Introduced originally by the Great Western Railway, the Travelling Post Office would set out from London in the dead of night and deliver the post to every major town, ready for the locals to open in the morning. The concept of the Travelling Post Office first originated in the 1830s on the Liverpool & Manchester Railway following an agreement with the General Post Office, and within the decade it became mandatory that all railways had to carry the mail in some capacity. The services quickly became known as Travelling Post Offices, and could either be formed of dedicated mail rolling stock or a mixture of mail and passenger.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the Travelling Post Office is the rolling stock itself, and how it operates. The Sorting Coach and Baggage Coach were built from existing rolling stock designs, and would feature dedicated ‘TPO’ interiors, complete with unique mail equipment. The Baggage Coach was fitted with a net and several mail bag holders, while on the trackside similar equipment was installed to perform the mail transfer.
At specific locations, workers inside the TPO would prepare the mail bags to be hung from the side of the coach, and these bags would be collected by a trackside net. At the same time, any empty mail bags would be returned to the coach by a similar process. This operation happened while on the move and allowed for non-stop services throughout the night.
The BR Saint & TPO Livery Pack, which requires the GWR Saint & TPO add-on (available separately) in order to run, enables realistic mail pick-up and drop-off in motion. This pack recreates the GWR Saint and Travelling Post Office as they appeared under British Railways operation. It also includes the Baggage Coach and Sorting Coach in BR Maroon, BR Corporate Blue/Grey and Western Mail Red liveries.
Features:
- GWR Saint (square frame version) in BR Green and BR Black liveries
- GWR Saint (rounded frame version) in BR Green and BR Black liveries
- Riveted and smooth tender versions in BR Green and BR Black liveries
- Baggage coach in BR Maroon, BR Blue and Western Mail Red liveries
- Sorting coach in BR Maroon, BR Blue and Western Mail Red liveries
