Letters and parcels by train

[Percy Main]

I am sure I can remember (in the late 1950s) my father taking letters and small parcels to North Shields station to be taken by the next electric passenger train just a few stops along the line where they were picked up by a colleague or customer.

Does anyone know (assuming I am not imagining this) how much this 'instant' service would have cost compared to the Royal Mail, and when it ended?

[dave55uk]

Well, parcels were able to be sent from one station to the other at least up to the 70's, maybe even 80's by Red Star (station to station) marked TBCF (to be called for). No idea of cost though.

[geofrancis]

My Brother worked in the Parcel Office on Doncaster station, he drove a van and delivered parcels to all the outlying areas around Doncaster, I went with him occasionally, and when we got into the country he would let me have a drive, I remember every time you changed gear you had to double de clutch.
Happy days
Geofrancis

[Bryan]

I used to make use of the internal mail system.

A friend of mine often had parcels to send to me so I said take it to the station near you in the west of Scotland and send it Internal mail to me at the Leeds office.
Saved a fortune in mail charges.
Then Railtrack appeared and it all finished.

Previously back in the 80s I used to collect the internal mail from York Station by works Lorry for BREL
Often had close shaves but no contact with parked cars while trying to get into the pick up point in the train shed by the Red star office where the bike racks are.

[john coffin]

Remember that originally, the railways were "common carriers" which meant they were obliged to take any kind of freight at published rates. The privatisation meant that went to hell in a hand basket, along with any hope of allowing the railways to compete for freight with the subsidised road transport network.

The railways, have since the end of the First World War had to compete with a road sector that was firstly subsidised by the selling off of cheap ex army trucks, then of course the road development helped. Remember the "Titfield Thunderbolt" says I

Paul

[geofrancis]

No one seems to mention BEECHING the man that ruined the Railways :

[Percy Main]

Thanks for your replies. I was familiar with parcels operations - there was quite a large depot at North Shields I seem to remember.

What intrigued me in the remembering of it was the simplicity of handing something in at the booking office, it being given to the guard of the next train and then apparently picked up only minutes later a couple of stops down the line.

[third-rail]

lets not forget when going on holiday you could take your train tickets to your local station and send your cases in advance and likewise on your return home delivered both ways plus collected from your holiday destination

[bricam5]

That was in the days when we had branch lines!
I have seen people handing packets to the guard at Hedon and collected at Patrington back in the days when there was a Hull/Withernsea line. Sadly, a fading memory now.

[manna]

G'Day Gents

As and Ex Guard, it was common to have parcels and letters given to me for delivery to other stations up and down the line, most were railway mail, but on the odd occasion, a member of the public would ask me to drop something off at such and such station, where somebody would be waiting.

Booking office takings, were also sent by train, from small stations to mainline stations, these would be recorded in a small book, with both of us signing, in the book, at the mainline station I would take the book with the money to the main booking office, where the book would be signed and stamped, to say they had received the money. Some of these takings could be for a whole week, and were quite large sums, but not large enough to retire to the South Seas

manna

[StevieG]

"G'Day Gents ....
.... Booking office takings, were also sent by train, from small stations to mainline stations, these would be recorded in a small book, with both of us signing, in the book, at the mainline station I would take the book with the money to the main booking office, where the book would be signed and stamped, to say they had received the money. Some of these takings could be for a whole week, and were quite large sums, but not large enough to retire to the South Seas

manna "

I used to be supervisor at a locally 'main' station, and often took delivery from train Guards of these 'Value' packages (as I recall they were known : Ours were leather bags, tied up and red-wax sealed), and signed his little book, while entering the package details in my little book, then took them downstairs to the area's principal booking office where a Chief Clerk lived, who in turn signed my book as taking charge of the item.

[Percy Main]

Come to think of it, I am sure you could also send parcels on United buses (a part-owned LNER and later BTC company) by handing them into the conductor. I think they were delivered to 'agents' - local shops - along the route where they would be collected. I don't know if they travelled with a ticket, or the person collecting paid their fare.

[Postman Prat]

Hi

I certainly don't know about United and their system of working but you could send parcels on Hants & Dorset/Wilts & Dorset buses. ( these were BTC companies as well). At the bus station in Southampton there was a parcels office, where you delivered the package and you could send it paid or for the charges to be collected. I don't know if they could be dropped off en route since the destination for mine was always our workshop in Salisbury.

[dave55uk]

You could send parcels by Eastern Counties buses too. As a kid I used to travel from Histon to Haddenham every Saturday morning and often someone would bring a parcel on. Seem to recollect the person handing the parcel in paid the fare.

[Belvoir]

I once (in about 1973) had a second-hand differential from a Ford RS2000 sent by Red Star from "oop norf" to Bristol. The Bristol parcels office were none too pleased to receive the diff' - unpackaged, leaking hypoid oil and with just a label tied to the prop. shaft flange !!! We were very surprised it had been accepted for dispatch.

Apropos packages by bus - it was certainly possible on Eastern National in the mid/late fifties. Normal procedure was to send/receive items at the local Bus Station, but it was by no means unknown for my Grandfather (who managed a gent's outfitters) to wait for the bus and pass an outgoing package to the conductor, and for the conductor to nip off the bus and plonk an incoming package on the shop counter.
I was rather young at the time, so am not privy to the fiscal transactions involved. . .