Mail car: description. Transportation of postal items. Russian Post - processing and delivery of correspondence

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Mail is the most important attribute of communication that unites people of all countries and peoples. Messengers have delivered important messages since the time of the pharaohs. Since then, mail delivery methods have been constantly improved. Sending letters and parcels by mail car actually began to be carried out from the moment the first railway lines were built.

Historical background

Sending messages by horse messengers has been practiced since ancient times. In the 15th century, with the popularization of postal items, the volume of correspondence increased significantly, as a result, the first mail carts appeared. A century later, unsightly carts and sledges were replaced by high-tech covered carriages equipped with shock absorbers, lights and other trappings of technological progress.

The closest analogue of a mail car are "horses" - horse-drawn carriages moving on rails. They began to be used at the beginning of the 19th century and were quite common, especially in Great Britain and other countries. European countries.

From horse power to steam

In 1825, the English engineer-inventor George Stephenson built the first experimental railway between the towns of Darlington and Stockton-on-Tees, along which a “steam cart” of his own design ran. The second railway line between Manchester and Liverpool was put into operation in 1830. A steam locomotive began to run on this line, transporting a passenger and baggage car, in which, among other things, messages were delivered.

The British realized that this type of transport would help speed up the delivery of correspondence. At first, mail coaches were simply loaded onto special platforms. However, the loading/unloading process required a lot of time. On January 6, 1838, the first specialized mail car in history left the London-Birmingham line. From September of the same year, letters and parcels began to be sorted on the way, which significantly reduced the time between sending a message and receiving it.

Global experience

Given that rail transport is little dependent on the vagaries of the weather, fast enough and adheres to a strict schedule, it gradually became the main method of delivering messages. After England, the mail car began to be used in many advanced countries:

• Belgium (1841);
• Germany (1848);
• France (1848);
• Russia (1861);
• USA (1864).

Russian Empire

1837 was the birth year of the publicrailway transport in Russia. On the 27-kilometer section "Petersburg - Tsarskoe Selo - Pavlovsk" steam locomotives of increased power were running, carrying up to 300 passengers. Taking into account the British experience, the postal department entered into an agreement with the Tsarskoselskaya railway for the transportation of correspondence. Parcels were loaded into the baggage car, parcels and letters were delivered by couriers.

The first specially designed Russian Railways mail car, which made it possible to process correspondence on the go, began work in 1861. Prior to this, delivery methods were “motley”: transportation of bales in freight cars and slightly converted passenger cars, transportation of carriages on cargo platforms, couriers, etc.

In 1869, the Railway Post Office was formed. By this time, messages and parcels were transported along 35 railway lines, including abroad. By the end of 1903, almost 600 mail cars were in operation in Russia.

USSR

The country of the Soviets at an accelerated pace began the construction of new railway lines. A new generation of high-speed locomotives appeared: diesel locomotives and electric locomotives. On the nodal lines, large railway post offices began to be created. The mail car has become the basic, most reliable means of delivering letters.

Since 1962, mail and baggage trains began to run, including up to 12 mail and up to 8 baggage cars. Any of the segments of the composition could be easily undocked and attached to another composition. Subsequently to the railways of the country23 such trains moved, and the number of mail cars approached 900 units. A special stamp was placed on correspondence processed along the route - “PV”.

Russia

In the 21st century, Russian Post still delivers correspondence by rail. However, shipment volumes have dropped significantly. If in the last year of the existence of the USSR there were 1319 mail cars, then by 2007 1079 units remained in service. Today there are half that number.

However, one cannot talk about the decline of the railway mail. In many regions, railway transport is the most reliable (often the only) way of communication. In 2005, the St. Petersburg plant "Vagonmash" designed a new mail car modification 61-531. It has created comfortable conditions for employees, there is a TV, microwave, air conditioning, telephone. An effective fire extinguishing system will save valuable cargo.

The modern automated sorting system allows only two employees to process shipments, instead of six. As a result, the usable space has increased, the carrying capacity of the car has increased to 22 tons. The main mode of transportation will be reusable containers loaded into containers.

Since 2009, delivery by Russian Post has been carried out, among other things, with new cars from the Torzhok plant. Model 61-906 is designed for mail delivery in containers. Specifications:

• Permissible speed: 160 km/h.
• Capacity: 22t.
• Number of employees: 4.
• Number of loading doors: 4.

The car is equipped with air conditioning, heating and ventilation systems.

Evolution

The first models of mail cars were imperfect. Short and narrow, they provided little space for staff and correspondence. Gradually, the design improved. In England, devices were invented that made it possible to quickly, on the go, load bags with parcels and letters. Over time, rooms were equipped where employees could process and sort messages, compartments for rest and eating. Some models had comfortable compartments for high officials.

It was interesting to see the development of mail cars in the United States, plying through the "Wild West". Due to the frequent attacks of bandits, they gradually fortified until they turned into fortresses on wheels. Escort of the mail car was carried out by armed personnel. The body was armored, loopholes for firing were located along the perimeter, in open areas magnesium torches illuminated the territory for several kilometers.

Modern postal wagon is a complex complex that handles all types of shipments. It allows you to receive, store, sort and transport by rail containers and bags with parcels, letters, parcels, telegrams and other types of messages.

Types of wagons

Over a century and a half history, various postal designs have been developedwagons:

• courier;
• postal warehouse;
• mail sorting;
• mobile control cars;
• public;
• brake.

Prospects

In developed countries, the mail turnover with the help of railway transport is declining. In terms of speed, it is inferior to aviation, and in terms of mobility - to motor transport. However, due to the high carrying capacity and the ability to process shipments on the go, this type of delivery remains relevant.

One of the first countries where mail cars stopped being used was the USA. Until the 1940s, rail transport transported about 300 tons of parcels, letters, parcels. There were over 9000 routes. Previously, it was the transportation of correspondence that brought the main income to railway companies and covered losses from the transportation of people. By 1950, a change in US Postal Service policy reduced the number of lines to 794. And in 1962, only 262 routes remained between major cities.

In 1967, the Postal Service canceled the carriage of items by rail. The cancellation of lucrative contracts led to financial problems for railway companies, and many passenger routes were closed. The last time a mail car traveled in the United States on the New York-Washington route was on June 30, 1977.

In the UK, the vast majority of mail was sent by rail. In the 90s, the state company Royal Mail was privatized, the structure of transportation changed. In 2003the company decided to suspend the delivery of mail by trains, but later some of the routes were restored. There are also private companies operating in the country that control part of the market.

Across the vast Asian expanse, mail trains remain a popular method of delivering correspondence. For example, in 2016, in addition to the baggage cars of international express passenger routes, a regular train was launched on the Beijing-Moscow route, consisting exclusively of mail cars. China intends to increase the transportation of letters and parcels along the "New Silk Road" route with the extension of routes to the largest cities in Europe.