By March 1858, the Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway (I&AJR) had reached Elgin and completed its junction with GNoSR at Keith on 18 August. The Morayshire Railway completed the 3½ miles of track from Orton station to Rothes and opened to passenger traffic on 23 August 1858—this allowed the Morayshire Railway to resurrect its plans to build a railway between Rothes and Craigellachie and this section was completed on 23 December 1858. It terminated, however, on the west bank of the River Spey so as not to incur the expense of a bridge. The Morayshire company would, under its agreement with the I&AJR, work its own trains on the Elgin – Orton section but without permission to stop for passengers. The engines used by the Morayshire Railway were small and prone to breakdown and unsuitable for the steeper gradients on this section of track—their use lasted only six weeks. The I&AJR blamed the Morayshire for causing delays in its own schedules and insisted on the Morayshire coaches being attached to its own and taken to Orton—relations between the two companies deteriorated rapidly and a dispute over charging for line use ensued. Matters came to a head when I&AJR held back the Morayshire Railway goods until the I&AJR goods were ready to be forwarded either to or from Orton. This caused difficulties with the onward transmission of goods from and to Lossiemouth Harbour. Seemingly deliberate schemes were being devised to obstruct the Morayshire coaches from entering onto the I&AJR line. The two companies came to an agreement and the Morayshire Railway announced to its long-suffering passengers that agreement had been reached and that delays should no longer happen.