The effect of the dispute with the I&AJR was to make the Morayshire Railway open negotiations with the GNoSR who bought £10,000 of shares to help with the building of the direct line to Rothes. The I&AJR viewed the involvement of the GNoSR in the Morayshire as a threat to themselves and, in a tit-for-tat fashion, started work on the Burghead branch to take business from Lossiemouth harbour and thus, goods traffic from the Morayshire. In October 1860 the I&AJR made what appeared to be a last-ditch effort to keep the GNoSR out of Elgin by proposing to the Morayshire Board an amalgamation of their two companies. This obligated the Morayshire to put the proposal to the shareholders at a meeting on 31 October—the board, with the past record of dealings with the I&AJR, persuaded the shareholders that independence from them was the best way forward.