(by leasing the Norfolk Railway). Opening Throughout to Norwich: The Public are respectfully informed that this Line of Railway will be opened throughout to the Victoria Station, Norwich, for the conveyance of passengers, goods, and live stock on Wednesday, the 12th instant. Particulars of Trains, Fares, Rates, &c., may be obtained on and after Monday, the 10th instant, at all the Company's Stations. J F Saunders, Secretary, Ipswich, Dec. 5th, 1849. Victoria station was a terminus, and the Eastern Union wished to connect with the network controlled by the Eastern Counties Railway, to enable onward connections. The ECR had its own line from London to Norwich and did not regard the EUR as an ally, but a connecting line about a mile long was made to the ECR at Trowse Lower Junction, not far from the ECR Norwich terminus. At a gradient of 1 in 84 it was the steepest on the EUR system. It was used by special trains to Yarmouth races on 9 and 10 September 1851, although regular services did not start until 1 October. This was the last section of railway built by the EUR before takeover by the ECR. The hostility of the ECR was such that EUR locomotives were not permitted to enter ECR track; arriving trains for Thorpe station had to run round clear of the junction, and be propelled to that point for an ECR engine to couple and continue the journey. The ECR later leased the EUR, and the City Corporation of Norwich insisted on a clause in the authorising Act of 1854, preventing the ECR from abandoning Victoria station so far as future passenger operation was concerned. Hadleigh Branch The market town of Hadleigh was at one time to be a junction on a Colchester to Bury line, giving access to an Ipswich branch. When the EUR line was actually built, interests in Hadleigh saw the possible disadvantage to trade in their town of not being on the railway network: Bentley was seven miles away. The nominally independent Eastern Union and Hadleigh Junction Railway (EU&HJR) was formed with the support of the EUR, and its authorising Act of Parliament was secured on 18 June 1846 to build a branch from Bentley to Hadleigh. The branch was formally opened on 20 August 1847, and goods traffic started the following day; the ordinary public passenger service started on 2 September 1847. Amalgamation