Mail Rail: from Beginning to End: A brief history of the Post Office’s underground railway

by Mike Sullivan

The Post Office Railway, when it started running in 1927, was the first fully automated driverless railway in the world, a full forty years before the Victoria Line started service in London in 1967. The railway below London became the main means of moving mail, with Mount Pleasant being the hub of the distribution system. Linking with London’s main line stations, most of the country’s long-distance mail travelled via the Post Office Railway. The fascinating story of how it began, how it was built, and why it closed is told here in an accessible way that tries to cover a highly technical and innovative system in a way that is easy to understand.

The railway closed in 2003, but that was not the end of the story. The Postal Museum took over part of the Mount Pleasant sorting office to tell the story of 500 years of postal history and to open Mail Rail again with specially built trains as a visitor attraction and the start of a whole new adventure. If you are a railway enthusiast, postal enthusiast, urban explorer, or just interested in finding out more about one of London’s best-kept secrets, this book is a must read for you.

80 pages, Paperback

Published May 1, 2019

About the author

This is the disambiguation profile for authors publishing as Mike Sullivan.

See also: Michael Sullivan

Reviews

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always been fascinated by the London Underground, but knew very little about the Post Office's underground railway. On a recent trip to London I visited the Postal Museum & took a ride on the Mail Rail train that is now open to the public. Both were fascinating.
Mike Sullivan's book, which is well illsutrated, tells the story of delivering mail under London for almost 80 years. Mike really knows his stuff as he worked for the Post Office railway from 1962 until he retired & now works as a part time driver for this brilliant tourist attraction.

[Lee Osborne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up on a recent visit to the Postal Museum, where I rode the Mail Rail train and saw the exhibition in the former depot. It was really good, and I wanted to read about the history of the railway.

Sadly, this book was quite disappointing. It's far too brief and ignores a lot of important details, like wartime damage, and doesn't properly cover changes in operations over the years. The section on the railway's final days is particularly disappointing.

Fine if you know nothing about the railway, but if you're looking for some more detail, it isn't great.