Why are mail trains so called? What’s the RMS?

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Why are mail trains so called? What’s the RMS?

July 17, 2019, 1:01 PM

Mail trains originally were trains that actually carried bags of mail to be delivered between their termini or at intermediate stations, under special contracts with the Post Office. In many cases that was in fact the main or only reason for running these Mail trains, and some of the famous mail trains got their reputation for speed and punctuality because they were accorded a very high priority in scheduling over all the other trains on the route. It was almost unthinkable in British days for a mail train to be deliberately delayed to let another train pass, and there are anecdotal stories of mails being given priority over much-needed troop and materiel trains during the world wars. Generally the trains departed in the evening after the day’s postal service closed. On many well-known routes, Mail trains were introduced first, and Express trains later.

Today mail trains don’t necessarily carry mail (although many still do), and many are really quite slow, but many retain the designation and names they had from years ago. Conversely, there are many trains that don’t carry the ‘mail’ designation which do carry mail (Bikaner Exp., Dehradun Exp., etc.).

The fastest BG mail up to the ’50s was the Calcutta Mail, and the fastest MG mail was the Boat Mail to Dhanuskodi. Today, the fastest mail is probably the erstwhile Frontier Mail (renamed the Golden Temple Mail). New mail trains have not been introduced in recent years; the last one was probably the Tinsukia Mail introduced in 1972.

Mail and express trains are often considered together as one class to distinguish them from passenger trains (ordinary trains). The designation ‘M/E’ is often seen.

RMS stands for the Railway Mail Service. This is the department that handles mail carried on the trains. In the past, mail trains had separate RMS coaches which were miniature post offices. These coaches stood out with their bright orange or fire-red livery. Unsorted mail was loaded into these coaches, and RMS staff sorted the mail while the train was on the move. The sorted mail was then dropped off at the destination station or stations. It was also possible to mail letters or parcels at the RMS coach of the train (the letter would get a special RMS postmark).

The use of separate and specially-built RMS coaches has decreased considerably, and today [9/99] there is very little sorting of mail done on the train (but see below for information on new RMS coaches from RCF). Mail is still carried on mail trains and other trains of course, although a separate RMS coach or mail coach may not be used and the mail may be part of the other parcel freight carried on the train. Often an SLR/GS coach is used for the carriage of mail, with (sometimes) a small sign saying ‘RMS’ hung from one of the windows. E.g., the Dakshin Express uses a GS coach [12/04]; the Grand Trunk Express uses half a GS or sometimes an entire GS coach [12/04] (mail sorting is also done on the run in these trains). Sometimes a GS coach is permanently adapted for postal use, with painted logos of India Post (Bharatiya Dak) and modifications on the inside (windows being permanently closed as well).

IR now insists on the Dept. of Posts paying for the space for mail. Quarter-, half-, and three-quarter-size postal vans are commonly seen, where a portion of the coach is used for carrying mail and the rest is used for parcel transport. Recently [2004] full-fledged postal vans have made a comeback, with about 25 or so new ones being put in service. These are equipped with swivel chairs and a table area for postal workers, various enclosures for holding mail packets, and a packet-sealing area with a chimney for affixing lac or resin seals on packages.

[2/02] The Calcutta Mail via Nagpur still has an RMS coach. The Frontier Mail has an RMS coach on some days. It is no longer possible to mail a letter at the RMS coach on the train, although RMS post-boxes may be found at stations. [But see below!]

[8/00] RCF has started making dedicated mail coaches. These have the postal department’s logo on them, and apparently it is possible to mail letters on them and they may also have some mail sorting on board. Some of the newer postal vans have special features such as swivel chairs for the staff, mail sorting desks and built-in bags for classifying mail, ‘lac’ wax-sealing oven with chimney, etc.

In addition to mail, trains of course do carry magazines and in some cases newspapers too. Trains often carry the weekly supplements of newspapers to smaller towns in cases where they can be preprinted in advance of the main issue.

Source – IFRCA.org

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