Philip submitted this article last year and was hoping to add some additional information but was not able to do so before his untimely death. This article was originally intended to be part 6 of this series of articles on Cumbrian railways, but due to difficulties in reconciling the history of the locomotives used on the contract it was unfinished and put aside. The difficulties have not been fully resolved; nevertheless the article is now put forward as it contains interesting aspects about the problems faced by railway contractors, particularly in the bleaker parts of the country. Furthermore, by its publication some answers may be found to the gaps in the account through members' contributions. Where I have been unable to establish definitive answers myself I have indicated this by adding qualifying words such as "possibly" and the reader should not turn these possibilities into a definite statement without further qualifying evidence from a reliable source.
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