There was also a branch line connection from Adwick le Street to Stainforth, which gave access towards Grimsby.

For the MS&LR it gave a direct connection between the manufacturing districts of West Yorkshire and the docks at Grimsby.

[2] The logic of this apparent reversal of policy was that the line would give West Riding industries access to Grimsby docks, for export of their products.

[4] The MS&LR was friendly towards the Great Eastern Railway, which was trying to get access to the Yorkshire coal resources.

[6][7] The Great Northern Railway had opened negotiations to acquire the (unbuilt) WR&GR in 1864, but the approach was unsuccessful.

However the WR&GR later agreed to sell its undertaking to the GNR and the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway jointly.

)[7] A station had been built at Barnby Dun on the Adwick junction to Stainforth line but apparently it was never used for regular passenger traffic, although it was handling goods by 1867.

It was renamed Bramwith by 1889 to avoid confusion with the Barnby Dun station on the South Yorkshire Railway nearby.

It was plain that it needed to be improved,[note 2] and the WR&GR obtained an Act on 23 June 1864 authorising a new station at Westgate.

A new goods station, joint with the Midland Railway and the MS&LR was opened alongside on 1 July 1868.

It was 1 mile 29 chains in length, and cost £20,000 to construct, having been authorised by the Great Northern Railway Act 1883 of 2 August 1883.

From 1 July 1887 some GNR passenger trains were diverted over the line to make a station call at Wakefield Kirkgate, to transfer traffic with the L&YR.

In 1879 when the Swinton and Knottingley Joint Railway was opened, double connections were laid in with the WR&GR.

[12] Next followed the North and South junctions at Nostell, which were formed by the MS&LR in 1882 when it extended its old Barnsley Coal line through Notton and Ryhill to the WR&GR.

The first to be completed was the 11-mile Brodsworth colliery branch from Castle Hills junction 2 miles north-west of Doncaster.

7. c. cxliv) of 4 August 1906, it left the WR&GR west of Hampole station and was brought into use on 8 March 1909.

[17] New stations at Adwick, Bentley, Sandal and Agbrigg (30 November 1987) and Fitzwilliam (1 March 1982)[18] have been opened in response to housing development.