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The
end of the Travelling Post Offices signals the end of an era and
a way of life for those involved in the service.
On
2 November 1830, Royal Mail was carried by the railway for the first
time.
These
early mail trains were called Railway Post Offices (RPOs) and in
1928, The Post Office renamed them Travelling Post Offices (TPOs).
The
first journey by a mail train was in 1838 from London to the Midlands
and more than 130 services were in use by the time of the First
World War.
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Sorting
mail on the move
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The
trains didn't stop
Mail
that had to be transferred on or off the trains was packed into
leather pouches which, when filled would weigh up to 27kg (60lb).
The
TPO carriage was equipped with an extendable net, fitted to the
body side, with an opening into the carriage behind it to catch
incoming pouches.
An
outgoing pouch was attached to an arm which would suspend it 1.5m
(5ft) above the ground and 1m (3ft) away from the carriage side.
There
could be as many as four of these arms on a single carriage.
It
is said that on 3 October 1971 at Penrith, the Up Special TPO and
the North West Night Down TPO were the last to use the apparatus.
End
of the line
This
year, the Royal Mail said:
The travelling sorting offices were a Victorian solution to a Victorian
problem of moving post around the country before the era of motorways
and air travel. 
The
mail trains have been axed under plans which will save the Royal
Mail £10m a year and see hundreds of workers redeployed or
offered voluntary redundancy.
Bulk
mail will still be transported by rail but that is also being phased
out in the next few months.
Your
memories
"My
grandfather, Robert Ray of Currock, was the train driver shown on
the famous 'mail train film'."
Howard Ray Holmrook - UK
"I
think that the last 'automatic pick up', used to collect each sack
of mail as the train passed through a town or village, was in Penrith
in 1971."
Margaret - Arlecdon
In
the 50's and 60's I regularly cycled to the Citadel Station to post
mail on the 'Up Special TPO' leaving daily at 9 p.m.
The additional 1d stamp ensured delivery next morning in Surrey.
It was an experience to relish with the grandeur of a powerful loco
heading away southwards with fire and steam, smoke and whistles,
and the evocative smell.
J. Bisset, Appleby
Let
us know about your TPO memories. Did you work on the trains? Can
you remember the trains passing by your home late at night?
Email us:cumbria@bbc.co.uk
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