International Railroad Discussion > Trains from London to Queenstown?

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https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo1.ark:/13960/t2s47792d&view=1up&seq=123

"As these fast [transatlantic] boats now run from Liverpool to Queenstown
in about 10 hours, and the mail train occupied about 16 hours
from London to Queenstown, the boats had to wait at the latter port
some 5 or 6 hours for the mails."

What Queenstown is he talking about?

 

Google indicates that until 1920 Cobh in Republic of Ireland was called Queenstown.  Just maybe ....

Yes, that's what we usually think of as "Queenstown" --
the Titanic's last stop. So how did the mail train get
there from London?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/27/22 14:47 by timz.

Probably refers to a combined train-boat-train operation, likely using the Great Western route from Fishguard (Wales) to Rosslare (Ireland).  British and Irish track gauges are different, so there was never through car service, even using ferries.

Dave

timz Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Yes, that's what we usually think of as
> "Queenstown" --
> the Titanic's last stop. So how did the mail train
> get
> there from London?

It didn't, the principal route for the mails was from London Euston to Holyhead in North Wales on the London North Western Railway, the Irish Mail was the oldest named train in the World, from there to Kingstown (now Dun Laoghaire) by railway steamer, from Kingstown / Dun Laoghaire, which is just south of Dublin, the mails were worked round to Dublin Kingsbridge Station by the Dublin and South Eastern Railway where they were handed over to Ireland's biggest railway company, the Great Southern and Western who took them the 180 miles or so down to Cork and Queenstown / Cobh.

Throughout the steam era the workings of the mails over the various mainlines running west, south and north from Dublin was possibly the most important traffic on Irish railways. They certainly attracted the best rolling stock and most up to date motive power.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/07/22 02:07 by 86235.

My mother inherited a collection of post cards from her relatives who lived in Ireland, England, and Jersey City in the 1890-1910 period. Several hundred post cards. It wasn't unusual for a 16-18 day turnaround where her Salisbury cousin would send a card, the Jersey City cousin respond, and the Salisbury cousin send a second card.

Very fast ground mail, five / six day mail ships, and all three located reasonably close to a major port.  Much faster posts than we have today.

The Irish cousin came to the US during the Irish Civil War in the 1920s. Ugly times.

"the principal route for the mails
was from London Euston to Holyhead
in North Wales on the London North Western Railway"

Why not send the mail to Liverpool
and put it on the transatlantic liner there?

timz Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> "the principal route for the mails
> was from London Euston to Holyhead
> in North Wales on the London North Western
> Railway"
>
> Why not send the mail to Liverpool
> and put it on the transatlantic liner there?

I think there's a misunderstanding, most mail from the UK to North America would have gone via Liverpool, or later Southampton, the mail going through Holyhead was, in the main, going to Ireland itself, that was the principal mail route between London and Dublin. The GPO (General Post Office) routed mail from Ireland to North America via Cobh / Queenstown.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 11/07/22 20:25 by 86235.

Naturally you'd think mail to the US wouldn't go
train-boat-train-boat. So how to explain the article?

"As these fast [transatlantic] boats now run from Liverpool to Queenstown
in about 10 hours, and the mail train occupied about 16 hours
from London to Queenstown, the boats had to wait at the latter port
some 5 or 6 hours for the mails."

Some fast mail ships of the time also ran Southampton -  Cherbourg - Cobh - New York.  A number of passengers were on the inaugural trip of Titanic, but left at Cobh (Queenstown).

timz Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Naturally you'd think mail to the US wouldn't go
> train-boat-train-boat. So how to explain the
> article?
>
> "As these fast boats now run from Liverpool to
> Queenstown
> in about 10 hours, and the mail train occupied
> about 16 hours
> from London to Queenstown, the boats had to wait
> at the latter port
> some 5 or 6 hours for the mails."

A question for the author perhaps?