continue it to the shore of Windermere, which was by then a tourist attraction. In the 1845 session of Parliament, a Bill was presented for the Kendal and Windermere Railway which was to run from Oxenholme to Birthwaite, a small community in what is now Windermere town. It would make a junction with the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway at Oxenholme. The Bill passed without opposition, and Royal Assent was given on 30 June 1845. The line would be single track between Kendal and Windermere, although it was changed to double track, without increasing the authorised £125,000 share capital. Construction was carried out in collaboration with the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway. Opening The line was opened ceremonially on 21 September 1846 at the same time as the L&CR line opened between Lancaster and Kendal Junction. The opening to passenger traffic was on the following day. Until the L&CR line was opened northwards, the line was operated between Lancaster and Kendal. After the opening of the L&CR to Carlisle, some Kendal trains were worked as a shuttle service between Kendal and Oxenholme, a practice perpetuated when the K&WR opened throughout to Windermere, on 20 April 1847. Goods traffic on the Kendal line began on 4 January 1847. The junction station was named Kendal Junction and was an exchange platform not accessible other than to change trains. Early operation At first there were five trains a day in each direction between Kendal and Windermere, with extra trips to Oxenholme; but by the summer of 1853 there were six trains each way between Kendal and Windermere and nine return journeys between Kendal and Oxenholme. A passenger carriage was attached to the 16.00 goods train out of Windermere. On special holidays a cheap day return ticket from Kendal to Windermere cost 6d. The K&WR company was constantly in financial and operational difficulty and petty disagreements with the L&CR, on which it relied for onward journeys were commonplace. By 1848 the K&WR saw that independence was difficult and made overtures to the L&CR to lease or buy the line, but was not received favourably. For ten years there was constant friction. K&WR trains were often late arriving at Oxenholme and main line trains were held until the L&CR grew impatient and told the K&WR to get its trains to the junction ten minutes earlier. The branch was worked by the London and North Western Railway as