Mail Rail

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Mail Rail, AKA the Post Office Railway, is a driverless electric railway system that moved post under the streets of London for more than 75 years.

Hidden Art London Street Royal Mail Travel And Leisure London Travel Post Office Wwi Time Travel United Kingdom

An engineer travels through the tunnels of the Post Office (London) Railway/Mail Rail on a battery powered engineering locomotive between West Central District Office and the Western District Office, 1971.

On Saturday September the Royal Mail Archive will be holding a themed open day to celebrate the Post Office Underground Railway (Mail Rail). London Underground Train, Opening Day, Old London, London Street, Royal Mail, Train Tracks, Post Office, City Life, London England

London Underground Train Opening Day Old London London Street Royal Mail Train Tracks Post Office City Life London England

Mail Rail Archive Open Day

On Saturday 14th September the Royal Mail Archive will be holding a themed open day to celebrate the Post Office Underground Railway (Mail Rail). Activities will run from 10.00am until 4.00pm.

Artwork for a poster advertising the Post Office (London) Railway (AKA Mail Rail) by Edward Bawden. (POST for a poster advertising the Post Office (London) Railway (AKA Mail Rail) by Edward Bawden World In Motion, Trains, Railway Posters, Travel Posters, Train Art, Royal College Of Art, A Level Art, Gravure, Woodblock Print

World In Motion Trains Railway Posters Travel Posters Train Art Royal College Of Art A Level Art Gravure Woodblock Print

Mail Rail Archive Open Day

On Saturday 14th September the Royal Mail Archive will be holding a themed open day to celebrate the Post Office Underground Railway (Mail Rail). Activities will run from 10.00am until 4.00pm.

Workers loading mail sacks onto Mail Rail 1935 photo The Postal Museum and Mail Rail London Street, London City, London Underground Train, Tube Train, Hidden Art, Museum Store, Frozen In Time, Historical Images, Old London

London Street London City London Underground Train Tube Train Hidden Art Museum Store Frozen In Time Historical Images Old London

Venture to our Museum Store on 24th August to find out more about Mail Rail…

On Saturday 24th August we will be holding an open day at our Museum Store in Debden, just 20 minutes from the hub of Stratford, London.

On Saturday August we will be holding an open day at our Museum Store in Debden, just 20 minutes from the hub of Stratford, London. Museum Store, London Underground, London Street, Royal Mail, Train Tracks, Post Office, Locomotive, London England, How To Find Out

Museum Store London Underground London Street Royal Mail Train Tracks Post Office Locomotive London England How To Find Out

Venture to our Museum Store on 24th August to find out more about Mail Rail…

On Saturday 24th August we will be holding an open day at our Museum Store in Debden, just 20 minutes from the hub of Stratford, London.

Image ©Bradley Photography, Northumberland. Part of a selection of images on show at The British Postal Museum & Archive, London, as part of "Mail Rail: A Photographic Exhibition". www.postalheritage.org.uk/mail-rail-exhibition Exclusive signed prints available from www.postalheritage.org.uk/page/ascent London Underground Train, Architectural Features, Spiral Staircase, London Street, Sign Printing, How To Level Ground, Post Office, In The Heights, Trains

London Underground Train Architectural Features Spiral Staircase London Street Sign Printing How To Level Ground Post Office In The Heights Trains

Ascent

Spiral staircase Mail Rail stations were built on ‘Island’ configurations and access can be gained by walking between the platforms to the various elevators and suchlike that exist. At Western Central District Office station, an emergency spiral access staircase gives an insight as to the height that is ascended or descended from ground level. Image ©Bradley Photography, Northumberland. Part of a selection of images on show at The British Postal Museum & Archive, London, as part of…

The Post Office underground railway – Mail Rail – ran under the streets of London for three quarters of a century and has been dormant since but that could be about to change Ride London, The Empty Hearse, London Underground Stations, London Pride, Train Of Thought, New Museum, London Street, Travel Articles, Old Buildings

Ride London The Empty Hearse London Underground Stations London Pride Train Of Thought New Museum London Street Travel Articles Old Buildings

Descent to the Mount

Twin tunnel Capturing the car depot incline at Mount Pleasant reveals the point where the larger tunnel becomes two smaller ones. The left hand tunnel was the departure line from the depot where mail trains rejoined the system in an eastbound fashion after being brought down in a slow, controlled descent from the workshops above. Image ©Bradley Photography, Northumberland. Part of a selection of images on show at The British Postal Museum & Archive, London, as part of "Mail Rail: A…

