Mail Rail
Regular price
€16.99
The Post Office Railway, when it started running
in 1927, was the first fully automated driverless railway in the world, a full
forty years before the Victoria Line started service in London in 1967. The
railway below London became the main means of moving mail, with Mount Pleasant
being the hub of the distribution system. Linking with London's main line
stations most of the country's long-distance mail travelled via the Post Office
Railway.
The fascinating story of how it began, how it
was built, and why it closed is told here in an accessible way that tries to
cover a highly technical and innovative system in a way that is easy to
understand.
The railway closed in 2003, but that was not
the end of the story. The Postal Museum
took over part of the Mount Pleasant sorting office to tell the story of 500
years of postal history and to open Mail Rail again with specially built trains
as a visitor attraction and the start of a whole new adventure.
If you are a railway enthusiast,
postal enthusiast, urban explorer or just interested in finding out more about
one of London's best-kept secrets this book is a must read for you.
Mike started his working life as a `youth in
training' on the Post Office Railway in January 1962.
After this intensive training period he became
a technician on the railway and after a further one year's training a technical
officer. He obtained a City and Guilds full Technician's certificate with
endorsements, a Higher National certificate with endorsements and a degree from
the Open University.
After spells on research at Dollis Hill and
Martlesham, and on Postal Mechanisation in Southampton, he left the General
Post Office to pursue a career as an independent consultant.
Having retired he returned to the
railway when it opened as part of the Postal Museum in September 2017 and now
works on a part-time basis as a Driver/Operator.