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<li id="toc-Origins" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Origins"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">1.1</span> <span>Origins</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Origins-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Expansion_and_decline" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Expansion_and_decline"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">1.2</span> <span>Expansion and decline</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Expansion_and_decline-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Post-privatisation_of_British_Rail" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Post-privatisation_of_British_Rail"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">1.3</span> <span>Post-privatisation of British Rail</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Post-privatisation_of_British_Rail-sublist" 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class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-See_also" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#See_also"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">5</span> <span>See also</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-See_also-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-References" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#References"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">6</span> <span>References</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-References-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Further_reading" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Further_reading"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">7</span> <span>Further reading</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Further_reading-sublist" 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searchaux" style="display:none">Railway vehicles for sorting and transporting mail</div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1236090951">.mw-parser-output .hatnote{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output div.hatnote{padding-left:1.6em;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .hatnote i{font-style:normal}.mw-parser-output .hatnote+link+.hatnote{margin-top:-0.5em}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .hatnote{display:none!important}}</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">This article is about the British and Irish mail train. For the equivalent term in North America, see <a href="/wiki/Railway_post_office" title="Railway post office">railway post office</a>. For the Queensland equivalent, see <a href="/wiki/Travelling_Post_Office,_Queensland" title="Travelling Post Office, Queensland">Travelling Post Office, Queensland</a>.</div> <p class="mw-empty-elt"> </p> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:TPO_at_Colne_Valley_Railway.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/81/TPO_at_Colne_Valley_Railway.jpg/220px-TPO_at_Colne_Valley_Railway.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="165" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/81/TPO_at_Colne_Valley_Railway.jpg/330px-TPO_at_Colne_Valley_Railway.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/81/TPO_at_Colne_Valley_Railway.jpg/440px-TPO_at_Colne_Valley_Railway.jpg 2x" data-file-width="3648" data-file-height="2736" /></a><figcaption>TPO at the <a href="/wiki/Colne_Valley_Railway" title="Colne Valley Railway">Colne Valley Railway</a>. Visible to the right of the Royal Mail logo is the letter box, for first class post only.</figcaption></figure> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:TPO_at_Colne_Valley_Railway_interior.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/25/TPO_at_Colne_Valley_Railway_interior.jpg/220px-TPO_at_Colne_Valley_Railway_interior.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="165" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/25/TPO_at_Colne_Valley_Railway_interior.jpg/330px-TPO_at_Colne_Valley_Railway_interior.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/25/TPO_at_Colne_Valley_Railway_interior.jpg/440px-TPO_at_Colne_Valley_Railway_interior.jpg 2x" data-file-width="3648" data-file-height="2736" /></a><figcaption>TPO interior</figcaption></figure> <p>A <b>Travelling Post Office</b> (TPO) was a type of <a href="/wiki/Mail" title="Mail">mail</a> train used in <a href="/wiki/Great_Britain" title="Great Britain">Great Britain</a> and <a href="/wiki/Republic_of_Ireland" title="Republic of Ireland">Ireland</a> where the post was sorted en route, used from 1830 to 1996, with non-TPO mail trains ending in 2024. </p><p>The TPO can be traced back to the earlier days of the railway, the first ever postal movement by rail being performed by the <a href="/wiki/Liverpool_and_Manchester_Railway" title="Liverpool and Manchester Railway">Liverpool and Manchester Railway</a> (L&MR) on 11 November 1830. The <a href="/wiki/Railways_(Conveyance_of_Mails)_Act_1838" title="Railways (Conveyance of Mails) Act 1838">Railways (Conveyance of Mails) Act 1838</a> obliged railway companies to carry mail, and thus specialised rolling stock was quickly provided; the first true TPO emerged that same year. Further innovations followed, such as the development of lineside apparatus for picking up and setting down mailbags while underway, and the use of dedicated mail trains. By 1914, there were 126 TPO carriages in operation throughout the United Kingdom, while numerous other nations had adopted the concept, wholly or in part, as well. </p><p>During the latter part of the twentieth century, rail mail was subject to various changes. In Britain, <a href="/wiki/Rail_Express_Systems" title="Rail Express Systems">Rail Express Systems</a> (RES) was formed during the 1980s to rejuvenate the market, streamlining and centralising rail mail services, resulting in TPO coverage decreasing over the following years. During the 1990s, the <a href="/wiki/Royal_Mail" title="Royal Mail">Royal Mail</a>, Britain's main customer for TPOs, ordered 16 four-car <a href="/wiki/British_Rail_Class_325" title="British Rail Class 325">British Rail Class 325</a> <a href="/wiki/Electric_multiple_units" class="mw-redirect" title="Electric multiple units">electric multiple units</a> to replace locomotive-hauled counterparts in handling parcels. However, wider economic factors, including increasingly effective mechanical sorting methods in comparison to the TPO's manual sorting by hand, along with operational safety concerns, made it increasingly unattractive to continue operating such services. Accordingly, the night of the 9/10 January 2004 saw the final TPO services run in Great Britain, with the carriages themselves used then sold for scrap or to preservation societies. The final load of mail to be loaded aboard a travelling post office was the consignment by air from Scotland via Bristol airport, put aboard the TPO at Yatton Station, Somerset in the early hours of 10th January 2004. </p><p>After a hiatus, some mail and parcels traffic has now returned to rail - carried in bulk and not sorted en-route. </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="History">History</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Travelling_Post_Office&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: History"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Origins">Origins</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Travelling_Post_Office&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Origins"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>On 11 November 1830, the first ever postal movement by rail was made by the <a href="/wiki/Liverpool_and_Manchester_Railway" title="Liverpool and Manchester Railway">Liverpool and Manchester Railway</a> (L&MR), which had come to an agreement with the <a href="/wiki/General_Post_Office" title="General Post Office">General Post Office</a> (GPO) to move their mail upon L&MR services.<sup id="cite_ref-railmag_1-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-railmag-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> It quickly became apparent that the railways were providing a much faster method of conveying letters across the country than traditional horse-drawn coaches. Accordingly, the carriage of mail by train in <a href="/wiki/Great_Britain" title="Great Britain">Great Britain</a> became a routine event within a matter of years.