After 1830 the Canal system stopped growing and the railways took over as the cheapest form of bulk carriage. In 1846-7 the Trent and Mersey Canal Company merged with the North Staffs Railway Company. Many railway lines were laid for industrial purposes, mainly in connection with the coal and iron workings in areas such as Silverdale, Chesterton, Chatterley, Norton, Shelton and Fenton.