SiteName: Post Office Railway (MailRail)
Sub Brit site visit 15th March 2003
[Source: Nick Catford]
The first proposal for a tube line to carry the mail was put forward by Rowland Hill in 1855; he suggested a line from the Post Office at St. Martins-le-Grand to Little Queen Street in Holborn. The initial proposal was for an 'atmospheric railway' designed by Thomas Rammell who came up with a scheme by which a stationary steam engine would drive a large fan which could suck air out of an air tight tube and draw the vehicle towards it or blow air to push them away.
A smaller version of this system was later developed as the 'Lamson Tube' for message handling in large department stores, government offices etc; some Lamson Tube networks are still in use today.
Rammell devised plans for a number of lines in London to carry goods and the Royal Mail, setting up the Pneumatic Despatch Company on 30th June 1859.
In May 1861 an experimental 452 yard line was laid in Battersea. This proved to be successful and lines were proposed from Camden and Euston stations to carry parcels for the LNWR. The Post Office were initially luke warm about the scheme although they agreed to try out the new system once it had been built.
Pneumastic Despatch Company's Railways
Drawn by Derek Bayliss
The first 2' gauge line was built in a shallow cut and cover tunnel from the Arrival Parcels Office at Euston to the Post Office's North Western District Office in Crowndale Road, a distance of 600 yards, the first train running on 15 Jan 1863. After an inspection by Post Office Secretary Sir Rowland Hill, the new service was approved and a permanent service introduced with 70 trains a day making the 70 second journey.
The Post Office were not satisfied with this new service as it only shaved 4 minutes off the time taken to carry the mail by road. In 1874 they announced that they would not be using the new line and it was quickly abandoned and the Pneumatic Despatch Company was dissolved. The terminus at the General Post Office became a coal and wood store and other parts of the tunnel were put to other uses.
In 1895 there was a proposal to reopen the tunnel with electric traction and a new company, the London Despatch Company was formed. Some work was done on upgrading the line and tunnels but the Post Office remained sceptical about its worth and work on the new project ceased in 1902 and the London Despatch Co was wound up in 1905. The Post Office finally bought the tunnel in 1921 to use for telephone cables. Several sections of the tunnel have been lost over the years but about three quarters of it is still in use carrying cables.
Each station would have a wide island platform with sufficient room for loading and unloading and a loop line to leave the main line clear for through running. The suggested line capacity was 40 trains an hour in each direction. The Post Office remained sceptical about whether the line would achieve any real savings over road transport.
Photo:The eastbound platform at Mount Pleasant
Photo by Nick Catford
Further information and pictures about this site continues here
[Source: Nick Catford]