West Coast Joint Stock postal sorting van No 186, 1885

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sorting van/tender, No 186, travelling Post Office with lineside pick-up apparatus, West Coast Joint Stock, built 1885, withdrawn March 1934.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.