The railway operates from the town of Launceston to Newmills, where there is a farm park; it is 2+1⁄2 miles (4.0 km) long.

In 1965, Nigel Bowman, a trainee teacher, rescued the steam locomotive Lilian from the Penrhyn Slate Quarry in North Wales, and restored her to working order at his home in Surrey.

Purchase of the trackbed took several years, and the first 1⁄2 mile (0.8 km) of track opened on Boxing Day 1983.

[3] The railway was extended progressively, the latest opening to Newmills in 1995 bringing the line to its current 2+1⁄2-mile (4 km) length.

The line runs from the station through a cutting, passing under a road bridge and aqueduct carrying a mill leat, before crossing the River Kensey on a two-arch viaduct.