Nene Valley Railway
'The Night Mail'
On Saturday September 28th 2024 the Nene Valley Railway held a 'Night Mail' special event. The evening comprised a re-enactment of a Travelling Post Office working, running from Wansford to Peterborough and then to Yarwell Junction and back to Wansford. The train comprised BR Class 45 Peak No. 45041 'Royal Tank Regiment', two NSA Sorting Carriages, 80327 and 80337, and a rake of Mark 1 stock. On the journey, passengers could sort letters into the frames of the NSAs in exactly the same way it was done for decades on TPOs and see at first hand the nets and arms used for collection and deposit of mail in motion. Pre-booked meals were served after Peterborough and the experience as a whole was as close to the real thing as possible.
The images below illustrate the event from forming up the train at Wansford at around 6.30 pm to finishing shortly after 9 pm.
Beautifully-preserved Class 45 No. 45041 'Royal Tank Regiment' draws sorting carriages 80327 'George James' and 80337 'Brian White' (both former TPO staff) through Wansford station before reversing back onto the stock in the adjacent platform to form the 19.00 'Night Mail' special on Saturday 28th September 2024. Photo: Alan Jones.
In a scene that bears some similarity to the arrival of the Rosslare Boat Train at Limerick Junction, Class 45/0 No. 45041 'Royal Tank Regiment' has passed through Wansford station and is now backing its two sorting carriages (80337 and 80327) onto a rake of Mark 1 stock to form the 19.00 'Night Mail' departure on September 28th 2024. Photo: Alan Jones.
NSA vehicles 80337 (Dia. 729) and 80327 (Dia. 728) are reversed onto the passenger stock at Wansford on the Nene Valley Railway's 'Night Mail' event on September 28th 2024. There were six BR Mark 1 sorting carriage diagrams in total: Diagram 720 (80300-80305 and 80309-80318), 721 (80306-80308), 728 (80319-80327), 729 (80328-80338), 731 (80339-80355) and 726 (80356-80395), reflecting the changing requirements for collection and deposit of mail bags (arms, nets or neither), sorting (different frame sizes and arrangements) and security (different window sizes and configurations). Photo: Alan Jones.
Looking a little tired after twenty years out of service, NSA vehicle 80327 'George James' (built York, 1969) waits at Wansford station on September 28th 2024 with the Nene Valley Railway's 'Night Mail' Special. The bulge in the near-end of the roof is to accommodate the aerials of a VHF radio - one of a number of security features added to Post Office vehicles after the 1963 Great Train Robbery. The evening sun picks out the details of the B5 bogie. Photo: Alan Jones.
Catching the evening sun at Wansford on Saturday 28th September 2024, Class 45/0 No. 45041 'Royal Tank Regiment' waits departure with the 19.00 'Night Mail'. The train ran to Peterborough, where refreshments were loaded, then back to Yarwell Junction and after running round again, back to Wansford. All-in-all, an excellent evening and highly recommended. Photo: Alan Jones.
The 'Night Mail' stands at the Nene Valley Railway's Wansford station on Saturday 28th September 2024 as passengers arrive and take their seats. The nearer vehicle, 80327, is a Diagram 728 vehicle and was fitted for arms only (no nets). The farther vehicle, 80337, is a Diagram 729 vehicle and had provision for arms and nets (although it was not fitted with them when in operation). The difference between these two diagrams can be seen in the roofline, where 80337 has a notch above the nearer door to accommodate the net. Photo: Alan Jones.
In a very prototypical scene, members of the Nene Valley Railway's TPO Group, dressed in period Post Office jackets, look the part as they discuss matters at Wansford station during the 'Night Mail' event on Saturday 28th September 2024. With a boilered Peak on the front, TPO carriages, a rake of Mark 1s - and a little imagination - it could almost be 1V50, the Midland TPO Going South. Photo: Alan Jones.
The traductor arms of 80337 are on display at Wansford station before departure of the 'Night Mail at 19.00. The robustness of the pouches can be seen in this view, especially the thickness of the connector that fixes the pouch onto the end of the arm. Given that the pouches were made entirely from leather, the high cost can be imagined. The string tied to the arms was used by the crew to lower the arms gently down when the train was in motion, in readiness for dropping off the pouches in the lineside nets. 28th September 2024. Photo: Alan Jones.
The net and a pouch on vehicle 80337 are on display to passengers at Wansford Station for the Nene Valley Railway's excellent Night Mail event on Saturday September 28th 2024. 80337 is one of the eleven Diagram 729 vehicles (80328 to 80338 inclusive) built at York in 1968-69. All eleven vehicles were built for nets and arms, but only vehicles 80328 to 80333 inclusive carried them in service. Photo: Alan Jones.
An atmospheric view down the two TPO carriages 80337 and 80327 on the Nene Valley Railway's 'Night Mail' special on Saturday 28th September 2024. The light on the side of the newspaper (or packet) frame in position 7 is coming from the window of the door in position 6, and the folding table that drops down in front of this door can be seen stowed upright at the end of the Newspaper rack in position 5. Photo: Alan Jones.
