When fully opened, its eastern terminals were at Redruth and copper and tin mines at Tresavean and Lanner, and it ran to wharves and a foundry at Hayle.

Coal (for fuelling pumps which kept the mines dry) and machinery and timber were brought in, and general merchandise was conveyed.

In the early years of the 19th century, mineral extraction and smelting was a dynamic industry in West Cornwall, and the port of Hayle was well established.

In 1837 the company proposed to open all of its line east of the bridge, which would have connected all the mines to the harbour, but would have left the foundry owned by Henry Harvey, located immediately to the west, disconnected.

Harvey was concerned that this temporary arrangement would disadvantage him competitively, and he drew attention to a clause in the authorising Act requiring that "the line should be completed before opening".

The network therefore consisted of:[5] The station at Redruth was in the angle of Blowinghouse Hill and Coach Lane; it had been open from the beginning as a goods terminal, and passenger services started on 23 May 1843; there was a single platform beneath a wooden train shed.

It crossed the small valley formed by an arm of the Red River immediately to the north of the present viaduct, and the then by a separate bridge over the adjacent Old Mill Lane (in fact a footpath and farm track).

Crossing Steamers Hill, the line came to the head of Angarrack incline and descended to Phillack, running on the north side of Copperhouse Pool.

Continuing to the western end of the Pool, there was probably a "station" called Hayle Riviere close to the present North Quay.

From the swing bridge the line swung sharply west and then followed the southerly alignment of Penpol Terrace, crossing under the present-day Hayle Viaduct, and then turning north, once more under the later Hayle Viaduct, to sidings on East Quay; there were also siding connections to Harvey's machine factory.

North Quay was also served by sidings, with a junction, facing for trains from Redruth, east of the swing bridge.

When passenger services were first in operation, in May 1843, trains apparently started and terminated at Crotch's Hotel, close to Foundry Square.

The line started from Wheal Comfort mine at Tresavean, and followed a zigzag course to stay on the contour, passing west of Lanner and crossing the Redruth and Chasewater Railway there.

Most of the alignment is plain in aerial photographs; the point of intersection with the Redruth & Chasewater line, and the incline near the head, are accessible.

[10] The railway received an estimate to provide four stationary steam engines in 1836, in the amount of £7,100, although in the event the Penponds and Tresavean inclines were gravity operated.

A steam packet service had been introduced in 1831 between Hayle and Bristol, and from 1841 it was possible to continue to London by the Great Western Railway.

The passenger operations were a great success, and this encouraged the directors to run excursion trains on Whit Monday 1843, "to enable passengers to go and return at any time of the day, visiting the beautiful bay of St Ives, the sandy beaches of Gwithian and Hayle, and Gwennap Pit, the noted scene of Wesley's labours".

This led to an accident on 1 September 1843, reported in The West Briton newspaper a week later: "On Friday afternoon last, as the second afternoon down train from Redruth, laden with ore and passengers, reached the branch line which leads to the north quays of Messrs. SANDYS, CARNE, and VIVIAN, Hayle, a tremendous crash took place.

The engine proceeded on with the rest of the train to the diverging line, and when it reached the place under alteration, the rail slipped off the sleepers, and the foremost carriage was thrown off, turned upside down, and dashed to atoms.

"It was about eleven o'clock in the morning when the engine and the first three coaches of the train were successfully hauled to the top of the Angarrack incline.

When the second part of the train was about half way up, the wire rope broke, and to the horror of the unfortunate passengers, the trucks began to run back, slowly at first, and then increasing to an alarming speed.

A number of passengers jumped out and were injured, but those who stayed on board, ended up, shaken but safe, back at Hayle."

A secondary stationary steam engine was put in gear to assist the completion of the ascent, and in doing so there was a sudden jerk, causing the couplings behind the second wagon to break.

Four carriages with 130 people on board ran away down the incline; several persons jumped off and two were seriously injured, but the runaway vehicles came to a stand at Hayle bridge, about two miles away.

At Penponds, the inclined plane was avoided by the construction of a new timber viaduct 693 feet long at a higher level over the valley there, enabling easing of the gradient.