Mail Rail exhibition at Buckinghamshire Railway Centre

A ‘Moving the Mail’ event, at Buckinghamshire Railway Centre, Quainton, on 14 August, will feature The Postal Musuem’s travelling exhibition about Mail Rail, the underground railway that ran under London between 1927 and 2003.

Organised by the Travelling Post Office (TPO) Group, the special event takes place from 10.30am and will give collectors, postal historians and railways enthusiasts the chance to see new displays, including a display on the Great Train Robbery of 1963, listen to presentations and take part in activities, including the chance to have a go at sorting letters.

The Mail Rail exhibition will include a presentation and images of construction work preparing this unique underground railway for its new role as a tourist attraction. Meanwhile, the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre’s own Mail Rail car (No. 803), which dates from 1930 and arrived at the Centre in 1983, will also be on show.

Louisa Richards, Marketing Manager at Buckinghamshire Railway Centre, said: ‘In previous years, former TPO staff have attended this event thus providing not only an opportunity for a reunion with their former colleagues, but also for them to talk with visitors about their experiences of working on the service.

'The Railway Centre which covers an area of 25 acres, includes the Rewley Road Station moved brick-by-brick from Oxford some fifteen years ago and an extensive collection of locomotives and rolling stock. Entrance fees to the Railway Centre include free trains rides, admission to the Moving the Mail event and other features on the site. There is a small charge for rides on the site’s miniature railway.  Hot and cold food and drinks are available in the Visitor Centre, where beautifully restored steam engines are on display.’

The Railway Centre is situated at Quainton Road Station, Station Road, Quainton, Nr Aylesbury HP22 4BY. For further information tel: 01296 655720; website.

(Image copyright Panhard)