External exhibition - The Travelling Post Office

From Friday 21 March - 31 October 2008

The Travelling Post Office (TPO) exhibition at The Crewe Heritage Centre reopens on Friday 21 March 2008. The exhibition explores the fascinating history of the service with an array of  equipment, and a beautifully restored 1908 carriage.

Visitors can explore the interior and discover the experience of working on board this ingeneous mobile sorting office.

Travelling Post Offices were first introduced in 1838, making full use of early railway expansion to provide a fast, reliable postal service. Early TPOs were quite primitive and had no toilets and heating, and workers experienced respiratory problems due to fumes from the oil lamps and melting wax.

As the trains developed, the work became less dangerous and conditions improved, but the sorting work remained just as demanding on the individual, with the 1908 TPO hurtling along the tracks at speeds of up to 70mph.

Event details	Touring exhibition - The Travelling Post Office
Event type	Exhibition
Location	The Crewe Heritage Centre, Crewe, Cheshire
Date	4 April 2007 - 31 October 2008 (open weekends and bank holidays only)
Time	See The Crewe Heritage Centre website for opening hours
Price	See The Crewe Heritage Centre website for admission charges
Pre-booking required?	Tickets can be booked, but booking is optional
Suitable for?	Anyone interested in postal or transport history
Related events	Talk: The Travelling Post Office Talk Mail Rail: An Underground Postal Journey Film Screening: Night Mail (1936) Film Screening: Mail Rail (1987) Family Event: Night Mail Poetry Workshop Touring Exhibition: Moving the Mail: Horses to Horsepower

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