Mail Rail

FAB · Post by **FAB** » 15 Dec 2018, 23:30

Just had a very interesting walking tour of some of the Mail Rail tunnels starting from Mount Pleasant. Lasted about 90 minutes and was surprisingly not H&S mad where you had to walk in sometimes almost pitch dark conditions on the tracks or stepping from sleeper to sleeper where there was a gap under the tracks. Highly rewarding... As is actual train journey through the same tunnels.. The nearby museum is good as well..

Post by **SpacePhoenix** » 15 Dec 2018, 23:39

FAB wrote:Just had a very interesting walking tour of some of the Mail Rail tunnels starting from Mount Pleasant. Lasted about 90 minutes and was surprisingly not H&S mad where you had to walk in sometimes almost pitch dark conditions on the tracks or stepping from sleeper to sleeper where there was a gap under the tracks. Highly rewarding... As is actual train journey through the same tunnels.. The nearby museum is good as well..

Yep, though it's afaik ones around the area of Mount Pleasant. Part of the old track afaik got severed by the building of Crossrail. btw how much did the walking tour cost and was there many to choose from through the year?

FAB · Post by **FAB** » 15 Dec 2018, 23:55

It was £55 including a ride on the train and museum which of course we get free access to anyway. This was their first tour with two sessions with 16 people each. No others are currently planned as they wanted to assess its viability. But they do intend to do more on a more regular basis. Having done some of the London Underground Hidden London tours which are a similar cost I would say this has been the best! Expensive but good value!

Post by **SpacePhoenix** » 16 Dec 2018, 00:49

What times of the day did they offer? Just wondering if they did offer more tours if it'd be viable as a day trip (it's around 2hrs 10mins into London by train from where I live). How long would you say to allow for to do the tour, ride on the Mail Rail and to see the museum?

FAB · Post by **FAB** » 16 Dec 2018, 01:39

I went up to London after work at about 3pm took just under two hours to get there. They do regular 15 min slots on the train which you book in advance. I went for 7pm which gave me time to look round the museum which is across the road from it. My walk was 20.45 to about 22.20. And got last train home. I would give at least 3 hours to do the ride and museum in a relax way. Now knackered! Will feel it Monday at work I think!
The ride on its own is much better than expected. I half way expected you would get on and get off and the end of the platform! But it's much better than that. And the walk was the icing on the cake!

Post by **baldrick** » 16 Dec 2018, 08:40

There was a report about it on BBC London News on Friday:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-englan ... ugh-tunnel" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

When I was a Guide at Mount Pleasant I used to take visitors down to the MP Mail Rail platform. I would quite like to go on this walk but I don't think I'm up for paying £55.

Post by **britwrit** » 16 Dec 2018, 16:20

So sad. I started at Paddington mail centre during the last few years when the train was running. I had absolutely no idea it was down there.

Post by **baldrick** » 18 Dec 2018, 07:36

At Mount Pleasant new entrants were taken on a tour of the office which included going down to the Mailrail platform during their induction week.
After Mailrail ceased operating the platform was used to store incoming foreign mail when there wasn't enough space on the sorting office floor, usually during the Xmas pressure period.