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TARANAKI RAILWAY TRAVELLING POST OFFICE

P. 189 “POSTMARK TARANAKI”

When the Wellington and Manawatu Railway company’s railway between Wellington and Longburn was opened in December 1886 it linked at Longburn, with the Government line from Foxton through Palmerston North, Wanganui and Hawera to New Plymouth. The opening of the line and the introduction of Wellington-New Plymouth express passenger trains gave the Wellington – Auckland traveller an alternative to travelling by sea between the two centres. The thrice weekly passenger train arrived at New Plymouth late in the evening; passengers then moving to the breakwater where they boarded a steamer for overnight sailing to Onehunga. Sim ilarly travelling southward the traveller from Auckland boarded the southbound train at an early hour, reaching Wellington late that evening.

A railway travelling post office was attached to the passenger trains from 3^rd December 1886. The New Plymouth R.T.P.O. crew accompanied their postal car or van (converted from a 2^nd class passenger carriage) through to Wanganui where a Wanganui R.T.P.O. crew took it through to Longburn where the northbound train was met. The Wanganui crew then travelled northward handing over to the New Plymouth crew on arrival at Wanganui. The New Plymouth crew then worked their was back to New Plymouth which was reached late in the evening.

The Railway Travelling Post Office was crewed by postal sorters on roster from the New Plymouth mailroom; the R.T.P.O. being regarded as an extension of the mailroom (and not as a distinct post office albeit mobile) Their primary task was to sort all mail that had either been accepted in the mailroom for that distribution line up to train departure, as well as mail put aboard enroute, so that it could be put off for offices as they were passed or for forwarding on.

Letters could be accepted through the ‘late fee’ letter box fitted to each R.T.P.O. van but otherwise the public had no direct contact with the R.T.P.O. The R.T.P.O.crew was supplied with a datestamp which was used to backstamp each article handled in sorting (to 1909) to cancel postage on late fee letters or those found with uncancelled postage, and to date waybills.

The operation of the R.T.P.O. reduced the time between posting and delivery of a substantial quantity of mail, and also reduced the large number of small mails that had to be made up in the mailroom. Mailbags were put off and taken on board at every station stop en route and for a small number of station where the train did not stop, the mailbag was thrown off as the train passed through. About five offices in Taranaki were treated in this manner including Bell Block and Ngaere. These offices had their outward mailbags picked up by the slower goods or freight trains.

The designation of the R.T.P.O. was changed to TARANAKI RT.P.O. from 1 February 1908 when all such services in New Zealand received a district name. There were further changes over the years as better postal cars were introduced while more powerful locomotives helped to reduce the travelling time. When the Main Trunk Wellington – Auckland railway opened in 1909 the Wanganui R.T.P.O. section of the New Plymouth – Wellington service was dropped; the New Plymouth crew travelling through to Bonny Glen in the vicinity of Marton and exchanging there with the northbound train.

The R.T.P.O. service ceased 31 December 1931 when this and other provincial services were withdrawn through restraints in Government spending. All sorting was then carried out in the New Plymouth mailroom and more sorting delegated to mailrooms of the larger offices along the line.