FEW Bathurstians would be aware that, more than 30 years ago, most of the letters and parcels for the Postmaster General's (PMG) post office were transported by steam train and, later, diesels. Prior to this time, there was a room for PMG staff working on the Travelling Post Offices (TPOs) on the countless mail trains, which meant that a special railway carriage allowed the mail to be sorted on the way to the next station.
There were designated mail trains that ran around NSW, travelling from station to station.
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Our photo this week is a special souvenir envelope with a pictorial cachet stating that the envelope was "Carried on the last TPO west up service".
The TPOI West cancellation on the envelope is dated October 27, 1984.
This cover was owned by Laurie Toomey of Bant Street in Bathurst.
These TPOs were attached to the mail trains and allowed for the swift circulation of mail.
Each TPO was manned by uniformed mailmen who had the duty to take delivery of, sort and deliver the mail while they were en route.
At first, NSW only used the TPOs as a transport van for the collection and distribution of mail bags that had already been sorted, thus any loose letters were not received, sorted or delivered.
They would then be collected by the following outgoing mail.
Prior to the service being discontinued, Bathurst residents could post letters on the station platform.
The mail guards would see to it that the letterbox was emptied.
Any letters, newspapers and packets in canvas bags would be put on a trolley to be sent to the Bathurst Post Office.
The station master would yell "stand clear" before the guard blew his whistle, waved his arm and the overland mail train puffed out of the Bathurst Station into the darkness of the night.
The travelling carriages and other PMG sorting rooms had a series of the latest piece of equipment to hang the open mail bags.
The sorters would sort the letters one by one and place them in the various pigeonholes.
The newspapers, and there were plenty, had to be kept apart from the letters. Newspapers had their own containers, usually made of metal.
TPOs were always busy. It was sort, sort, sort and getting the bags of mail to be received or dispatched.
The NSW TPOs handled a massive amount of mail during each year.
The NSW Railways operated its mail trains for over 130 years, serving numerous country towns and villages.
On August 14, 1856, the NSW Government announced it would take responsibility for the railway system in the state.
The delivery of the mail bags by rail was taken over by the Department of Railways.
The first of the NSW Government's TPOs began in 1870.
The first mail van was a converted second-class carriage fitted up as a mail van.
It was supplied with seats, a stamping table, a series of steel hooks for the mail bags and, initially, a letterbox attached to the outside.
By 1887, seven mail guards in Orange had been employed.
Mail vans accommodated two sorters at first, but larger vans later allowed four sorters.
In 1901, a KF coded 35' 6" van with a capacity of seven tonnes was introduced. This van could accommodate two sorters.
In 1909, a single KM van was built with a capacity of 13.5 tonnes. This van accommodated four sorters.
Hudson Brothers, respected railway equipment makers of Granville, initially built or modified the postal vans.
Ritchie Brothers built larger mail vans in 1912 for two years.
These new models were large enough to house two storage areas along with the usual mail sorting areas.
A new room for the Travelling Post Office staff members was made available in 1950 on the railway platform at Bathurst.
