later pasley said that an independent track for the a&gr was desirable, but the a&gr found this unaffordable, and no further traffic ran from the coalpit heath pits. an impasse was reached, until on 26 august 1844 the bristol and gloucester company wrote to the a&gr proposing a compromise in which they would convert the a&gr line to broad gauge at their own expense, or alternatively haul a&gr trains with their own locomotives over the broad gauge section. the a&gr refused this proposal and in october the b&gr "agreed to lay a second line of narrow gauge rails"—it is not clear whether this meant an independent track alongside the bristol and gloucester line.