Railway competition was first mentioned in 1832, when the Midland Counties Railway proposed to build a line along the west bank of the Erewash Canal, which would have crossed the Nutbrook Canal near its junction with the Erewash. Although the scheme was not fully sanctioned by parliament, the full toll of 8d for coal was never charged afterwards. The Erewash Valley Railway was built in 1846, and although it followed the east bank of the Erewash Canal, branches from it were built to the Shipley Collieries and the Stanton iron mines, which directly affected trade on the canal. However, by reducing tolls, much of the traffic was retained.