It formed part of New Zealand's national rail network for over a century: construction began in 1864, Kingston was reached in 1878, and it closed in 1979.

The Kingston Branch was built to be a main line north from Invercargill to improve communications through the Southland region, and to provide a link to the Central Otago gold fields.

The provincial government of Southland was not very wealthy, and for this reason, a proposal claiming that the railway would be cheaper if built with wooden rails was accepted.

Unlike most railway lines in New Zealand, this route was built to the international standard gauge of 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in), and in June 1866 the decision was made to convert to iron rails.

When the Waimea Plains Railway opened, it was privately owned and competed with the Kingston Branch, and this, along with the effects of the Long Depression, meant services were reduced to operating on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays only for three years.

In 1883, the daily trains were back, and when the Waimea Plains Railway was purchased and incorporated into the national network, services were further re-organised.

Not long before the seasonal excursions ended, so did another service: the Friday mixed train between Invercargill and Lumsden ceased running in November 1956.

The line then settled into a pattern of daily freight trains from Lumsden to Invercargill and return, augmented by a twice-weekly service onwards to Kingston.

Two AB class locomotives were employed to operate the train, which commenced on 21 December 1971, two months after regular steam workings had ceased.

[7] Well-preserved remnants can be found in Lumsden, including the water tower, a little trestle bridge, and the station building that is now used as a tourist centre.