The railway was built between 1914 and 1916 to assist in the construction and maintenance of the aqueduct supplying fresh water to Winnipeg.

The railway is located 110 feet (34 m) south of the aqueduct linking Winnipeg to Shoal Lake.

[2] Instead, the railway started hauling timber for firewood and paper mills as well as and gravel for construction.

[2] Gravel trains were discontinued in 1992, when a concrete manufacturer, Supercrete, shut down its pit at Ross, Manitoba.

[2] In 2013, Winnipeg officials folded the railway's operations into the city's Water and Waste Department.