<sup id="cite_ref-s-b_2-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-s-b-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Initially, the movement of mail was at the choice of individual railway companies, being able to accept or refuse to do so at their discretion.<sup id="cite_ref-railmag_1-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-railmag-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The passing of the <a href="/wiki/Railways_(Conveyance_of_Mails)_Act_1838" title="Railways (Conveyance of Mails) Act 1838">Railways (Conveyance of Mails) Act 1838</a> substantially reshaped the rail mail market. Chiefly, it required all railway companies to carry mail, either by ordinary or special trains, as required by the <a href="/wiki/Postmaster_General_of_the_United_Kingdom" title="Postmaster General of the United Kingdom">Postmaster General</a>; however, this act did not stipulate what was to be charged for such services.<sup id="cite_ref-s-b_2-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-s-b-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In addition to making it mandatory for railway companies to carry mail, the act also required the provision of carriages fitted for sorting it as required; to handle this new obligation, these companies quickly developed specialised rolling stock for the task.<sup id="cite_ref-railmag_1-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-railmag-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>According to industry periodical <i>Rail Magazine</i>, the first <i>Travelling Post Office</i> (TPO) carriage emerged during 1838, and credited <a href="/w/index.php?title=George_Kastadt&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="George Kastadt (page does not exist)">George Kastadt</a>, a surveyor employed by the GPO, with the concept.<sup id="cite_ref-railmag_1-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-railmag-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> On 6 January 1838, Kastadt proposed a trial of a 'travelling office', of which the first run was conducted just weeks later. The advantage of this innovation was that time could be saved by sorting mail while it was being transported, rather than separately sorting it either beforehand or afterwards and thus taking more time to do so.<sup id="cite_ref-railmag_1-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-railmag-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> This initial TPO was a converted <a href="/wiki/Horse_box" class="mw-redirect" title="Horse box">horse box</a> and was initially operated on the <a href="/wiki/Grand_Junction_Railway" title="Grand Junction Railway">Grand Junction Railway</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Karstadt's son was one of two mail clerks who did the sorting.<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>During 1845, the <a href="/wiki/Midland_Railway" title="Midland Railway">Midland Railway</a> decided to extend their TPO services via <a href="/wiki/Derby" title="Derby">Derby</a> to <a href="/wiki/Newcastle_upon_Tyne" title="Newcastle upon Tyne">Newcastle upon Tyne</a>; and soon after reached <a href="/wiki/Scotland" title="Scotland">Scotland</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The first special postal train was operated by the <a href="/wiki/Great_Western_Railway" title="Great Western Railway">Great Western Railway</a> between <a href="/wiki/London" title="London">London</a> and <a href="/wiki/Bristol" title="Bristol">Bristol</a>; the inaugural train ran on 1 February 1855, leaving <a href="/wiki/Paddington_station" class="mw-redirect" title="Paddington station">Paddington station</a> at 20:46, and arriving at Bristol at 00:30.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (January 2021)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </p><p>Prior to 1885, it was common practice for TPO carriages to be added to <a href="/wiki/Consist" class="mw-redirect" title="Consist">consists</a> of normal passenger services.<sup id="cite_ref-railmag_1-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-railmag-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> That same year, the first dedicated Mail Special was conducted.<sup id="cite_ref-railmag_1-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-railmag-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Early on, the TPOs were relatively barebones in terms of their onboard facilities.<sup id="cite_ref-railmag_1-7" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-railmag-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Internal space was limited and prioritised for the principal purpose of sorting mail, thus measures to enhance staff comfort was typically more of an afterthought. Initially, toilets were not even provided, although this position was reportedly reversed after the accidental death of a postal worker while relieving himself at the rear of a TPO.<sup id="cite_ref-railmag_1-8" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-railmag-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Expansion_and_decline">Expansion and decline</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Travelling_Post_Office&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Expansion and decline"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>While rail mail had emerged in Britain, the country was quickly followed by many of the member nations within the <a href="/wiki/Commonwealth_of_Nations" title="Commonwealth of Nations">British Commonwealth</a> along with various third party countries.<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> TPOs were usually equipped with letter boxes, enabling people in stations to post mail whilst the train was stationary.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (January 2021)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> The post-marks from TPOs are valued by <a href="/wiki/Philatelist" class="mw-redirect" title="Philatelist">philatelists</a>.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (January 2021)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </p> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Travelling_Post_Office_circa_1890.png" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/eb/Travelling_Post_Office_circa_1890.png/220px-Travelling_Post_Office_circa_1890.png" decoding="async" width="220" height="108" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/eb/Travelling_Post_Office_circa_1890.png/330px-Travelling_Post_Office_circa_1890.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/eb/Travelling_Post_Office_circa_1890.png/440px-Travelling_Post_Office_circa_1890.png 2x" data-file-width="1966" data-file-height="966" /></a><figcaption>A TPO, circa 1890, showing the equipment used for transferring the mail bags to and from the train whilst it was travelling at full speed</figcaption></figure> <p>During 1866, apparatus for picking up and setting down mailbags without stopping was installed at <a href="/wiki/Slough" title="Slough">Slough</a> and <a href="/wiki/Maidenhead" title="Maidenhead">Maidenhead</a>. This concept had first been <a href="/wiki/Patented" class="mw-redirect" title="Patented">patented</a> in 1838 by Nathaniel Worsdell, first deputy mayor of Crewe, and carriage and wagon superintendent at Crewe Works.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (January 2021)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> Use of the system became prevalent over the following decades, it became commonplace for TPO carriages to be fitted with several for handling automated mail pickups/dropoffs, sometimes being furnished with four separate arms per carriage.<sup id="cite_ref-BBCCumbria_7-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-BBCCumbria-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:UK-1895-TPO_cover.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d2/UK-1895-TPO_cover.jpg/220px-UK-1895-TPO_cover.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="135" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d2/UK-1895-TPO_cover.jpg/330px-UK-1895-TPO_cover.