (7.24 km).

The colliery railway only ever carried coal traffic and used two locomotives, Princess and Chevalier to haul the trains of mine tubs.

Around the turn of the century the mine owners began to search for additional traffic for the summer season.

It was an immediate success, attracting 10,000 passengers in its first three weeks of operation and replacing the horse-drawn tourist charabanc traffic in Campbeltown.

In the years leading up to the First World War, the railway thrived on a mixture of coal and passenger traffic.

After the war, competition from new motor buses began to reduce the railway's profitable tourist trade.

He stated at the Board of Trade Inquiry into the accident that the reason for this practice was a desire to save the expense connected with the wear of the batteries that supplied power to the tablet instruments.

Each carriage had a central saloon with wooden tramway style seating for 64 passengers and open end platforms.

The carriages survived the closure of the line and in 1934 were moved to Trench Point on the other side of Campbeltown Loch where they were used as holiday homes.

There are six saloon coaches on the 15 in (381 mm) gauge Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway in Cumbria which are based on the exterior designs of the Campbeltown passenger stock, built in 1989 and 1990 for the Gateshead Garden Festival.

None of the stations had platforms, however a small wooden shed with a corrugated iron roof was present at Machrihanish.