West Coast Joint Stock postal sorting van No 186, 1885

Made:
1885
West Coast Joint Stock TPO No 186 - 1990. West Coast Joint Stock TPO No 186 - 1990. WCJS TPO No. 186 - Pigeon Holes. Details/abstracts of rail vehicles at National Railway Museum.

Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a Licence

Buy this image as a print 

Buy

License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

License

Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a Licence

Buy this image as a print 

Buy

License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

License

Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a Licence

Buy this image as a print 

Buy

License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

License

Buy this image as a print 

Buy

License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

License

West Coast Joint Stock TPO No 186 - 1990.
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

West Coast Joint Stock TPO No 186 - 1990.
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

WCJS TPO No. 186 - Pigeon Holes.
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Details/abstracts of rail vehicles at National Railway Museum.
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Postal sorting van/tender, No 186, travelling Post Office with lineside pick-up apparatus, West Coast Joint Stock, built 1885, withdrawn March 1934. Includes mailbag exchange equipment (144"x44"x63"); carriage basket (36"x82"x48") and collection post (134" high x 30"x21").

This is the oldest surviving British example of a travelling Post Office coach, although it is not in its original form. It was built at Wolverton and is painted in a standard LNWR livery, but carried the insignia of the West Coast Joint Stock, to indicate its joint ownership by the LNWR and Caledonian Railway.

Every night, travelling Post Offices left major stations around the country. Thousands of bags of letters and parcels were loaded on to the train, with police officers keeping a watchful eye on the high-value cargo. On board the train were teams of mail sorters, who sorted the post on the move.

Equipment is provided for collecting and dropping off bags of mail without the train stopping. As with many subsequent TPO vehicles, the gangway connections are offset at the ends of the coaches to enable maximum use to be made of the interior for sorting equipment.

Details

Category:
Locomotives and Rolling Stock
Object Number:
1975-7042
Measurements:
collection post: 3404 mm x 762 mm x 533 mm,
carriage basket: 914 mm x 2083 mm x 1219 mm,
carriage: 2650 mm x 14360 mm,
mailbag exchange equipment: 3658 mm x 1118 mm x 1600 mm,
type:
van and sorting tender
credit:
British Rail, Historical Relics

Parts

Travelling Post Office Mailbag Exchange Equipment

Travelling Post Office Mailbag Exchange Equipment

Travelling Post Office (TPO) lineside pick-up apparatus associated with West Coast Joint Stock Railway; includes mailbag exchange equipment (144"x44"x63"); carriage basket (36"x82"x48") and collection post (134" high x 30"x21").

Travelling Post Office Mailbag Exchange Equipment

Travelling Post Office Mailbag Exchange Equipment

Travelling Post Office (TPO) lineside pick-up apparatus associated with West Coast Joint Stock Railway; includes mailbag exchange equipment (144"x44"x63"); carriage basket (36"x82"x48") and collection post (134" high x 30"x21").

Object Number:
1975-7042/2
type:
travelling post office