Thirty million letters

[genesis]

I would like to recommend a documentary entitled " thirty million letters" its from 1963 ,available as an extra on the night mail box set dvd , you can get it from
movie mail, postal museum london,postal heritage, all on the net.
Basically its about the GPO,s postal operations back then. When I started things were similar but change was in the air, I have to say I wish it was like it now!
Watch it and see real teamwork,time for each other ,respect and a proper uniform . Oh and fast sorters.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Pictures here http://www.britishtransportfilms.co.uk/ ... BT525.html

Postal Heritage Shop site http://www.postalheritage.org.uk/shop/dvd

[norbet colon]

Pictures here http://www.britishtransportfilms.co.uk/ ... BT525.html

Postal Heritage Shop site http://www.postalheritage.org.uk/shop/dvd

Re British Transport Films ---I used to work at HQ @ Euston House and there used to be steady trickle of mail ordering videos of these films at £17.99 each , back then from the staff paper . I believe many were filmed on 35mm to full cinematic standard , they are excellent quality films .

A PHG was telling me about these trains so I'd a look on You Tube .
There's a film on You Tube called " Nene Valley rail mail 2007 " by brickie 2007 , which shows a old Royal Mail Train and the lineside bag exchange apparatus . It shows this hoist with the mail in a stout leather bag being dropped into the lineside collection point at 45mph from the carriage . The carriages would have this cage which was opened to collect the bags from the lineside apparatus at speed

http://www.tpo.org.uk/didyouknow.htm the bit about the Blind List is good , it was a matter of honour that nobody looked up some hamlet in the middle of nowhere for it's post town , also there wasn't time and you could get fined for leaving unsorted mail in the carriages .

http://www.tpo.org.uk/reference/.

For dropping the mailbag , all the posties had was a bar across the opened doors , I think you got 6 weeks training with both the Railway & the PO and it'd have to be done strictly to the book . The Railway Rule book Section A " Employment & Discipline " is actually based on Queen's regulations .
If you got the timing wrong you could do a lot of damage , if anything the posties knew the line better than the railway staff as you'd have to guage everything exactly in pitch darkness and you'd need your "sea legs" .

I don't know about the Post Office , but if you cocked up something like that on the railway , you'd be carpeted pronto and you'd need a good NUR/RMT rep .

A idiot of a manager who the cockney RMT lads had seen off got "transfered " up here overuled the signalman and put the Royal Train in front of the down West Coast Postal , the Royal Train contains offices , lounge suites and sleeping cars , there is no need for that train to go very fast , nor do people want throwing out of bed going round curves etc . They had to hold that train at Carlise to let the TPO pass it , it was in the papers that Princess Diana went to the buffet and got herself a sandwich and a brew .

There was absolute hell to pay , that manager got a right b*****g as there was fines payable if that TPO was delayed . It was a complete no-no , those trains had to run to to time end of. .

There's films of old steam trains getting a right belt on with the old PO carriages at Didcot & that Great Central line & making a right row . Also there's footage of TPO Posties working on the Swansea TPO . Those carriages were old 60's steam era and were clapped out and badly maintained under sectorisation / privatisation , the gangways were dangerous and I think some posties got killed ??? or injured on the Glasgow -Cardiff run crash .

Thought it might take some of the guys back a bit .
Viz comic did a skit on WH Auden's Night Mail poem with Postman Plod , he was scivving in the buffet car and was p****d by York . He ended up fighting with the train driver who'd left his bag on the deadman's handle , over the last can of lager in the buffet and fell out of the train . It was that exaggerated you had to laugh , I'm told there were some p**heads on those runs as it'd be all bed & work , anti-social hours etc , but if the job got done .
[url=http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=Pq3axpcr][img]

[Tman]

Always brings a wry smile when RM or the government are lambasted for the demise of TPOs, when in reality it was new technology in the shape of AI which did for them.
Had an old train sorter at our place years ago. He used to sway in time to an imaginary train as it helped him sort faster, he said.....

[Lounge Lizard]

Always brings a wry smile when RM or the government are lambasted for the demise of TPOs, when in reality it was new technology in the shape of AI which did for them.
Had an old train sorter at our place years ago. He used to sway in time to an imaginary train as it helped him sort faster, he said.....

'AI'
What, Artificial Insemination ???

[norbet colon]

Always brings a wry smile when RM or the government are lambasted for the demise of TPOs, when in reality it was new technology in the shape of AI which did for them.
Had an old train sorter at our place years ago. He used to sway in time to an imaginary train as it helped him sort faster, he said.....

'AI'
What, Artificial Insemination ???

address interpretation on the machines , , we were on specific event contracts, mine was the AI , we were told if the CWU won the strike ballot in 2003 and if we went on strike , the specific event contracts would be terminated . Dave Ward condemmed this as disgraceful bullying .

[smokerjim]

Can't be Artificial Intelligence - not where RM is concerned

[jafferpants]

Always brings a wry smile when RM or the government are lambasted for the demise of TPOs, when in reality it was new technology in the shape of AI which did for them.
Had an old train sorter at our place years ago. He used to sway in time to an imaginary train as it helped him sort faster, he said.....

We have a chap at our place who sway's while he sorts. Nothing to do with a train though, he's just pissed.