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d2/UK-1895-TPO_cover.jpg/440px-UK-1895-TPO_cover.jpg 2x" data-file-width="1648" data-file-height="1008" /></a><figcaption>A 1895 cover postmarked on the London & Holyhead TPO to be placed on board ship at <a href="/wiki/Cobh" title="Cobh">Queenstown</a>, in Cork, per the manuscript annotation</figcaption></figure> <p>By 1914, there were 126 TPO carriages in operation throughout the <a href="/wiki/United_Kingdom" title="United Kingdom">United Kingdom</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-railmag_1-9" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-railmag-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> They were only referred to as TPOs for the first time in 1928, prior to this, the common term for mail carriages had been <i>Railway Post Offices</i> (RPOs).<sup id="cite_ref-BBCCumbria_7-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-BBCCumbria-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Following the nationalisation of the railways and the formation of <a href="/wiki/British_Rail" title="British Rail">British Rail</a> (BR) in the late 1940s, TPOs continued to be operated by this new state-owned company. However, it was during the BR era that the transportation of mail by rail acquired a negative reputation for unreliability due to services frequently experiencing delays, typically resulting in late arrivals.<sup id="cite_ref-railmag_1-10" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-railmag-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>By 1963, the year of the <a href="/wiki/Great_Train_Robbery_(1963)" title="Great Train Robbery (1963)">Great Train Robbery</a>, there were 49 mail trains in service, with between one and five TPOs being typically attached to passenger trains, while complete TPO trains were routinely being operated between London and <a href="/wiki/Aberdeen" title="Aberdeen">Aberdeen</a> and <a href="/wiki/Penzance" title="Penzance">Penzance</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The final mail drop from a moving train using automatic apparatus was carried out on 4 October 1971 at a location just north of <a href="/wiki/Penrith,_Cumbria" title="Penrith, Cumbria">Penrith</a>. Although there were in excess of 40 TPOs running at this time, item transfers were only carried out at stations after this date.<sup id="cite_ref-9" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>During the 1980s, BR planners endeavoured to rejuvenate numerous aspects of its operations and to better fulfil customer demands.<sup id="cite_ref-railmag_1-11" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-railmag-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Under the policy of <a href="/wiki/History_of_rail_transport_in_Great_Britain_1948%E2%80%931994#The_1980s:_Sectorisation" title="History of rail transport in Great Britain 1948–1994">Sectorisation</a>, the TPOS and all rail mail operations were consolidated into their own business unit, <a href="/wiki/Rail_Express_Systems" title="Rail Express Systems">Rail Express Systems</a> (RES). This reorganisation under its own management team led to a new focus of its operations on the specific needs of its primary customer, the <a href="/wiki/Royal_Mail" title="Royal Mail">Royal Mail</a> (RM).<sup id="cite_ref-railmag_1-12" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-railmag-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Seeking to rejuvenate rail mail, RES devised a £150 million strategy that focused on long-distance services that worked in conjunction with a central hub based in London at its heart, known as <i>Railnet</i>.<sup id="cite_ref-railmag_1-13" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-railmag-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> During late 1993, RED and RM had signed a 13-year deal with RES to operate the trains from this new hub, also referred to as the <i>London Distribution Centre</i> or the <i>Princess Royal Distribution Centre</i>, at <a href="/wiki/Stonebridge_Park,_London" class="mw-redirect" title="Stonebridge Park, London">Stonebridge Park</a>, near <a href="/wiki/Wembley" title="Wembley">Wembley</a>. Furthermore, RM commissioned <a href="/wiki/ABB" title="ABB">ABB</a> to manufacture 16 four-car <a href="/wiki/British_Rail_Class_325" title="British Rail Class 325">British Rail Class 325</a> electric multiple units, which were designed specifically for the transport of pre-sorted mail.<sup id="cite_ref-railmag_1-14" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-railmag-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Post-privatisation_of_British_Rail">Post-privatisation of British Rail</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Travelling_Post_Office&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: Post-privatisation of British Rail"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Following the <a href="/wiki/Privatisation_of_British_Rail" title="Privatisation of British Rail">privatisation of British Rail</a> in the mid 1990s, all British TPOs were acquired along with RES by the privately owned company <a href="/wiki/DB_Schenker_Rail_(UK)" class="mw-redirect" title="DB Schenker Rail (UK)">English, Welsh & Scottish Railway</a> (EWS) in February 1996.<sup id="cite_ref-railmag_1-15" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-railmag-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Following the opening of the new London hub on 30 September 1996, British rail mail operations were drastically restructured; only dedicated mail trains were operated after this date while TPOs were no longer based at any main line stations, as it had been decided to centrally base all London TPOs at the hub instead. Accordingly, the final TPO services departed King's Cross, Euston, Liverpool Street and Paddington stations on 27 September 1996.<sup id="cite_ref-railmag_1-16" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-railmag-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The restructuring of services, intended to enable the faster delivery of mail to distant destinations, necessitated the streamlining of both mail pick-ups and drop-offs, a policy which resulted in many intermediate locations seeing the permanent withdrawal of coverage by TPOs.<sup id="cite_ref-railmag_1-17" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-railmag-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Instead, mail was to be transported by road to the 45 stations that would be served by the remaining TPO services. Despite this, the increasing efficiency of mechanical sorting in comparison to the hand sorting methods used onboard TPOs meant that the latter was becoming increasingly uneconomic regardless of these changes.<sup id="cite_ref-railmag_1-18" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-railmag-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:NSA_80390_%27Ernie_Gosling%27_at_Doncaster_Works.JPG" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/31/NSA_80390_%27Ernie_Gosling%27_at_Doncaster_Works.JPG/220px-NSA_80390_%27Ernie_Gosling%27_at_Doncaster_Works.JPG" decoding="async" width="220" height="165" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/31/NSA_80390_%27Ernie_Gosling%27_at_Doncaster_Works.JPG/330px-NSA_80390_%27Ernie_Gosling%27_at_Doncaster_Works.JPG 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/31/NSA_80390_%27Ernie_Gosling%27_at_Doncaster_Works.JPG/440px-NSA_80390_%27Ernie_Gosling%27_at_Doncaster_Works.JPG 2x" data-file-width="2048" data-file-height="1536" /></a><figcaption><a href="/wiki/British_Rail" title="British Rail">British Rail</a> <a href="/wiki/Post_Office_sorting_van" title="Post Office sorting van">TPO vehicle</a> NSA 80390 on display at <a href="/wiki/Doncaster" title="Doncaster">Doncaster Works</a> open day on 27 July 2003. This type of vehicle, based on the <a href="/wiki/British_Rail_Mark_1" title="British Rail Mark 1">British Rail Mark 1</a> coach, was the final design of TPO vehicle used in the <a href="/wiki/United_Kingdom" title="United Kingdom">United Kingdom</a>.</figcaption></figure> <p>A further factor that negatively impacted TPO operations was the <a href="/wiki/Hatfield_rail_crash" title="Hatfield rail crash">Hatfield rail crash</a> during October 2000, which led to numerous restrictions being imposed upon TPOs, including new speed limitations and numerous cancellations across many routes.