HSTs carrying parcels

[18B]

Hi, 

 

just reading an article from 1988 and it mentions the loading of parcels in to the power car.. my question is when were the last parcels carried in an HST power car? 

 

TIA. 

[pete_mcfarlane]

Probably when Red Star Parcels folded in the early 200s and parcels stopped being sent by passenger train.

[Wickham Green too]

Though items for use within the railway industry might have been carried later p'raps ? .................... probably depends on your definition of a parcel !

[DY444]

2 hours ago, pete_mcfarlane said:

Probably when Red Star Parcels folded in the early 200s and parcels stopped being sent by passenger train.

 

I think it's more recent than that.  I recall something - made to order cakes I think - being sent from Penzance on HSTs about 10 years ago.  Obviously only in small numbers.

[Mike_Walker]

Yes, it was featured in one of the Paddington TV programmes.  There was talk of continuing to carry them by IET but I'm not sure if it's been done.

[black and decker boy]

Thought GWR were moving fresh Fish into London in HSTs

[TheSignalEngineer]

6 hours ago, Wickham Green too said:

Though items for use within the railway industry might have been carried later p'raps ?

Parcels carried 'On Company Service' (OCS) along with travel for duty purposes died with privatisation. We were already using a courier service to send out parcels of plans and diagrams from the Drawing Office.

We had to pay for our tickets to go to meetings from about 1995. For some meetings I used to get and early morning flight as it was cheaper than going by rail the previous afternoon and using a hotel.

[The Johnster]

On the WR, mailbags were carried in the Paddington end power car, and any parcels or other BR traffic in the down end power car.  This was for the convenience of both BR and Royal Mail staff so that they would not get in each other's way and knew which end of the train to wait for.  It was chaos if a set got turned around on the journey for any reason!

[Steamport Southport]

Shellfish for posh restaurants in London as well ISTR.

 

Don't think that was mentioned on the same TV programme as the cakes, Rick Stein rings a bell.

 

 

 

Jason

[Fat Controller]

I believe fish was carried between two stops on the Central Wales line under a local arrangement;; to save paperwork, the goods were issued with a single ticket.

 

 

[Phil Bullock]

14 minutes ago, Fat Controller said:

I believe fish was carried between two stops on the Central Wales line under a local arrangement;; to save paperwork, the goods were issued with a single ticket.

 

 

Was that on an HST ? Plainly not an of - fish - ial arrangement then! 😉

Or was it from Llangammarch Wels? 
 

Wels fish
 

 

 

 

Edited November 18, 2023 by Phil Bullock

[18B]

On 18/11/2023 at 00:31, The Johnster said:

On the WR, mailbags were carried in the Paddington end power car, and any parcels or other BR traffic in the down end power car.  This was for the convenience of both BR and Royal Mail staff so that they would not get in each other's way and knew which end of the train to wait for.  It was chaos if a set got turned around on the journey for any reason!

 

what years would this have been please? 

[The Johnster]

At least '87 to mid-90s, probably until the end of the traffic early 00s, couldn't say when it started.