A major reason for building the railway was to exploit tourist traffic to Blarney Castle.

The railway was built close to the south bank of the River Lee until before the station at Leemount.

[1] An 8+1⁄2-mile-long (14 km) extension was built north-westerly from St Annes (on the Blarney branch) to Donoughmore.

1–3 City of Cork, Coachford and St. Annes were originally supplied in a 2-4-0T configuration in 1887 by Falcon Engine & Car Works and were converted to 4-4-0T later.

7 and 8, Peake and Dripsey were from Brush Electrical Engineering Company, Falcon's successor were ordered in the later 1890s and 1905 respectively and were broadly similar to earlier ones from the same manufacturer.

9, also named Blarney, a Hunslet Engine Company 4-4-0T, was ordered in 1911 but only delivered in 1919 due to the war, and then scrapped in 1927.

[7] The CMLR main fleet consisted of just over twenty bogie passengers vehicles of c. 30 feet (9 m) length seating of the order of 36 to 40 persons in a mixture of first and third classes.