A view of one half of 80337 with the large Newspaper frame on the right in position 5, followed by Long Letter and Short Letter frames in positions 4 and 3. Beyond are two roller-shutters, the nearer of which covers a Short Letter frame in position 2 and the further the Registered Letter (later known as Special Delivery) frame in position 1. The Short Letter frame in position 2 also acted as an auxiliary Registered Letter frame, hence its being behind a high security roller-shutter door. 28th September 2024. Photo: Alan Jones.
The mail is loaded, carriage doors are locked, the road is clear and the 'Night Mail is ready to depart from Wansford on Saturday 28th September 2024. The orientation of TPO stock was important to ensure that the doors were on the platform-side at each station. To assist with this, sorting carriages had an 'A' and a 'B' end and between the late 80s and late 90s carriages were so labelled. 'A' was the lavatory end and 'B' the cupboard end (right and left ends respectively when viewed from the sliding-door side of the carriage as in the image above). Photo: Alan Jones.
The passenger on the Nene Valley Railway's Night Mail special is assured of an excellent evening - not only because of the catering, but also because of the opportunity to sort letters on the move, just as it was done on actual TPO workings. This fine display is available for passengers to use and is one of the most life-like experiences of TPO operation available today. 28th September 2024. Photo: Alan Jones.
A view of the beautifully-finished woodwork of the Short Letter frames in positions 9, 10 and 11 at the 'A' end of 80327 on the Nene Valley Railway. 28th September 2024. Photo: Alan Jones.
The Night Mail event on the Nene Valley Railway on September 28th 2024 included live demonstrations of sorting mail in TPO carriages. Here a member of the NVR's TPO Group demonstrates this in the Short Letter frame at No. 10 position in NSA vehicle 80337. TPO staff were required by the Post Office to be able to sort 30 letters per minute (i.e. one letter every 2 seconds). Photo: Alan Jones.
Detail of the Short Letter frame in position 10 in vehicle 80327 on the Nene Valley Railway. The labels are based on towns served by the East Anglian TPO, which in the Down direction departed Liverpool Street as 1K52 at 23.00 for Norwich and Peterborough. The train arrived in Ipswich at 00.40 and split into two, with the Norwich portion (1N52) departing at 00.51 and the Peterborough portion (1B36) departing at 01.01 and arriving in Peterborough at 03.09. Photo: Alan Jones.
A selection of Packets in the Newspaper (or Packet) frame at position 5 in NSA 80327 'George James' on the Nene Valley Railway's 'Night Mail' special on Saturday 28th September 2024. The order of the frames in positions 1 to 11 for POS vehicles 80319 to 80395 was: (1) Registered Letters (2) Short Letters (Aux RL) (3) Short Letters (4) Long Letters (5) Newspapers/Packets (6) Door (7) Newspapers/Packets (8) Long Letters (9) Short Letters (10) Short Letters (11) Short Letters. Vehicles numbered 80300 to 80318 had 12 positions, with no provision for Long Letters, arranged as: RL, SL, SL, SL, SL, Newspapers/Packets, Door, Newspapers/Packets, SL, SL, SL, SL. Photo: Alan Jones.
A close-up of a Short Letter frame in sorting carriage 80337. These boxes were sized to take envelopes of the same width but around half the length of the current 'DL' envelope. The letters in the foreground are separated by pull-out bars which gave additional storage capacity if needed by the sorting staff. 28th September 2024. Photo: Alan Jones.
A view of the Short Letter and Long Letter frames in positions 3 and 4 in POS vehicle No. 80337. The Short Letter frame was three feet three and five-eights inches long and comprised six levels of eight boxes. The Long Letter frame also comprised six levels of eight boxes but was four feet nine inches long and could handle letters up to A5 size. The silver-coloured grab rail running above both frames allowed the crew to steady themselves in rough riding and also allowed them to pull themselves up to check that the upper boxes were empty. 28th September 2024. Photo: Alan Jones.
The conditions for Post Office staff onboard TPOs were basic, as illustrated by the seating arrangements in vehicle 80327 at Wansford on the Nene Valley Railway. With most of the shift spent standing up, as well as the speed and accuracy needed to sort 30 letters per minute throughout the evening and into the small hours of the morning, it can easily be appreciated why the TPO staff were a breed of their own. Photo: Alan Jones.
A view of the interior of 80327 at Wansford that is so authentic it could almost be the real thing. Between the two Newspaper (or Packet) frames in positions 5 and 7 is an external door with a hinged table whose white underside can be seen stowed upright behind the York trolleys. The horizontal silver handrail above the sorting frames provided a grab-rail when riding conditions were rough, as well as helping staff to check that the upper boxed had been emptied. 28th September 2024. Photo: Alan Jones.
A close-up of three leather pouches in the Newspaper (or Packet) frame of NSA vehicle 80337. Only the Newspaper frames were able to handle A4-sized letters in sorting carriages and this became more of a problem through the 1990s as A4-sized letters became a larger proportion of the mail. Photo: Alan Jones.
