A new information plaque has been installed on Thacka Lane, between Lark Lane and Thacka Nature Reserve, to share the story of Penrith’s Mail Click, a small but fascinating part of the town’s railway and postal history.
The Mail Click was used by Travelling Post Office trains to exchange mail while on the move. Mailbags could be collected from trackside equipment and dropped off without the train having to stop, helping post continue its journey quickly through the railway network. The last mailbags dropped from a moving train using the Penrith apparatus were handled on 4 October 1971 at Thacka Lane.
The plaque has been installed by Network Rail on behalf of Penrith Town Council, close to where the original apparatus once stood beside the railway line. Our thanks go to the Network Rail Carlisle off-track installation team: Garry Cunnigham, Mike Williams and Mark Cannon for getting this installed so promptly.
Penrith Town Council hopes the plaque will help to share the story of this lesser-known piece of local history. The scheme was agreed and funded through the Council’s Communities Committee, supporting the Council’s work to celebrate and promote Penrith’s heritage.
The plaque was unveiled on Wednesday 12 August by the Mayor, Councillor Bowen, alongside Les Hadon and David Nicholson, two former postmen who used to work on setting up the Mail Click and are pictured on the information plaque. Councillor Ron Kenyon was also in attendance, together with Ian Croucher from Network Rail and Ken Harper from the Cumbria Railway Association.
Councillor Ron Kenyon, who proposed the project to the Council’s Communities Committee, said:
“I am really pleased to see this plaque in place. The Mail Click is one of those fascinating local stories that can easily be forgotten, but it is part of Penrith’s rich railway heritage and deserves to be remembered.
“This plaque helps bring that story back into view for residents and visitors and shows how even a small feature in the landscape can tell us something important about the town’s past. I hope residents, and walkers making their way to Thacka Nature Reserve, will take a moment to stop and see it.
“On behalf of the Council, I would like to thank Cumbria Railway Association for their support with the historical content and for providing the images used within the plaque design.”
The new plaque is now in place on Thacka Lane.
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