The tale of Britain's travelling post office trains

ESL Lessons: True Stories

A printable worksheet for story-based English conversation classes.

Difficulty: Intermediate B1

PDF: The tale of Britain's travelling post office trains

Warm-up

Have you ever heard of a Travelling Post Office? (Yes, it's...)

Vocabulary Match

declined •• assistance
hanging •• went down
service •• swap
sealed •• suspended
exchange •• on the (train)
on board •• closed

Vocabulary Answers

declinedwent down
hangingsuspended
serviceassistance
sealedclosed
exchangeswap
on boardon the (train)

True Story

Listen and fill in the blanks with words from above.

The Travelling Post Office (TPO) was a special train ________ in Britain. It started in 1830 and used fast trains to sort and deliver mail. The workers sorted the mail while the train was moving. The best times for TPO were between the World Wars, but it ________ after World War II.

They used a system to ________ mail bags without stopping the train. Big nets on the trains caught the mail bags ________ on the side of the track. They also dropped off mail bags. This system was used until 1971.

The TPO service ended in 2004 because of different problems like cost and safety. But, trains still carry mail today, without any postal staff ________. "To this day, however, mail continues to be carried in ________ train carriages," the article said.

The Travelling Post Office (TPO) was a special train service in Britain. It started in 1830 and used fast trains to sort and deliver mail. The workers sorted the mail while the train was moving. The best times for TPO were between the World Wars, but it declined after World War II.

They used a system to exchange mail bags without stopping the train. Big nets on the trains caught the mail bags hanging on the side of the track. They also dropped off mail bags. This system was used until 1971.

The TPO service ended in 2004 because of different problems like cost and safety. But, trains still carry mail today, without any postal staff on board. "To this day, however, mail continues to be carried in sealed train carriages," the article said.

Quiz

  1. What did TPO workers do?
  2. How did they exchange mail bags without stopping the train?
  3. Why did the TPO service end in 2004?

Quiz Answers (examples)

  1. They sorted the mail while the train was moving.
  2. They used big nets on the trains to catch the mail bags hanging on the side of the track.
  3. The TPO service ended in 2004 because of different problems like cost and safety.

True or False

  1. The Travelling Post Office service used fast trains to sort and deliver mail. T F
  2. They used a system to exchange email without stopping the train. T F
  3. Trains still carry mail today, without any pastry chefs on board. T F

True or False Answers

  1. True
  2. False
  3. True

Conversation

A:Sad to see the Travelling Post Office go, isn't it?
B:Yes, it's the end of a historic era indeed.
A:No more sorting mail at high speeds across the country.
B:I'll miss the rhythmic clatter of the rails at night.
A:Guess it's all emails and instant messages now.
B:Progress marches on, but the romance is lost.

Discussion

  1. Have you ever sent a letter or package by mail?
  2. What other ways of delivering mail can you think of?
  3. Can you think of any other jobs that need to be done while moving?

Further Reading

https://www.postalmuseum.org/blog/travelling-post-offices/

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