▁Railway ▁( G NR ), ▁which ▁proposed ▁a ▁direct ▁line ▁from ▁London ▁to ▁York ▁via ▁Peter borough ▁and ▁Don c aster , ▁with ▁a ▁loop ▁to ▁serve ▁Lincoln shire . ▁B itter ly ▁fought ▁by ▁Hudson ▁and ▁Hu ish , ▁because ▁it ▁would ▁take ▁away ▁their ▁traffic , ▁the ▁G NR ▁prospect us ▁was ▁opposed ▁by ▁the ▁railway ▁department ▁of ▁the ▁Board ▁of ▁Trade , ▁and ▁faced ▁a ▁pet ition ▁alleg ing ▁that ▁its ▁list ▁of ▁subscri bers ▁was ▁infl ated . ▁The ▁pet ition ▁was ▁rejected , ▁and ▁the ▁G NR ' s ▁private ▁bill ▁was ▁approved ▁in ▁ 1 8 4 6 . ▁At ▁over ▁£ 6 0 0 , 0 0 0 , ▁this ▁was ▁the ▁most ▁expensive ▁parliament ary ▁contest ▁in ▁British ▁railway ▁history . ▁ ▁Perhaps ▁as ▁a ▁consequence , ▁the ▁line ' s ▁termin us ▁at ▁King ' s ▁Cross ▁was ▁to ▁be ▁built ▁" for ▁less ▁than ▁the ▁cost ▁of ▁the ▁orn amental ▁arch way ▁at ▁E ust on ▁Square ", ▁according ▁to ▁Beck ett ' s ▁engineer . ▁Beck ett ▁called ▁Hudson ▁a ▁black guard ▁on ▁Derby ▁Station ▁platform ▁in ▁ 1 8 4 5 , ▁and ▁featured ▁in ▁a ▁P unch ▁cart oon ▁of ▁the ▁incident . ▁The ▁opening ▁of ▁the ▁G NR ▁defeated ▁Hudson , ▁but ▁not ▁Hu ish , ▁who ▁built ▁an ▁al liance ▁of ▁lines ▁to ▁try ▁to ▁under cut ▁the ▁G NR . ▁The ▁dispute ▁went ▁to ▁arbitr ation ▁under ▁W . ▁E . ▁Glad stone , ▁whose ▁r ul