The railway leads up the mountain to a viewing platform building 165 m high above the surrounding Coromandel west coast country.

[3] He started construction of the 15-inch gauge rail line in 1975, originally mainly using it to transport clay and pine wood fuel to his kiln.

The project required significant civil engineering works due to the steep and complex terrain that the line traverses.

The design of the building was based on the Bean Rock Lighthouse in Auckland, and includes a large viewing deck which was added in 2005 at Brickell's suggestion.

The line operates a number of items of rolling stock, the most important of which are the three diesel railcars, which were built on site by the railway's own workshops.

In his book Rails toward the Sky, Barry Brickell stated that Dieselmouse is harder to drive, and is used as a shunting engine around the potteries and firewood drying shed.