The Railway DispatchRailway history, delivered by post

Edition 001 posts in November 2026

A letter from the railway, delivered by post.

Each month, an envelope: a letter from Edie Ramsden, who keeps the gates at Cawdale Crossing through the war years; a numbered collector card; a replica ticket, label or notice from her branch line; a puzzle; and a short note on what really happened.

Join the waitlistWhat’s inside

In the envelope

Made to be kept.

Real paper, proper printing, invented stations, true history. Every piece belongs to the same story, and the twelve cards complete a set.

  1. Cawdale Crossing
    Sunday 10th September 1939
    Dear Tom,

    1. The letter

    Two sheets from Edie Ramsden, crossing keeper, to her husband at the war

  2. No. 1 of 12
    The Crossing Keeper

    2. The collector card

    Numbered, one of twelve. Illustrated, with three checked facts on the back

  3. 0417Third class
    Kellbeck Valley Railway
    Threlby to Kellbeck
    Single 5d. Available on day of issue only.

    3. The ticket

    Replica period paper from the Kellbeck Valley Railway, invented stations only

  4. Kellbeck Valley Railway
    Threlby
    via Kellbeck Junction

    4. The luggage label

    A different piece each month: a label, a notice, a wagon card

  5. Kellbeck Valley Railway
    Notice to Passengers
    By order

    5. The history note

    What really happened that month, with sources in the archive

  6. The Kellbeck Branch
    Cawdale Crossing

    6. The art print

    A4, poster style, Main Line members only

  7. The collector wallet
    Twelve cards. One year.

    7. The wallet

    In month one, to keep the set in

The story

The Crossing Keeper

Twelve letters, four series, one year. September 1939 to May 1945, told from a crossing keeper’s cottage on a Yorkshire branch line. Her husband is called up on the first day; two evacuees arrive the same week; the railway makes her keeper in her own name. She writes to him through it all.

Edie and her line are fiction. Everything around them is real, and every month’s history note says where we found it.

Read about the story

The complete experience

  • A serialised story

    One year-long arc, twelve envelopes, a proper ending.

  • A set to complete

    Numbered collector cards and a wallet to keep them in.

  • Replica ephemera

    Tickets, labels and notices in period style, marked as replicas.

  • A members’ archive

    Every letter, note and card online, searchable, in large print if you like.

  • Free steam listings

    Steam on the main line and the galas to come, updated weekly, safety first.

For gift-buyers

Buying for someone who loves trains?

You don’t need to know anything about railways. Choose a tier, enter their address, and the first envelope arrives in the first week of next month. Cancel online any time.

See the two memberships

Monthly

£7.99

Branch Line

Monthly

£12.99

Main Line

Cancel

Any time

online, two clicks

Arrivesfirst week of the month

Postedfrom the West Midlands

Watch safelypublic places only