The society was formed in 1967 to preserve any railway artifacts irrespective of their origins and to operate them on the line that originally connected the former Foxfield Colliery in Dilhorne, Staffordshire, with the Stoke on Trent to Derby line of the former North Staffordshire Railway at Blythe Bridge.

This empowers the company to erect such buildings and structures as necessary for the operation of its line, without having to seek planning permission from the local authority.

Historically it appears that some of the line near the colliery was laid on the path of a former plateway or tramway.

It was these crossings which ultimately defined that the LRO would be required in order to comply with the Transport and Works Act, 1992.

The characteristic features that set this line apart from others are its many steep gradients and sharp curves.