430 THE COACHING AGE. 



thus : length of lines, authorized to be constructed 

 11,673 miles, with 3,816 opened. 



Although Parliamentary sanction had been given 

 for the construction of railways extending over more 

 than 11,000 miles, it must not be supposed that such 

 sanction was obtained without encountering very 

 great, expensive, and frequently successful opposition, 

 eventually overcome, but too often at immense 

 cost in compromising with the opponents of the lines. 

 In the early days of railways they were opposed by 

 classes of persons who have subsequently seen their 

 mistake, and have been active promoters in under- 

 takings for bringing railways to their neighbour- 

 hood and properties. The most conspicuous instances 

 of fear of the proximity of a railway occurred on 

 the Great Western, which probably was as strongly 

 opposed and had as hard a battle to fight before it 

 got through Parliament as any line — perhaps not 

 even excepting the Great Northern. 



Some of the opinions of men of the highest stand- 

 ing and professional knowledge show how difficult it 

 was at the commencement of the railway era to 

 form accurate estimates of the expenses of construct- 

 ing railways, or of their capabilities for conveying 

 passengers and traffic. Having alluded to the op- 

 position to the Great Western line, some account of 

 its progress through Parliament will show from what 



