 Some improvement to the curve was made, and the broad gauge rails opened in May 1853.The SDR obtained an Act on 3 July 1854 authorising the strengthening of the line for locomotive operation, and a deviation near the Granite Works to further ease the curve there.At the time of the South Devon Railway reaching Plymouth, promoters were already proposing a branch line to Tavistock, and after initial uncertainty it was a South Devon and Tavistock Railway (SD&TR) that seized the initiative.