Deep under the streets of the capital, a disused railway tunnel stretches for six miles. After being shut for a decade, there are now plans to reopen the London Post Office Railway - known to many as Mail Rail - as a tourist ride. Ride London, New Museum, London Street, London City, London Underground, Royal Mail, Post Office, Abandoned Places, Landscaping

Ride London New Museum London Street London City London Underground Royal Mail Post Office Abandoned Places Landscaping

Waiting in the dark

1930s car in the siding Depicts two of the coupled 1930s units in a siding at Paddington Station. A difficult image to capture, largely due to the oppressive darkness in the tunnel, the actual exposure took some six minutes to execute with the train and the tunnel being evenly bathed in torchlight. Fungal and crystalline growths form on the sides of the mail containers that were once handled by hundreds of hands. Image ©Bradley Photography, Northumberland. Part of a selection of…

London Underground Train London Street Sign Printing Post Office British Building Prints Archive Museum

Relay Board

‘Blue’ relay board photograph Depicts only a tiny fraction of the complexity of the telemetry and control system needed to run the railway. This photograph was taken in the very poorly lit relay room at King Edward Building. The track indicator would have shown the positions and movements of the trains...push buttons and switches providing override movements for required times, all under the watchful eyes of experienced engineering staff. Image ©Bradley Photography, Northumberland. …

Hidden London London Street Royal Mail Sign Printing Post Office British Isles London England Museum Train

Outbound Twist

Reversing loop Showing the reversing loop at EDO station in detail. The replacement rails, in the foreground, were manually positioned and were turned through 180° periodically to promote even track wearing. Image ©Bradley Photography, Northumberland. Part of a selection of images on show at The British Postal Museum & Archive, London, as part of "Mail Rail: A Photographic Exhibition". www.postalheritage.org.uk/mail-rail-exhibition Exclusive signed prints available from…

Sign Printing Post Office Archive Cherry British Museum London Prints Photography

Silent Cherry

Ghosted hand on a cherry starter button While The Mail Rail system looks similar to its passenger transport sibling - sometimes separated by only a few feet - it must be remembered that the Post Office Railway ran in its dark, narrow gauge confines automatically, without drivers, guards, passengers or external signalling. At its heart was the elegant engineering beauty of the Ferreria-Insell inspired relay telematics that governed the train movements. When the train was loaded and ready…

Our 1927 Mail Rail car, which will be one of many attractions at the Fawley Hill Steam and Vintage Transport Weekend, Henley-on-Thames, May London Underground Train, Fawley, Henley On Thames, Rail Car, London Street, Post Office, Transportation, Museum, Graphics

London Underground Train Fawley Henley On Thames Rail Car London Street Post Office Transportation Museum Graphics

Our 1927 Mail Rail car, which will be one of many attractions at the Fawley Hill Steam and Vintage Transport Weekend, Henley-on-Thames, 17-19 May 2013.

London Underground Train London Street Royal Mail Post Apocalyptic Post Office Britain Workshop Electric World

The car depot and workshop of Mail Rail (AKA the Post Office Railway), the driverless electric railway system that moved post under the streets of London for more than 75 years.

Greenbat mail train used on Mail Rail, AKA the Post Office Railway, the driverless electric railway system that moved post under the streets of London for more than 75 years. London Underground Train, London Underground Stations, Vintage London, Old London, London History, London Transport, London Street, Royal Mail, Abandoned Buildings

London Underground Train London Underground Stations Vintage London Old London London History London Transport London Street Royal Mail Abandoned Buildings

A visit down to Mail Rail

Many people have heard of Mail Rail, AKA the Post Office Railway, the driverless electric railway system that moved post under the streets of London for more than 75 years, but few have had the opportunity to see it.

Glamour Shots London Street Post Office Pilgrim Volunteers Libraries Museums Conservation Trains

The British Postal Museum & Archive with support from The PRISM (Preservation of Industrial and Scientific Material) fund administered by Arts Council England and the AiM Pilgrim Trust Conservation Grant Scheme, and the involvement of volunteers and conservators, has been working on a project to conserve two Mail Rail trains. Mail Rail was an underground railway built by the Post Office under the streets of London. It ran between Paddington Station and Whitechapel, and was in use from…

mail train after the conservation work has taken place and a special conservation-approved Renaissance Wax has been applied to all surfaces to protect them and prevent further corrosion. London Street, Post Office, Conservation, 1930s, Renaissance, Restoration, Wax, Stamps, British

London Street Post Office Conservation 1930s Renaissance Restoration Wax Stamps British

1930s mail train after the conservation work has taken place and a special conservation-approved Renaissance Wax has been applied to all surfaces to protect them and prevent further corrosion.