It is very likely, as indicated by the sequence of events after his first edition, that Gray's first published proposals directly and significantly influenced the writings and actions of William James and the Stephensons, among many others, when they began to design and build the earliest passenger railway system in Britain.
It is highly probable that Gray's first published ideas directly influenced the writings and actions of William James and the Stephensons, among many others, as they began to develop the earliest passenger railway system in Britain.