 Construction started on the line in early 1896 and by the end of the year the first steam locomotive had been delivered and was at work.The line from the quarry to the LMS's Cliffe Hill sidings remained substantially unchanged for the life of the railway, with the exception of an embankment built in 1911 to avoid steep gradients as the line crossed a small valley near Hillcroft farm.The railway served its purpose for more than fifty years, employing a wide range of locomotives to move the granite trains.