<sup id="cite_ref-railmag_1-19" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-railmag-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-10" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> There were also rising concerns over wellbeing of workers within TPOs, as there was little consideration towards crashworthiness or the wellbeing of the occupants in the event of a major accident.<sup id="cite_ref-railmag_1-20" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-railmag-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Furthermore, RM had increasingly decided to make use of other means of transporting mail, including aircraft and road vehicles.<sup id="cite_ref-railmag_1-21" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-railmag-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Amid these various factors, during 2003, it was announced that Royal Mail had decided to suspend all transportation of mail by rail.<sup id="cite_ref-rm2003_11-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-rm2003-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>11<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The discontinuation of TPOs reportedly saved RM £10m per year, while the contract to operate them reportedly equated to 10 per cent of EWS’ overall business, representing a major loss to the company.<sup id="cite_ref-BBCCumbria_7-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-BBCCumbria-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-railmag_1-22" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-railmag-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The last TPO services went out on the night of 9 January 2004,<sup id="cite_ref-DM_12-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-DM-12"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>12<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-13" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-13"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>13<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> marking the end of sorting of mail on trains in Britain.<sup id="cite_ref-BBCCumbria_7-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-BBCCumbria-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>However, Royal Mail did restore the movement of some already-sorted letters by rail in time for the Christmas season that year, contracting with EWS's competitor <a href="/wiki/GB_Railfreight" title="GB Railfreight">GB Railfreight</a> to resume bulk transfer services along the <a href="/wiki/West_Coast_Main_Line" title="West Coast Main Line">West Coast Main Line</a> between its mail terminals at London (Willesden), Warrington and Glasgow (<a href="/wiki/Shieldmuir_railway_station" title="Shieldmuir railway station">Sheildmuir</a>) using the dedicated <a href="/wiki/British_Rail_Class_325" title="British Rail Class 325">Class 325</a> electric multiple units that had been in operation since 1996.<sup id="cite_ref-railmag_1-23" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-railmag-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In 2009, the contract for these mail trains was transferred to EWS's successor <a href="/wiki/DB_Schenker_Rail_(UK)" class="mw-redirect" title="DB Schenker Rail (UK)">DB Schenker Rail</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-railmag_1-24" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-railmag-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> For flexibility, Royal Mail had preserved rail access to its distribution centres on Tyneside (Low Fell) and at Tonbridge in Kent,<sup id="cite_ref-rm2003_11-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-rm2003-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>11<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> and did occasionally send mail trains to Low Fell, for example when Newcastle Airport was closed by snow.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="Removed WP:FORUM (August 2024)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> In June 2013, a regular service resumed from Low Fell. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Ireland">Ireland</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Travelling_Post_Office&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: Ireland"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Downpatrick_13.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d5/Downpatrick_13.jpg/220px-Downpatrick_13.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="147" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d5/Downpatrick_13.jpg/330px-Downpatrick_13.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d5/Downpatrick_13.jpg/440px-Downpatrick_13.jpg 2x" data-file-width="4272" data-file-height="2848" /></a><figcaption>Former <a href="/wiki/An_Post" title="An Post">An Post</a> travelling post office at the <a href="/wiki/Downpatrick_and_County_Down_Railway" title="Downpatrick and County Down Railway">Downpatrick and County Down Railway</a>. Note the P⁊T logo of the Irish <a href="/wiki/Minister_for_Posts_and_Telegraphs" title="Minister for Posts and Telegraphs">Department of Posts and Telegraphs</a>.</figcaption></figure> <p>The carrying of mail by train commenced on 6 April 1835 and early TPOs began on Irish trains on the Dublin to Cork line on 1 January 1855,<sup id="cite_ref-endTPO_14-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-endTPO-14"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>14<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-auto_15-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-auto-15"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>15<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> though general post-carrying vehicles had been around since the early days of the <a href="/wiki/Dublin_and_Kingstown_Railway" title="Dublin and Kingstown Railway">Dublin and Kingstown Railway</a>. By 1910, a total of 13 TPOs were in operation throughout the country.<sup id="cite_ref-auto_15-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-auto-15"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>15<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>In 1958, <a href="/wiki/Coras_Iompair_Eireann" class="mw-redirect" title="Coras Iompair Eireann">Coras Iompair Eireann</a> built four modern TPOs for <a href="/wiki/Minister_for_Posts_and_Telegraphs" title="Minister for Posts and Telegraphs">Department of Posts and Telegraphs</a> at their <a href="/wiki/Inchicore_Works" class="mw-redirect" title="Inchicore Works">Inchicore Works</a>. Some time before their withdrawal it had been decided that two would be dedicated to use on the <a href="/wiki/Cork_Kent_railway_station" title="Cork Kent railway station">Cork</a> Mail and two to the <a href="/wiki/Galway_railway_station" title="Galway railway station">Galway</a> Mail, both of which originated from <a href="/wiki/Dublin_Connolly_railway_station" class="mw-redirect" title="Dublin Connolly railway station">Connolly station</a> in Dublin.<sup id="cite_ref-auto_15-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-auto-15"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>15<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The movement of post by rail in Ireland ended in 1994 with the last day mails on 14 January and the final operational night mails on 17 January on both the Cork and Galway routes.<sup id="cite_ref-endTPO_14-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-endTPO-14"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>14<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-auto_15-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-auto-15"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>15<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Two of the 1958-built TPOs survived into preservation- 2977 of the Cork Mails and 2978 of the Galway Mails. Both are at the <a href="/wiki/Downpatrick_and_County_Down_Railway" title="Downpatrick and County Down Railway">Downpatrick and County Down Railway</a>, who own 2978, whilst 2977 is still owned by An Post.