Between the Registered Letter Frame and the end of the carriage was a high security cupboard, used for carriage of cash, cheques and postal orders. The sliding door was metal and extremely sturdy. It also had in it a small hole of around a couple of inches diameter so that, in emergency, the door could be locked and the keys pushed through the hole. This feature was instigated after the Great Train Robbery of 8th August 1963, when £2.61 million (circa £50 million in today's money) was stolen from the Up Special TPO at around 3am. Photo: Alan Jones.
The Registered Letter frame of 80337 comprises five levels of ten boxes, topped by one level of three long boxes. Overall width was approximately five feet four inches and this frame occupied position 1 in the sorting carriage. The sensitive nature of Registered post required that the frame be protected, hence the roller-shutter door which could be brought down when needed. Photo: Alan Jones.
Next to the Registered Letter frame in position 1 was a Short Letter frame in position 2 which also doubled up as an auxiliary Registered Letter frame if required. Hence it too had to be protected by a roller-shutter door. The two are seen in vehicle 80337 on the Nene Valley Railway on September 28th, 2024. Photo: Alan Jones.
Behind the Post Office staff as they sorted letters in the racks was a long Bag Rail that ran for as great a length of the carriage as was possible. Bags to all destinations served by the TPO train in question were hung from these pegs and as the boxes in the frames were filled by the Sorting staff, runners in the carriage would bundle the letters from the boxes and drop them into the corresponding bags. The vehicle is 80337 at Wansford on the Nene Valley Railway. 28th September 2024. Photo: Alan Jones.
Labelled bags hang from the Bag Rail in NSA vehicle 80327 on the Nene Valley Railway's 'Night Mail' special on Saturday 28th September 2024. Runners in the sorting carriages would take letters from the sorting racks, bundle them up and drop them in to the appropriate bags as sorting progressed throughout the journey, thereby allowing sorting staff to concentrate fully on the business of sorting without distraction. Time was absolutely critical on all TPO workings and they were highly efficient operations where everyone knew their part. Photo: Alan Jones.
Bag Rails and bags in the corner by the wardrobe at the 'B' end of E80337, 28th September 2024. The window is of the smaller design, introduced as a security measure after the Great Train Robbery of 1963. Diagram 728/729/731/726 vehicles from E80319 onwards were fitted with these windows from new and Diagram 720/721 vehicles (80300-80318) had them retro-fitted and/or window bars fitted. Photo: Alan Jones.
The lever for operating the net in vehicle 80337 is seen whilst the carriage heads towards Peterborough on the Nene Valley Railway's 'Night Mail' event on September 28th 2024. Photo: Alan Jones.
The Night Mail event at the Nene Valley Railway on September 28th 2024 gave the opportunity to travel in a sorting carriage in conditions very close to the real thing. With the side door open in 80337, the darkening sky can be seen through the net as the train heads towards Peterborough with 45041 'Royal Tank Regiment' at the front. It could almost have been the Peterborough-Crewe Postal! Photo: Alan Jones.
The sliding doors on TPO stack were held in the open position by a sturdy pin which hung by a chain from the carriage body next to the door frame, as shown here in vehicle 80337 on the Nene Valley Railway. 28th September 2024. Photo: Alan Jones.
A view of the letter box inside NSA vehicle 80327, with its glass-fronted door for ease of visibility. A late-posting fee was applied to letters posted in these boxes. Between the years 1880 and July 1969 the fee was a halfpenny, rising to one penny from July 1969 to February 1971. Upon decimalisation the fee became half of a new penny from February 1971 to June 1974 and finally one new penny from June 1974 to September 1976 when the late-posting fee was abolished. Photo: Alan Jones.
The carriage lighting control box of NSA vehicle 80327 on the Nene Valley Railway on 28th September 2024. The manual nature of the control is clearly seen, with good provision for emergencies through the routing of lighting supplies between adjacent carriages and the ability to switch between normal and emergency batteries. Photo: Alan Jones.
All TPO stock was based on the BR Mark 1 carriage design (or earlier) as as such was pressure ventilated. Here is a ventilator control on the side of 80327, with the cable going upwards into the roof. 28th September 2024. Photo: Alan Jones.
A very interesting taxonomy of rough riding conditions as defined by EWS in sorting carriage 80337. Note that 'High Frequency Vibration' has two sub-categories: whole body and localised! 28th September 2024. Photo: Alan Jones.
The essential part of the sorting carriage: the boiler and sink unit. Basic and functional. Photo: Alan Jones.
In near-total darkness, the 'Night Mail' TPO has arrived at Peterborough on Saturday 28th September 2024 and 45041 'Royal Tank Regiment' is uncoupled to run round, In parallel, the essential job of loading the pies, fish and chips takes place from a nearby van, much to the delight of everyone on board. Photo: Alan Jones.
After arrival back at Wansford with the Night Mail, the passengers have gone home, the train has been emptied and night descends on 80327 and 80337. 28th September 2024. Photo: Alan Jones.