To enable its construction a railway was built along the seafront and then via a tunnel in the cliff east of the town towards natural deposits at Hook Ebb.

[citation needed] In the early years of the nineteenth century Sidmouth had been a popular seaside resort, but its popularity was declining; at the same time the small, exposed harbour was shoaling badly, and local promoters considered building a properly protected harbour, by the construction of two stone piers at the Chit Rocks, at the western end of Sidmouth sea front.

Plentiful supplies of suitable stone were available at Hook Ebb, a location on the coast 1.75 miles (2.8 km) to the east beneath Salcombe Hill.

It crossed the shingle beach at the River Sid outfall on a small viaduct then went through a tunnel about a 0.3 miles (0.5 km) long through Salcombe Hill behind the cliff face.

[citation needed] On placing the locomotive on the track at Sidmouth, it was discovered that it was too large to pass through the tunnel, and the scheme to use it was abandoned.