 In 1873 the 3rd Duke attempted to have the Wotton Tramway recognised as a railway, and William Yolland inspected the line in April 1873.The Railway Regulation Act 1844 defined minimum standards of travel, one of which was that the trains travel at an average of , which the Aveling and Porter locomotives could not manage.None of the stopping places had adequate station buildings, and the line had no signals.