The Dalton branch was extended to Lindal (goods traffic running from mines there from early May 1851) and then on to Ulverston , eight waggons of coal being delivered there from Whitehaven in April 1854, even before the station was complete; passenger services began in June 1854, In 1854, 330,000 tons of iron ore travelled over the railway (as against 225,000 tons the previous year), other goods traffic was up from 22,000 tons in 1853 to 40,000 tons, and there were 145,000 passenger movements (95,000 in 1853); the company declared a dividend at a rate of 6% a year.