<sup id="cite_ref-16" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-16"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>16<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-17" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-17"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>17<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Preservation">Preservation</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Travelling_Post_Office&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: Preservation"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Several Royal Mail TPOs have been preserved along with stowage vans and general utility vans (GUVs). Only one PCV (<a href="/wiki/Propelling_Control_Vehicle" class="mw-redirect" title="Propelling Control Vehicle">Propelling Control Vehicle</a>) remains, currently at the <a href="/wiki/Mid-Norfolk_Railway" title="Mid-Norfolk Railway">Mid-Norfolk Railway</a>. At these preserved lines the TPOs can be seen performing a live drop off/pick up from a preserved lineside apparatus. The <a href="/wiki/Great_Central_Railway_(preserved)" class="mw-redirect" title="Great Central Railway (preserved)">Great Central Railway</a> and the <a href="/wiki/Nene_Valley_Railway" title="Nene Valley Railway">Nene Valley Railway</a><sup id="cite_ref-18" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-18"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>18<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> are leading this endeavour with many weekends devoted to Mail by Rail. Other lines are following in their wake. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="TPO_vehicles">TPO vehicles</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Travelling_Post_Office&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: TPO vehicles"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1251242444">.mw-parser-output .ambox{border:1px solid #a2a9b1;border-left:10px solid #36c;background-color:#fbfbfb;box-sizing:border-box}.mw-parser-output .ambox+link+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+link+style+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+link+link+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+.mw-empty-elt+link+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+.mw-empty-elt+link+style+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+.mw-empty-elt+link+link+.ambox{margin-top:-1px}html body.mediawiki .mw-parser-output .ambox.mbox-small-left{margin:4px 1em 4px 0;overflow:hidden;width:238px;border-collapse:collapse;font-size:88%;line-height:1.25em}.mw-parser-output .ambox-speedy{border-left:10px solid #b32424;background-color:#fee7e6}.mw-parser-output .ambox-delete{border-left:10px solid #b32424}.mw-parser-output .ambox-content{border-left:10px solid #f28500}.mw-parser-output .ambox-style{border-left:10px solid #fc3}.mw-parser-output .ambox-move{border-left:10px solid #9932cc}.mw-parser-output .ambox-protection{border-left:10px solid #a2a9b1}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-text{border:none;padding:0.25em 0.5em;width:100%}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-image{border:none;padding:2px 0 2px 0.5em;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-imageright{border:none;padding:2px 0.5em 2px 0;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-empty-cell{border:none;padding:0;width:1px}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-image-div{width:52px}@media(min-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .ambox{margin:0 10%}}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .ambox{display:none!important}}</style><table class="box-Unreferenced_section plainlinks metadata ambox ambox-content ambox-Unreferenced" role="presentation"><tbody><tr><td class="mbox-image"><div class="mbox-image-div"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Question_book-new.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/50px-Question_book-new.svg.png" decoding="async" width="50" height="39" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/75px-Question_book-new.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/100px-Question_book-new.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="512" data-file-height="399" /></a></span></div></td><td class="mbox-text"><div class="mbox-text-span">This section <b>does not <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources" title="Wikipedia:Citing sources">cite</a> any <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability" title="Wikipedia:Verifiability">sources</a></b>.<span class="hide-when-compact"> Please help <a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Travelling_Post_Office" title="Special:EditPage/Travelling Post Office">improve this section</a> by <a href="/wiki/Help:Referencing_for_beginners" title="Help:Referencing for beginners">adding citations to reliable sources</a>. Unsourced material may be challenged and <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability#Burden_of_evidence" title="Wikipedia:Verifiability">removed</a>.</span> <span class="date-container"><i>(<span class="date">August 2024</span>)</i></span><span class="hide-when-compact"><i> (<small><a href="/wiki/Help:Maintenance_template_removal" title="Help:Maintenance template removal">Learn how and when to remove this message</a></small>)</i></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <p>TPOs were formed of several different types of vehicle: </p> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Post_Office_sorting_van" title="Post Office sorting van">Post Office sorting van</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Post_Office_stowage_van" title="Post Office stowage van">Post Office stowage van</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Brake_Post_Office_stowage_van" title="Brake Post Office stowage van">Brake Post Office stowage van</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Propelling_control_vehicle" title="Propelling control vehicle">Propelling control vehicle</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Brake_van" title="Brake van">Brake van</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/General_utility_van" title="General utility van">General utility van</a></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Travelling_Post_Office&action=edit&section=8" title="Edit section: See also"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Great_Central_Steam_Railway" class="mw-redirect" title="Great Central Steam Railway">Great Central Steam Railway</a> - where the Travelling Post Office and Mail Exchange on the Move is recreated</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Great_Train_Robbery_(1963)" title="Great Train Robbery (1963)">Great Train Robbery (1963)</a> - in which £2.3 million was stolen from a Glasgow to London TPO train</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Night_Mail" title="Night Mail">Night Mail</a> - Film and poem about Travelling Post Office</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Railways_(Conveyance_of_Mails)_Act_1838" title="Railways (Conveyance of Mails) Act 1838">Railways (Conveyance of Mails) Act 1838</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Railway_post_office" title="Railway post office">Railway post office</a> - <a href="/wiki/North_America" title="North America">North American</a> term for cars that served similar functions.</li> <li><a href="/wiki/SNCF_TGV_La_Poste" title="SNCF TGV La Poste">SNCF TGV La Poste</a> - French Post Office dedicated TGV sets.</li> <li><a href="/wiki/British_Rail_Class_325" title="British Rail Class 325">British Rail Class 325</a> - Royal Mail EMUs used in Britain.</li> <li><a href="/wiki/London_Post_Office_Railway" title="London Post Office Railway">London Post Office Railway</a> - that Royal Mail used to transport mail across London on private underground tracks.</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nene_Valley_Railway" title="Nene Valley Railway">Nene Valley Railway</a> - where visitors can ride the TPOs and get off at a remote exchange point to watch the mail pickup/drop off.