it to the canal. By 1838, the canal company was looking to expansion, and sought to build a branch from Buglawton to Biddulph, to serve the coal mines. Initially proposed as a canal, and later as a railway, the plan was eventually dropped after it met with a less than enthusiastic reception from shareholders who were seeking a more substantial dividend, rather than re-investment of profits, and from the mine owners. In the same year, the company joined forces with the Trent and Mersey, the Peak Forest and the Ashton Canal companies to successfully oppose plans to open a new canal from Middlewich to Altrincham. Arrival of the railways As with so many UK canals, the arrival of the railways led to the decline of the canal. By 1845, the spectre of railway competition was looming large, and the proposals for the Trent and Mersey Company to merge with a railway company were causing concern. It was discussed at the 1845 general meeting, as it seemed likely that such a move would be detrimental to the Macclesfield Canal. They tried to cut costs by reducing the number of staff and lowering their wages, all the while reducing tolls in an attempt to retain traffic. They had ceased to pay dividends to the shareholders after a final payment of £1.50 in 1840. Despite this, they encouraged the use of stream boats, and in 1842 began running swift packet boats carrying leisure traffic from Dukinfield Central railway station, close to Dukinfield Junction on the Peak Forest Canal to Disley, Lyme Park and Macclesfield at fares of 1-1½d per mile. Promotional material stated that "this line of conveyance is peculiarly adapted for pleasure parties, who may enjoy a delightful and healthy excursion on the Peak Forest Canal, and spend a day in the rural woods and pleasure grounds in the neighbourhood. The scenery is beautiful in the extreme, and cannot be equalled in any part of the country." However, the service does not appear to have lasted beyond 1846. With proposals for the North Staffordshire Railway underway by 1845, the canal company threatened to build their own railway between the branch of the Manchester and Birmingham Railway at Macclesfield and Harecastle Tunnel, where it would meet the North Staffordshire Railway. The railway promoters immediately tried to gain the support of the Macclesfield Canal, by offering them shares, and requesting their assistance in promoting