Travelling post office, Queensland

A Travelling Post Office (TPO) is a postal receiving, sorting and delivery service situated on a train, usually in a specially designated carriage that is part of a passenger train. In Queensland the service was provided from 1877 to 1932.

The first TPO service in Queensland commenced in 1877 utilising the second class compartments of two composite passenger carriages on the daily Brisbane to Dalby train. A goods van was used on the Toowoomba to Warwick train in the same year, until special 4 wheel carriages were built later that year for the service. The service was extended to Roma and ultimately Charleville as the Western line was extended, and similarly on the Southern line to Stanthorpe, and then Wallangarra.

The first designated 'Mail' train in Queensland was the Brisbane to Mitchell day train, with the title being transferred to the overnight service in March 1888 when the line was extended to Charleville.

The first overnight service was the Sydney Mail (with First class sleeping carriage) introduced in January 1888 following the opening of the New South Wales line to Wallangarra. It was also the first purely passenger service with a TPO, until then all trains with TPOs had been 'mixed', i.e. carried goods wagons as well as passenger carriages. Second class sleepers were introduced in 1903.

In 1885, a TPO was added to the Central West line, ultimately extended to Longreach as the line progressively opened. A First class sleeping carriage was introduced on the twice weekly Central West Mail in 1892, departing Rockhampton at 22:00 and reaching Longreach at 17:00 the following day. Second class sleepers were added in 1895.

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