</li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Travelling_Post_Office&action=edit&section=9" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist"> <div class="mw-references-wrap mw-references-columns"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-railmag-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-railmag_1-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-railmag_1-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-railmag_1-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-railmag_1-3"><sup><i><b>d</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-railmag_1-4"><sup><i><b>e</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-railmag_1-5"><sup><i><b>f</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-railmag_1-6"><sup><i><b>g</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-railmag_1-7"><sup><i><b>h</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-railmag_1-8"><sup><i><b>i</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-railmag_1-9"><sup><i><b>j</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-railmag_1-10"><sup><i><b>k</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-railmag_1-11"><sup><i><b>l</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-railmag_1-12"><sup><i><b>m</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-railmag_1-13"><sup><i><b>n</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-railmag_1-14"><sup><i><b>o</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-railmag_1-15"><sup><i><b>p</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-railmag_1-16"><sup><i><b>q</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-railmag_1-17"><sup><i><b>r</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-railmag_1-18"><sup><i><b>s</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-railmag_1-19"><sup><i><b>t</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-railmag_1-20"><sup><i><b>u</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-railmag_1-21"><sup><i><b>v</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-railmag_1-22"><sup><i><b>w</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-railmag_1-23"><sup><i><b>x</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-railmag_1-24"><sup><i><b>y</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><cite id="CITEREFFoster2014" class="citation web cs1">Foster, Stefanie (5 February 2014). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.railmagazine.com/operations/franchises/mail-by-rail-still">"Mail by rail - still"</a>. railmagazine.com.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Mail+by+rail+-+still&rft.pub=railmagazine.com&rft.date=2014-02-05&rft.aulast=Foster&rft.aufirst=Stefanie&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.railmagazine.com%2Foperations%2Ffranchises%2Fmail-by-rail-still&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ATravelling+Post+Office" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-s-b-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-s-b_2-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-s-b_2-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFSimmonsBiddle1997" class="citation book cs1">Simmons, Jack; Biddle, Gordon (1997). <i>The Oxford Companion to British Railway History From 1603 to the 1990s</i> (1st ed.). <a href="/wiki/Oxford" title="Oxford">Oxford</a>: Oxford University Press. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-19-211697-5" title="Special:BookSources/0-19-211697-5"><bdi>0-19-211697-5</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+Oxford+Companion+to+British+Railway+History+From+1603+to+the+1990s&rft.place=Oxford&rft.edition=1st&rft.pub=Oxford+University+Press&rft.date=1997&rft.isbn=0-19-211697-5&rft.aulast=Simmons&rft.aufirst=Jack&rft.au=Biddle%2C+Gordon&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ATravelling+Post+Office" class="Z3988"></span> pp. 303-304.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-3">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFWhite1978" class="citation book cs1"><a href="/wiki/John_H._White_Jr." title="John H. White Jr.">White, John H.</a> (1978). <span class="id-lock-registration" title="Free registration required"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/americanrailroad0000whit"><i>The American Railroad Passenger Car</i></a></span>. Baltimore, MD: <a href="/wiki/Johns_Hopkins_University_Press" title="Johns Hopkins University Press">Johns Hopkins University Press</a>. p. 473. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0801819652" title="Special:BookSources/0801819652"><bdi>0801819652</bdi></a>. <a href="/wiki/OCLC_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="OCLC (identifier)">OCLC</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/2798188">2798188</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+American+Railroad+Passenger+Car&rft.place=Baltimore%2C+MD&rft.pages=473&rft.pub=Johns+Hopkins+University+Press&rft.date=1978&rft_id=info%3Aoclcnum%2F2798188&rft.isbn=0801819652&rft.aulast=White&rft.aufirst=John+H.&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2Famericanrailroad0000whit&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ATravelling+Post+Office" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-4">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFJohnson1985" class="citation book cs1">Johnson, Peter (1985). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/britishtravellin0000john/page/13"><i>The British Travelling Post Office</i></a>. Surrey: <a href="/wiki/Ian_Allan_Publishing" title="Ian Allan Publishing">Ian Allan Publishing</a>. p. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/britishtravellin0000john/page/13">13</a>. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-7110-1459-0" title="Special:BookSources/0-7110-1459-0"><bdi>0-7110-1459-0</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+British+Travelling+Post+Office&rft.place=Surrey&rft.pages=13&rft.pub=Ian+Allan+Publishing&rft.date=1985&rft.isbn=0-7110-1459-0&rft.aulast=Johnson&rft.aufirst=Peter&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2Fbritishtravellin0000john%2Fpage%2F13&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ATravelling+Post+Office" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-5">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFBillson1996" class="citation book cs1">Billson, P (1996). <i>Derby and the Midland Railway</i>. Derby: Breedon Books.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Derby+and+the+Midland+Railway&rft.place=Derby&rft.pub=Breedon+Books&rft.date=1996&rft.aulast=Billson&rft.aufirst=P&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ATravelling+Post+Office" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-6">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFPoole1969" class="citation magazine cs1">Poole, L.G. (June 1969). "The Travelling Post Offices of Victoria: 1865 - 1912". <i><a href="/wiki/Australian_Railway_History" title="Australian Railway History">Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin</a></i>. pp. 127–139.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Australian+Railway+Historical+Society+Bulletin&rft.atitle=The+Travelling+Post+Offices+of+Victoria%3A+1865+-+1912.&rft.pages=127-139&rft.date=1969-06&rft.aulast=Poole&rft.aufirst=L.G.&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ATravelling+Post+Office" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-BBCCumbria-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-BBCCumbria_7-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-BBCCumbria_7-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-BBCCumbria_7-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-BBCCumbria_7-3"><sup><i><b>d</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation news cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/cumbria/features/2004/01/train_mail/index.shtml">"End of the line for mail trains"</a>. BBC Cumbria. January 2004.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=End+of+the+line+for+mail+trains&rft.date=2004-01&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.co.uk%2Fcumbria%2Ffeatures%2F2004%2F01%2Ftrain_mail%2Findex.shtml&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ATravelling+Post+Office" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-8">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation magazine cs1"><i>Railway Magazine</i>. September 1963. p. 661.