London Post Office Railway
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Post Office Railway, also known as Mail Rail, was a narrow gauge driverless private underground railway in London built by the Post Office to move mail between sorting offices. Inspired by the Chicago Tunnel Company, it was in operation from 1927 until 2003.
It ran east-west from Paddington Head District Sorting Office in the west to the Eastern Head District Sorting Office at Whitechapel in the east, a distance of 6.5 miles (10.5 km). It had eight stations, but by 2003 only three stations remained in use because the sorting offices above the other stations had been relocated.
A Royal Mail press release in April 2003 revealed that the system would be closed and "mothballed" (i.e. removed from active service) at the end of May that year. Royal Mail had earlier stated that using the Post Office Railway was five times more expensive than using road transport for the same task. The Communication Workers Union claimed the actual figure was closer to three times more expensive but argued that this was the result of a deliberate policy of running the system down and using it at only one-third of its capacity. Despite a report by the Greater London Authority in support of the continued use of Mail Rail, the system was taken out of use in the early hours of 31 May 2003.
Some of the former Mail Rail trains have now taken up residence at the Launceston Steam Railway [1].
The route of the proposed Crossrail link across London is similar to that of the Post Office railway, and therefore it could make sense for the Post Office railway tunnels to be expanded and used as a basis. However, the tunnels are much smaller, and it is unlikely that both the alignment and the depth will be suitable.
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[edit] Rolling stock
The London Post Office Railway used various types of rolling stock during its history. The first stock was delivered in 1926 with the opening of the system. All stock used has been electrically powered.
[edit] Electric locomotives
- 1926 Electric Locomotives — Original locomotives
[edit] Electric units
- 1927 Stock — Original stock
- 1930 & 1936 Stock — Replacement stock for 1927 Stock
- 1962 Stock — Prototype stock
- 1980 Stock — Replacement stock
[edit] See also
[edit] In fiction
The Post Office Railway features in the novel The Horn of Mortal Danger (1980). In it, there is a connecting tunnel between the Railway and the secret railway of the North London System. The only other known connection is in the disused tunnel between Highgate and the disused Cranley Gardens.
[edit] External links
- Enthusiast Website Unofficial MailRail Web Page
- Alternative link London Post Office Railway
- Detailed information on construction and operation.
- The British Postal Museum & Archive
- Guardian article on proposed mothballing.
- GLA report on the closure in PDF format.
- This is Local London news report on the closure.
