The line was isolated from other rail networks, though it passed beneath what is now the West Somerset Railway north of Roadwater.
[15] Passengers were transported from Comberow up a rope-hauled incline to Brendon Hill and onward to Gupworthy on a wagon, free of charge, but at their own risk.
Iron and steel production was highly susceptible to economic cycles and faced a severe downturn in the 1870s, worsened by imports of cheaper, higher-quality ore from abroad.
[18] In 1907, the Somerset Mineral Syndicate attempted to revive the line by reopening Colton mine and starting a new bore at Timwood.
With no track, rolling stock, or future prospects, an Act of Parliament was sought and passed to formally abandon the railway.