Mails to Ireland: Difference between revisions

From 06-04-6th April 1841 the Dublin mail was conveyed by the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chester_and_Crewe_Railway Chester and Crewe] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birkenhead_Railway Chester and Birkenhead] routes at the insistence of the Postmaster General, as this was shorter than the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Junction_Railway Grand Junction Railway] route via Warrington to Liverpool. However at Chester the Grand Junction Railway, which had absorbed the Chester and Crewe, refused to agree to any through running and mail bags had to be carried from one station to the other. This was not a satisfactory arrangement and in May of that year the attitude of the Grand Junction towards the Chester and Birkenhead brought it into conflict with the Postmaster General. Under the terms of the Railways Conveyance of Mails Act of 1838 he had considerable power over the railways and it was he who had directed that mail for Ireland should be forwarded by the Chester and Birkenhead. Eventually the mail van was allowed to be shunted through on a single line that connected the two routes at the insistence of the Postmaster General but passenger coaches or goods wagons were not allowed to use this link.