Did all TPOs look the same?
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The
purpose and definition of TPOs was constant, but their build, look and design
varied enormously over the years.
Cornish TPOs were probably the most unique using brown painted sorting
carriages with papier mâché bodies!
TPOs could also differ a great deal in size. The
largest consisted of six sorting carriages, with 11 letter
and parcel stowage vans and 50 men on board. Others were a single carriage.
Inside
The
layout of TPOs evolved rapidly in their early years, driven by the unique
nature of the work involved. The sorting
frames were normally on the right (looking towards the engine).
A well table - a sunken recess to hold mail - sat below this, where mailbags would be emptied. Opposite this were metal pegs with destination bag labels attached ready for full bags of sorted mail.
The very early TPOs were quite primitive: They had only oil lighting, with low and flat roofs. There was no heating or toilets! In the 1860s, gradual improvements were made as ventilators and better lights were installed. Arched roofs were introduced along with floor matting, padding and seats, as you can see in the 1930s photograph above.
In 1953
carriage design was standardised. Carriage dimensions were enlarged to provide
a larger floor space. They were constructed in steel instead of wood and centre
gangways were introduced.
Outside
The
exterior of TPOs were usually painted in the colours derived from the regional
railway company that operated them. The
most striking change came in 1986 when the blue and grey British Rail carriages
were repainted with the bright Royal Mail red. The picture below shows one of the recently painted trains being loaded at Crewe.
As early as 1838 - thanks to an idea by Post Office clerk John Ramsey - carriages were fitted with a special apparatus for delivering and
collecting pouches of mail while the TPO was moving at high speed. This saved time by avoiding stopping and
starting at stations. The bag exchange and receiving doors were usually located
on the left of the carriage.
An iron frame covered by a net was attached to the TPO carriage. This opened out to receive a bag
suspended from the arm of a standard, or gibbet erected at the side of
the railway line. At the same time as a bag was delivered into the net
another was dropped. These were tense moments on a TPO run, captured in the 1936 documentary Night Mail.
Ramsey’s original device was improved, but the principle of 'drop and grab' lasted until 1971. By this time the higher speed of trains meant that it was possible to pause in stations. You can see the net on the 1879 London Midland and Scottish sorting carriage shown in the photograph above.
