One of London’s newest museums offers you the chance to take a ride under the bustling streets of the capital. You wouldn’t know it, but under your feet Royal Mail were transporting some 4 million letters across city for up to 22 hours a day. The service dates back to the 1920’s when the tunnels were dug out by hand – much smaller than the tunnels used for the Tube luckily – with tracks at just 2ft wide. The 6.5 mile-long network winds in-between the Tube lines and was unknown to the public for decades, aside from the 220 workers who were based down there. From Paddington to Liverpool Street, the system was designed for speed. The roads above the surface were congested (no change there) with horse and carts in the 1920’s which meant that it took much longer to transport mail. Much to the dislike of the unions, the world’ first electric railway was built and eventually the rolling stock could crank up to speeds of 40mph. Today you can take a short ride on the original tracks, travelling at a speed of around 7mph in addition to taking a look around the small exhibitions.
