THE STORY OF PICKFORD AND CO. 141 



proposed alliance. The same attitude Avas adopted 

 towards the Grand Junction Railway and the 

 London and Birmingham. In this far-seeing policy 

 Baxendale Avas at one Avith William Chaplin, aaIio 

 at an early period in the history of railway enter- 

 prise had called upon him and asked him Avhat 

 his vicAA^s AA^ere on this A'ital question. Chaplin 

 AvithdrcAA- his coaches Avlien the London and 

 Birmingham RaihA^ay AA^as opened, and Pickford's 

 fly-A-ans and fly-hoats ceased to run. In return 

 for these really A'aluahle serAaces, Pickford's, and 

 Chaplin and his coaching ally, Home, ayIio had 

 heen equally complaisant, acquired shares in the 

 toAAm and country carrying agencies for Avhat in 

 1845 hecame an amalgamation of raihvay interests 

 under the style and title of the "London and 

 North-Western Hail aa ay." Unused as these ncAV 

 railAA^ay people Avere to the business of handling 

 goods, they Avere glad enough that Mr. Baxendale 

 should organise that class of traffic for them, and, 

 as Are liaA^e already said, really AAclcomed the aid 

 thus somcAvhat unexpectedly forthcoming, although 

 outAvardly adopting a self-sufficient and omnipotent 

 attitude. He hecame organising goods-manager, 

 and contributed the serAdces of his staff to the 

 work, but resigned Avlien CA^erything had been 

 duly set going to devote himself to his OAvn 

 business. He it Avas AAiio drcAA^ up the documents 

 still used in the goods departments of raihvays to 

 this day, in all essentials unaltered. 



MeauAA^hile his anticipations AAcre justified by 

 the course of events. BailAvays did but alter the 



