[1] Commitment was raised locally to build a line from the town to make a junction with the Midland Railway at Sough Bridge, near Earby.As it was trouble-free and regularly paid out a reasonable if fluctuating dividend — on 30 June 1897, it was 5 per cent — the Midland agreed and the necessary powers were obtained in 1899.[14] Baughan explains: Actually, the L&YR pulled a fast one over the engineer to the line, E O Ferguson, by appearing to agree to all the clauses and then turning up at the inquiry, held by two of the Light Railway Commissioners in the 'Ribblesdale Arms' at Gisburn, and denying that it would permit the junction.Nine years later, presumably having had enough time to reason out where they had gone wrong, the idea was again put forward, on a slightly amended route, and without the junction to the Midland.[14] On 16 November 1922 the Midland Railway traffic committee authorised the fitting of steam heating apparatus in the nine carriages and two engines working the Barnoldswick branch service, nearly twenty years after the main line coaches had been so fitted and barely a month before the Midland Railway ceased to exist, due to the Grouping of 1923.