Mail on private railways

[Nick_Burman]

Hi all, how was mail handled on the private railways? I know that some of the busier lines had baggage-mail cars which ran on regular schedules (Odakyu was one railway which did that), but what about the lesser lines?

 

 

Cheers NB

[bikkuri bahn]

Good question, and an area of interest for me, though unfortunately little consolidated information out there.  Some of the other private railway operators that carried the mails were:

1. Nagano Dentetsu (Nagano-Yudanaka, 2RT/day, mail not sorted enroute, but manned), *ended Oct. 1962

2. Tobu Rlwy (Isezaki Line, Asakusa-Isezaki, 2RT/day) (Tojo Line, Ikebukuro-Yorii 2RT/day)

3. (mentioned) Odakyu Rlwy (Shinjuku-Odawara, 2RT/day)

4. Nankai Rlwy (Nankai Nanba-Wakayama, 2RT/day)

5. Chichibu Rlwy (Kumagaya-Arakawa, 2RT/day)

6. Koujaku Rlwy (Otsu-Oumi Imazu, 2RT/day)

7. Oumi Rlwy (Maibara-Kibukawa, 2RT/day)

8. Shimabara Rlwy (Isehaya-Kazusa, 2RT/day)

9. Nansatsu Rlwy (Ijuin-Kaseda, 2RT/day) (Kaseda-Makurazaki, 1RT/day)

 

As you can see, most routes were 2 roundtrips a day.  I suspect private railways were contracted in areas where an equivalent JNR line was absent, or road routes were inadequate.  Also, the Odakyu Line is an important cross-country route in southern Kanto/Kanagawa.

 

 

[bikkuri bahn]

Nansatsu/Kagoshima Kotsu Makurazaki Line:

 

I love this picture, not on a private railway, but rather JNR Otaru Station.  One of the last mail cars in operation on the JNR, this one on mail/express train #46 was designated Northeast Boat (route) 21, on a Nemuro-Tokyo routing (Aug. 1986):

source: http://homepage2.nifty.com/~c5550/senro63.htm

[Nick_Burman]

Good question, and an area of interest for me, though unfortunately little consolidated information out there.  Some of the other private railway operators that carried the mails were:

1. Nagano Dentetsu (Nagano-Yudanaka, 2RT/day, mail not sorted enroute, but manned), *ended Oct. 1962

2. Tobu Rlwy (Isezaki Line, Asakusa-Isezaki, 2RT/day) (Tojo Line, Ikebukuro-Yorii 2RT/day)

3. (mentioned) Odakyu Rlwy (Shinjuku-Odawara, 2RT/day)

4. Nankai Rlwy (Nankai Nanba-Wakayama, 2RT/day)

5. Chichibu Rlwy (Kumagaya-Arakawa, 2RT/day)

6. Koujaku Rlwy (Otsu-Oumi Imazu, 2RT/day)

7. Oumi Rlwy (Maibara-Kibukawa, 2RT/day)

8. Shimabara Rlwy (Isehaya-Kazusa, 2RT/day)

9. Nansatsu Rlwy (Ijuin-Kaseda, 2RT/day) (Kaseda-Makurazaki, 1RT/day)

 

As you can see, most routes were 2 roundtrips a day.  I suspect private railways were contracted in areas where an equivalent JNR line was absent, or road routes were inadequate.  Also, the Odakyu Line is an important cross-country route in southern Kanto/Kanagawa.

 

 

 

Thank you very much BB. As I've said before, some lines (Odakyu) had baggage-mail motor cars for mail and express service. Other lines (Ichibata Railway) had "combine" motors (baggage-passenger). But what about those lines which had no dedicated mail-handling rolling stock, how did the mail travel? With the passengers under the care of the conductor or of a postal worker, in an attached boxcar?

 

Also I forgot to ask...does the Japanese postal system have a "peak" period like the Western systems (Christmas, New Year, etc...)?

 

 

Cheers NB

[bikkuri bahn]

I suppose those railways without dedicated rolling stock would just rope off a portion of the passenger car, and have either an attendant or conductor handle mail loading/unloading.

 

The peak mail season would be New Years, with considerable mail traffic beginning around approx. Christmas time and running until a week or so into January.

[bikkuri bahn]

According to the caption, this wafu 28000 type was used by the Kosaka Rlwy. to carry mail, as well as packages and LCL cargo:

 

http://satoyama.in/info/sharyo/img/imgBB180.jpg

 

webpage:

http://satoyama.in/auto/sharyo/auto180.html

[Nick_Burman]

According to the caption, this wafu 28000 type was used by the Kosaka Rlwy. to carry mail, as well as packages and LCL cargo:

 

http://satoyama.in/info/sharyo/img/imgBB180.jpg

 

webpage:

http://satoyama.in/auto/sharyo/auto180.html

 

G-r-r-r-eat, BB! Thanks again, this the info I was looking for. I have two similar cars in my collection and wanted to know if I could use them for mail and LCL.

 

Is a WaFu considered a brake van with freight compartment or a boxcar with conductor's compartment?

 

Cheers NB

[Tenorikuma]

 

Also I forgot to ask...does the Japanese postal system have a "peak" period like the Western systems (Christmas, New Year, etc...)?

 

 

 

It is the custom for everyone to write special New Year postcards to friends, family, and co-workers. These all need to be delivered right on New Year's Day. To handle the crunch, the Japanese Post Office hires some 500,000 temporary employees for two weeks.

[bikkuri bahn]

Is a WaFu considered a brake van with freight compartment or a boxcar with conductor's compartment?

 

It's classified as a boxcar with a brake (conductor's) compartment.  The "wa" is the designation for "yougaisha" or boxcar/goods van, and the "fu" is the designation for brake compartment.