10 July 2020
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Explore the hidden subterranean world of the 100-year-old Post Office Railway with this special virtual ride on the Mail Rail attraction at The Postal Museum. All aboard!
As part of the Summer of Stamps festival, you can experience the Postal Museum’s star attraction - Mail Rail - from the comfort of your own home! Explore the hidden subterranean world of the 100-year-old Post Office Railway on a miniature train which will transport you through its original narrow tunnels.
Once you've enjoyed the ride, scroll further down the page for a video gallery of the Mail Rail experience today, and archive images of the delivery system in its heyday.
Mail Rail from Home immersive virtual ride lasts approximately 10 minutes and is narrated by Ray Middlesworth, former Mail Rail engineer. Enjoy the ride…!
Ray guides viewers through the tunnels that run beneath the Mount Pleasant sorting office, stopping at various points along the way, including the largely unchanged station platforms to give an insight into how the railway kept post coursing through London for 22 hours a day and kept Britain, and the world, connected. A story relevant now more than ever.
An impressive audio-visual display transports viewers back in time to help them understand the impact of the railway on our ability to communicate with friends, family and business partners across the world today. Powerful events from our history, including the Blitz, are revealed and a theatrical experience peels back the layers of time to bring the station back to its lively 1930s heyday.
Image galleries…
The Mail Rail attraction today
Mail Rail archive images
Find out more about the real Mail Rail attraction here: www.postalmuseum.org/discover/attractions/mail-rail
The Postal Museum is an official partner of the Summer of Stamps festival.
Image gallery credits:
© The Postal Museum, Miles Willis.jpg / © The Postal Museum
Archive images:
- Mail bags being loaded into container before being loaded onto the train. c.1969 © Royal Mail Group Ltd, courtesy of The Postal Museum
- Post Office (London) Railway Car sheds, Mount Pleasant 1927 © Royal Mail Group Ltd, courtesy of The Postal Museum
- Post Office Railway - single car train 1932 © Royal Mail Group Ltd, courtesy of The Postal Museum
- Post Office Railway - West Central District Office and Western District Office 1971 © Royal Mail Group Ltd, courtesy of The Postal Museum
- Post Office Railway 1927 © Royal Mail Group Ltd, courtesy of The Postal Museum
- Post Office Railway Indicator board with operator on telephone 1962 © Royal Mail Group Ltd, courtesy of The Postal Museum
- Post Office Railway West Central District Office and Western District Office 1971 © Royal Mail Group Ltd, courtesy of The Postal Museum
- Post Office Railway Western Parcels Office, unloading and loading wagons 1927 © Royal Mail Group Ltd, courtesy of The Postal Museum
- Post Office Railway, 1981 © Royal Mail Group Ltd, courtesy of The Postal Museum
- Post Office Railway, Mount Pleasant Engine maintenance 1959 © Royal Mail Group Ltd, courtesy of The Postal Museum
- Post Office Underground (London) Railway during construction 1914-c.1927 © Royal Mail Group Ltd, courtesy of The Postal Museum
- Post Office Underground Railway - man operating a shunting vehicle 1935 © Royal Mail Group Ltd, courtesy of The Postal Museum
- Post Office underground railway - train in tunnel 1935 © Royal Mail Group Ltd, courtesy of The Postal Museum
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