In return the West Midland Railway had running powers over the S&HR from Hereford to Shelwick Junction, the point at which the Worcester line joined. The West Midland Railway itself fell under the influence of the Great Western Railway, and soon consideration took place of amalgamation with the GWR. This took place, and was effective in 1863. The ironmaster Crawshay Bailey and his business partners were anxious to bring iron ore and other minerals from the Forest of Dean to ironworks at Nantyglo, Dowlais and Ebbw Vale, and the route formerly in use had involved a stiff climb against the load up the Western Valley line. They promoted a new railway that was to run from Coleford, on the edge of the Forest of Dean, to a junction with the NA&HR line at Little Mill, two miles north of Pontypool Road, enabling easy access to the ironworks from the Taff Vale Extension line. The first part of this line, from Usk to Little Mill, opened on 2 June 1856, and was worked by the NA&HR. The line was extended to Monmouth on 12 October 1857, and from that date the CMU&PR worked its own line. It never directly reached Coleford, relying instead on the Monmouth Railway (unconnected with the "Monmouthshire Railway") to reach Coleford. In 1861 the CMU&PR was leased to the West Midland Railway, and when that Company amalgamated with the Great Western Railway in 1863 the lease transferred to the GWR. The LNWR had running powers over the Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway, and wished to obtain a convenient access to the ironworks of South Wales; this desire was reciprocated by the ironmasters, and at the same time colliery owners needed a suitable route for their output to travel north. On 1 August 1859 the Merthyr, Tredegar and Abergavenny Railway was authorised by Parliament. During construction in difficult terrain did not go well, and the company ran into financial difficulties. The West Midland Railway entered discussions with a view to leasing it, but the LNWR offered generous terms and concluded a deal—a lease of 1,000 years—on 8 November 1861. On 29 September 1862, the eastern section of the MT&AR was opened to a south-facing junction at Abergavenny, a short distance north of the NA&HR, now WMR, station. The MT&A had its own passenger station, Abergavenny Brecon Road.