The Railway DispatchRailway history, delivered by post

Envelope one

Piece by piece, before you pay for it.

This is what is in the first envelope, listed as it will be printed. Nothing here is a mock-up of something we might do one day: it is the specification the printer works from. The North Star, Part 1, is posted in the first week of November 2026.

  1. 01

    The journey print

    A4. The North Star. London to Inverness nightly at 7.30.

  2. 02

    The ticket

    Third class single, London (Euston) to Inverness, 71/0, No. 0417. Green card, Edmondson size.

  3. 03

    The route map

    All 568 miles, with the three chapters bracketed and the gradient profile of the four summits. Folds in three.

  4. 04

    The luggage label

    Paste-on destination label, INVERNESS. Issued loose and unused, as a collector would want it.

  5. 05

    The time table

    Public pocket folder: down and up times, fares from London, notes.

  6. 06

    The story

    Part One, The Passenger. A5 booklet, eight pages, illustrated, with a page on what was real.

  7. 07

    The railway document

    Typed letter from the Sleeping Car & Seat Reservation Office confirming berth 7, car F, and warning that the train will run in three parts.

  8. 08

    The postcard

    5½ by 3½ inches, the size of the period, divided back with a penny stamp box.

  9. 09

    The dinner menu

    Restaurant car dinner at five shillings, dish for dish the dinner Peggy eats, with the wine list on the back.

  10. 10

    The envelope

    Board-backed C4 in manila, sealed Part One of Three.

How it arrives

A C4 envelope, board-backed, posted flat as a second class large letter, so nothing is folded in the post. It goes through a standard letterbox. Every printed piece carries a small replica mark: the London & Highland Railway is our invention, and the route, the summits and the working practices are real, with the sources listed for members.

What comes after it

The North Star runs over three envelopes, told by three people on the same train: the passenger, the sleeping car attendant and the fireman. Part Two is posted in December 2026 and Part Three in January 2027, and a new journey begins after that.

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