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Railway+Magazine&rft.pages=661&rft.date=1963-09&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ATravelling+Post+Office" class="Z3988"></span> <span class="cs1-visible-error citation-comment"><code class="cs1-code">{{<a href="/wiki/Template:Cite_magazine" title="Template:Cite magazine">cite magazine</a>}}</code>: </span><span class="cs1-visible-error citation-comment">Missing or empty <code class="cs1-code">|title=</code> (<a href="/wiki/Help:CS1_errors#citation_missing_title" title="Help:CS1 errors">help</a>)</span><sup class="noprint Inline-Template" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources" title="Wikipedia:Citing sources"><span title="Please supply either "|first=" and the actual title of the cited work, or use "|title=[untitled]" for intentional omission. (August 2024)">title missing</span></a></i>]</sup></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-9">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation magazine cs1">"News of the Month". <i>Railway World</i>. Vol. 32, no. 379. Shepperton: Ian Allan. December 1971. p. 514.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Railway+World&rft.atitle=News+of+the+Month&rft.volume=32&rft.issue=379&rft.pages=514&rft.date=1971-12&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ATravelling+Post+Office" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-10">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFMurray2001" class="citation book cs1">Murray, Andrew (2001). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=vCJniku2eJMC"><i>Off the rails: Britain's great rail crisis : cause, consequences and cure</i></a>. Verso. "Companies in trouble", pp. 124–129. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/9781859846407" title="Special:BookSources/9781859846407"><bdi>9781859846407</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Off+the+rails%3A+Britain%27s+great+rail+crisis+%3A+cause%2C+consequences+and+cure&rft.pages=%22Companies+in+trouble%22%2C+pp.+124-129&rft.pub=Verso&rft.date=2001&rft.isbn=9781859846407&rft.aulast=Murray&rft.aufirst=Andrew&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DvCJniku2eJMC&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ATravelling+Post+Office" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-rm2003-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-rm2003_11-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-rm2003_11-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation pressrelease cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20110629165847/http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm200304/cmselect/cmtran/145/145web67.htm">"Written statement by Royal Mail"</a> (Press release). House of Commons <a href="/wiki/Transport_Select_Committee" title="Transport Select Committee">Transport Select Committee</a>. September 2003. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm200304/cmselect/cmtran/145/145web67.htm">the original</a> on 29 June 2011.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Written+statement+by+Royal+Mail&rft.pub=House+of+Commons+Transport+Select+Committee&rft.date=2003-09&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk%2Fpa%2Fcm200304%2Fcmselect%2Fcmtran%2F145%2F145web67.htm&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ATravelling+Post+Office" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-DM-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-DM_12-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation news cs1">"Send of the line - last journey by mail trains". <i><a href="/wiki/Daily_Mirror" title="Daily Mirror">Daily Mirror</a></i>. 10 January 2004.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Daily+Mirror&rft.atitle=Send+of+the+line+-+last+journey+by+mail+trains&rft.date=2004-01-10&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ATravelling+Post+Office" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-13">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120512114803/http://postalheritage.org.uk/page/tpo-whathappened">"What happened to the TPOs?"</a>. British Postal Museum & Archive. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.postalheritage.org.uk/page/tpo-whathappened">the original</a> on 12 May 2012<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">7 January</span> 2014</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=What+happened+to+the+TPOs%3F&rft.pub=British+Postal+Museum+%26+Archive&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.postalheritage.org.uk%2Fpage%2Ftpo-whathappened&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ATravelling+Post+Office" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-endTPO-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-endTPO_14-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-endTPO_14-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation news cs1">"Travelling Post Office". <i>Stop Press</i>. <a href="/wiki/An_Post" title="An Post">An Post</a>. 1994.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Stop+Press&rft.atitle=Travelling+Post+Office&rft.date=1994&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ATravelling+Post+Office" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-auto-15"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-auto_15-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-auto_15-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-auto_15-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-auto_15-3"><sup><i><b>d</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation audio-visual cs1">John O'Donnell (writer & director) (1994). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKjfwf5s4uY"><i>The Last Waltz: Dublin to Cork Mailtrain (Travelling Post Office) January 1855-January 1994</i></a> <span class="cs1-format">(Video)</span> (Documentary). Ireland: Emdee in association with RTÉ<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">4 August</span> 2022</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=The+Last+Waltz%3A+Dublin+to+Cork+Mailtrain+%28Travelling+Post+Office%29+January+1855-January+1994&rft.place=Ireland&rft.pub=Emdee+in+association+with+RT%C3%89&rft.date=1994&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DDKjfwf5s4uY&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ATravelling+Post+Office" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-16"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-16">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.downrail.co.uk/rolling-stock/an-post-2977/">"An Post TPO 2977"</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=An+Post+TPO+2977&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.downrail.co.uk%2Frolling-stock%2Fan-post-2977%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ATravelling+Post+Office" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-17"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-17">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.downrail.co.uk/rolling-stock/an-post-2978/">"An Post TPO 2978"</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=An+Post+TPO+2978&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.downrail.co.uk%2Frolling-stock%2Fan-post-2978%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ATravelling+Post+Office" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-18"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-18">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.nightmail.org.uk">"The Night Mail Museum"</a>. Nene Valley Railway Museum and Educational Charity<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">6 December</span> 2016</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=The+Night+Mail+Museum&rft.pub=Nene+Valley+Railway+Museum+and+Educational+Charity&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nightmail.org.uk&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ATravelling+Post+Office" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> </ol></div></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Further_reading">Further reading</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Travelling_Post_Office&action=edit&section=10" title="Edit section: Further reading"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFCooper1983" class="citation magazine cs1">Cooper, Basil (July 1983). "The TPO story". <i><a href="/wiki/RAIL_(magazine)" class="mw-redirect" title="RAIL (magazine)">Rail Enthusiast</a></i>. EMAP National Publications. pp. 41–45. <a href="/wiki/ISSN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISSN (identifier)">ISSN</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0262-561X">0262-561X</a>. <a href="/wiki/OCLC_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="OCLC (identifier)">OCLC</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/49957965">49957965</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Rail+Enthusiast&rft.atitle=The+TPO+story&rft.pages=41-45&rft.date=1983-07&rft_id=info%3Aoclcnum%2F49957965&rft.issn=0262-561X&rft.aulast=Cooper&rft.aufirst=Basil&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ATravelling+Post+Office" class="Z3988"></span></li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFLeigh1997" class="citation magazine cs1">Leigh, Chris (Autumn 1997). "Mail by rail". <i>Model Rail</i>. No. 1. Peterborough: EMAP Apex. pp. 54–59. <a href="/wiki/ISSN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISSN (identifier)">ISSN</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://search.worldcat.org/issn/1369-5118">1369-5118</a>. <a href="/wiki/OCLC_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="OCLC (identifier)">OCLC</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/173324502">173324502</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Model+Rail&rft.atitle=Mail+by+rail&rft.ssn=fall&rft.issue=1&rft.pages=54-59&rft.date=1997&rft_id=info%3Aoclcnum%2F173324502&rft.issn=1369-5118&rft.aulast=Leigh&rft.aufirst=Chris&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ATravelling+Post+Office" class="Z3988"></span></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="External_links">External links</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Travelling_Post_Office&action=edit&section=11" title="Edit section: External links"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20110104201851/http://postalheritage.org.uk/exhibitions/onlineexhibitions/tpo/">The Travelling Post Office</a>, <a href="/wiki/British_Postal_Museum_and_Archive" class="mw-redirect" title="British Postal Museum and Archive">British Postal Museum and Archive</a> <ul><li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20070111064921/http://www.postalheritage.org.uk/history/downloads/BPMA_Info_Sheet_TravellingPostOffice_web.pdf">The British Postal Museum & Archive - Victorian Travelling Post Office.</a></li></ul></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.allanyeo.co.uk/index.html">Travelling Post Offices</a>, Allan Yeo website.</li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/gansg/7-fops/fo-mail.htm">Parcels and Post Office Traffic</a>, Mike Smith 'Goods and Not So Goods' website.</li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.lightstraw.co.uk/gpo/tpo/index.html">Mail by Rail</a>, John Chenery 'Light Straw' website.</li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080604164651/http://www.tpo.org.uk/">Friends of M30272M TPO Group</a>, <a href="/wiki/Nene_Valley_Railway" title="Nene Valley Railway">Nene Valley Railway</a> (via archive.org)</li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.railforums.co.uk/showpost.php?p=538783&postcount=17">Schedule of mail trains operating from London (Willesden) in 2002</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.tpo-seapost.org.uk/">TPO and Seapost Society for all collectors of Rail and Ship Mail worldwide</a></li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFWinchester1935" class="citation cs2">Winchester, Clarence, ed. (1 March 1935), <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.railwaywondersoftheworld.com/tpos.html">"Travelling Post Offices"</a>, <i>Railway Wonders of the World</i>, pp. 157–162</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=bookitem&rft.atitle=Travelling+Post+Offices&rft.btitle=Railway+Wonders+of+the+World&rft.pages=157-162&rft.date=1935-03-01&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.railwaywondersoftheworld.com%2Ftpos.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ATravelling+Post+Office" class="Z3988"></span>, an account of Travelling Post Offices in the 1930s</li></ul>    </div><noscript><img src="https://login.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAutoLogin/start?type=1x1" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border: none; position: absolute;"></noscript> <div class="printfooter" data-nosnippet="">Retrieved from "<a dir="ltr" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Travelling_Post_Office&oldid=1248137691">https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Travelling_Post_Office&oldid=1248137691</a>"</div></div> <div id="catlinks" class="catlinks" data-mw="interface"><div id="mw-normal-catlinks" class="mw-normal-catlinks"><a href="/wiki/Help:Category" title="Help:Category">Categories</a>: <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Category:British_railway_wagons" title="Category:British railway wagons">British railway wagons</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:DB_Cargo_UK" title="Category:DB Cargo UK">DB Cargo UK</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Philatelic_terminology" title="Category:Philatelic terminology">Philatelic terminology</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Postal_infrastructure_in_the_United_Kingdom" title="Category:Postal infrastructure in the United Kingdom">Postal infrastructure in the United Kingdom</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Postal_vehicles" title="Category:Postal vehicles">Postal vehicles</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Sorting_offices" title="Category:Sorting offices">Sorting offices</a></li></ul></div><div id="mw-hidden-catlinks" class="mw-hidden-catlinks mw-hidden-cats-hidden">Hidden categories: <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Category:CS1_errors:_missing_title" title="Category:CS1 errors: missing title">CS1 errors: missing title</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Articles_with_short_description" title="Category:Articles with short description">Articles with short description</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Short_description_is_different_from_Wikidata" title="Category:Short description is different from Wikidata">Short description is different from Wikidata</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Use_dmy_dates_from_September_2017" title="Category:Use dmy dates from September 2017">Use dmy dates from September 2017</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Use_British_English_from_September_2017" title="Category:Use British English from September 2017">Use British English from September 2017</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:All_articles_with_unsourced_statements" title="Category:All articles with unsourced statements">All articles with unsourced statements</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Articles_with_unsourced_statements_from_January_2021" title="Category:Articles with unsourced statements from January 2021">Articles with unsourced statements from January 2021</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Articles_with_unsourced_statements_from_August_2024" title="Category:Articles with unsourced statements from August 2024">Articles with unsourced statements from August 2024</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Articles_needing_additional_references_from_August_2024" title="Category:Articles needing additional references from August 2024">Articles needing additional references from August 2024</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:All_articles_needing_additional_references" title="Category:All articles needing additional references">All articles needing additional references</a></li></ul></div></div> </div> </main> </div> <div class="mw-footer-container"> <footer id="footer" class="mw-footer" > <ul id="footer-info"> <li id="footer-info-lastmod"> This page was last edited on 27 September 2024, at 21:33<span class="anonymous-show"> (UTC)</span>.</li> <li id="footer-info-copyright">Text is available under the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_the_Creative_Commons_Attribution-ShareAlike_4.0_International_License" title="Wikipedia:Text of the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License">Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License</a>; additional terms may apply. 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