To a large extent relocation of Dronfield production to Workington was justified by subsequent events. Cammell's remained a major factor in the rail business. Even more impressively, 110 years after it made its transfer, Workington was claimed by British Steel to be the world's leading exporter of rails. On the other hand, within a few years there was evidence that Cumberland was not the best location; in less than a quarter-century Cammell's was considering another change of location.

By early May 1883 300 men were at work on the Workington site. The steelworks and mills were brought into production on Friday, 19 October 1883, less than eight months after operating at Dronfield. A large proportion of the men had moved with the plant and were under the same managing director, James Dufield, who had already been with Cammell's since about 1860 and remained in charge at Workington for a further 20 years. Finished-steel capacity was put at 3,000–4,000 tons a week, though effective capacity was probably less. The company brought with it contracts for 70,000 tons of rails, largely for New South Wales: it was, as Aberconway put it many years later, a matter of starting up with a full order book and trade connections second to none. As well as saving on freight charges, the new location enabled the company to reduce process costs by using hot metal direct from the Derwent blast furnaces. In autumn 1887 a second rail mill was brought into production, increasing nominal capacity to 6,000 tons a week. Before the end of the 1880s the works was claimed to be the finest rail mill in the kingdom.