had been expected; the first portion of line, from Romford to Mile End, opened on 20 June 1839, but the project ran out of money. It was cut back to open only between London and Colchester, on 29 March 1843; surveying for the onward route as far as Ardleigh, less than 3 miles away, had been completed. The Eastern Union Railway conceived Peter Bruff had been working as an engineer on the construction of the Eastern Counties Railway. It appears that there was friction between him and the company's chief engineer, John Braithwaite. Braithwaite had designed the Eastern Counties Railway with magnificent, but very costly, viaducts and earthworks. Braithwaite estimated that £800,000 was needed to extend the line from Colchester to Ipswich. Bruff believed that a cheaper scheme was more practicable. Bruff was discharged from the service of the Eastern Counties Railway in 1842, but he maintained contact with John Chevallier Cobbold, a director of that company. Cobbold became the driving force in promoting a new railway to connect Ipswich and Colchester, and at a public meeting in Ipswich on 8 August 1843 Bruff explained his scheme. The line would be called the Eastern Union Railway, and would be much more cheaply built than the Eastern Counties Railway's proposed line. With the impetus of Cobbold's support and Bruff's engineering competence, it was shown to be practicable and affordable to extend to Ipswich. The meeting determined that the scheme was to be supported, and Parliamentary authorisation was sought in the 1844 session; the Bill received the Royal Assent on 19 July 1844. The authorised capital was £200,000. The project was for a single line railway, but earthworks for a double line were constructed, anticipating the route becoming a trunk line in due course. Joseph Locke agreed to be the engineer for the works, and Bruff became the resident engineer. The Eastern Counties Railway had already purchased some land for their line, between Colchester and Ardleigh; moreover they had not relinquished their powers to make a railway, and now made difficulties for the EUR in following the same route. Opening Construction of the line commenced on 1 October 1844 near Bentley; plant and materials had already been landed at Cattawade on the River Stour. The main contractor was Thomas Brassey who sub-let parcels of work to sub-contractors. On 11 December 1844 the Board resolved to lay double track; this would incur an