1870 RAILWAY COMPANY ENDORSEMENT ON LAUNCESTON COVER - DISCUSS!

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#1 Post by **Ross Ewington** » Sat Jul 08, 2017 4:14 pm

This small town letter mailed in Launceston to "High Street" has a mss endorsement in blue pencil "Railway Camp 7"

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I assume that this cover has been 'mailed' from a camp on the Launceston & Western Railway (under construction at the time); forwarded by the railway contractor (by rail??) to Launceston; then posted on arrival as indicated by the rate paid.

This could be the earliest railway-related article to be found but I thought I'd stay 'real' and see what others may think.

Your tuppence-worth is respectfully requested.

#2 Post by **Ross Ewington** » Sat Jul 08, 2017 4:51 pm

A well-known postal historian has contacted me writing

"I believe the cover has been posted at the L'ton PO to Mrs King, High street, L'ton at the city post rate of 1d. And she has endorsed it, as was the filing practice at the time. with the blue note Railway Company, being the nature of the contents of the envelope".

I cleaned my glasses (not really rose coloured) and yes, the endorsement says "Compy" (Company) and not "Camp 7".

#3 Post by **admin** » Sun Jul 09, 2017 1:59 pm

As suggested the correspondence would have been in relation to the "Launceston and Western Railway Company".
There is some very interesting Historial background to the construction of the Line.
The line from Launceston to Deloraine was highly controversial in that the Landowners along the line were required to contribute on the basis that they would benefit financially. At the time, The Tas colonial Government was fairly broke.
The depth of ill-feeling lead to what may be all all-time high in "unhappy differences" between the North and the South of Tasmania. There are stories of police being sent from Hobart to quell a riot - but I have read this is exaggerated. In any case the railway proposal sparked strong levels of ill-feeling from the North of the State, a community dominated by owners of large properties and commercial interests, in contrast with Hobart here the population relied much more heavily on the Public Sector.
Attached is a tear-off section of a share call document dates 1867 where the Company required share holders to make a further contribution. I would assume the Company was based in Launceston.
As far as I know, the railway never carried mail during its early operation (though I think mail went later by mail coach then rail from the NW Coast, replacing some of the carriage by Coastal shipping). Has anyone seen any postal markings indicating carriage of mail on this line before the advent of the Western Line TPO markings? As far as I know the first railway markings were the TPO cds from the Main line some time after 1876, though the Western line would have been operating from 1870?

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#4 Post by **Ross Ewington** » Sun Jul 09, 2017 7:52 pm

Most interesting! I just found this contemporary history of the Launceston and Western Railways online

http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/200660

#5 Post by **admin** » Sun Jul 09, 2017 10:47 pm

Ross has suggested the Launceston and Western Line may have carried mail at least from the time it was taken over by the Colonial Government ( 1873).
I have managed to locate a notice in Trove of the annual report of the line which I think was originally posted in the Gazette.
It seems an annual report was prepared at least for 1875-76 and this lists "Mails" as an item bringing in revenue.
The excerpt from the Advocate of August 1876 shows the following - an increase in revenue for Mails of £3 to £543 for from the same quarter in 1875 :

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