Focus on Inverness
Gerald Goodall's letter (January) was incorrect in one important detail. On day one, the TPO was attached to the R'oyal Highlander’, which ran ahead of the West Coast Postal. It conveyed the mails gathered in Perth from the overnight trains from Glasgow and Edinburgh, but the Sassenach post had to wait for a later train. It was attached behind the engine so that when the train reversed into the northbound platforms at Inverness, the TPO could be easily transferred to the Kyle train standing on the opposite platform face. There was an article in Highland Railway Journal (published by Highland Railway Society) some time ago.
Donald Massey, by email
Mention is made in Readers' Forum (January) by Gerald Goodall on the Highland Railway TPO carriages as observed in the above November 2022 article.
They were three in number, 30321-3, built at Lochgorm Works in 1916/7 initially numbered 5, 6 and 10 by the HR and termed as 'letter carriages' additional to the motley collection otherwise used by that company to convey parcels as well as Royal Mail, but particularly as regards the Far North line from Inverness, the considerable increase in letter mail to and from the Royal Navy base as Scapa Flow in World War I given as a reason for their build. Two were used on a daily basis with one kept spare/reserve. On cessation of WWI they would not have appeared to operate beyond Dingwall and in 1923, the year of the grouping, a through Perth–Helmsdale service came about for these three carriages.
Two of the TPOs (as they now were referred to) worked cyclically with one spare as follows. Off night train from Perth, conveyed Inverness to Helmsdale by morning train. Returned later back down to Dingwall where it was detached. Thereafter picked
