During the weekend of 26th / 27th July 2008 the Great Central Railway held their annual "Mail by Rail" gala. This event would see five exchanges of mail on the Saturday and four on the Sunday, with Sunday being the last day of operation of the LNER TPO set before being retired from traffic. Locos used during the weekend included; Steam: 4141, 78019 and 850 "Lord Nelson"; Diesel: D5185 and D123.

The following images were taken on the Sunday and are biased towards the TPO operating side of the event.

Sunday 27th July 2008

78019 stands in the loop at Loughborough with the TPO set in platform 2 awaiting its first duty of the day, when it would perform an exchange of mail with 850 "Lord Nelson" as the motive power.

The carriage net of 80301 on display for the public to take a closer inspection.

One of the recent TPOs to be delivered to the Great Central is 80349, seen here, on its debut weekend in traffic. The coach has only been on the GCR for two months and it has already had the vacuum brakes re-instated making the vehicle dual braked.

A leather pouch hangs from the traductor arm on the approach to the lineside apparatus, where it will be knocked off into the receiving net.

The Mark 1 TPO set passing the LNER TPO set at Rothley.

One of the stars of the show was visiting Southern Railway locomotive 850 "Lord Nelson", seen here on a passenger working at Rothley.

Not only could you watch the TPOs in action but you also had the opportunity to travel in the superbly restored LNER Beavertail, which gives unrivaled views of the countryside or loco hauling the train.

The view from inside the LNER TPO on its last exchange before being retired. The view shows the moment after the pouch had been despatched from the coach with the pouches from the lineside still hanging up about to be collected by the coach - blink and you will miss it!.

The two other Mark 1 TPOs that will soon be added to the rake to make a four set TPO. Both vehicles, 80438 and 80458, are stowage vehicles, but 80458 also has a brake compartment.

Having completed the days exchanges the rake of six coaches, which included four TPOs, makes it way back to Loughborough passing D5185 on a train headed for Leicester.

The return journey to Loughborough as seen from the rear carriage of the TPO set while it crosses over Switherland.