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The London Pneumatic Despatch Company actually built a system of pneumatic tube tunnels under London in the 1860s that were capable of carrying people: https:/

by ig1 13y ago

The London Pneumatic Despatch Company actually built a system of pneumatic tube tunnels under London in the 1860s that were capable of carrying people: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Pneumatic_Despatch_Company https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Pneumatic_Despatch_Comp... (they were mostly used for packages but engineers travelled using the system as well)

MrBuddyCasino 13y ago
Interesting, the mail office actually used this for some time, but to quote the article: "The Edinburgh Evening News reported in 1876 that the trucks containing the parcels continually stuck in the tunnels, and this was the reason for the failure of the company."
noelrock 13y ago
NYC also had a pneumatic tube mail network: http://untappedcities.com/2013/03/15/nycs-pneumatic-tube-mail-network/ http://untappedcities.com/2013/03/15/nycs-pneumatic-tube-mai... It ran until 1953. Paris also had one. It's a worthwhile read.
- david927 13y ago
  Prague has one that's both extensive and still functions.
  - agilebyte 13y ago
    You mean this one? http://www.capsu.org/features/pneumatic_tube_system_in_prague.html http://www.capsu.org/features/pneumatic_tube_system_in_pragu... They say it is no longer working after the floods of 2002, but the article is from 2004 so what do I know.
7952 13y ago
"The Victorian Internet" by Tom Standage is worth reading if you are interested in this. It is mostly about telegraph, but includes tube systems. The obvious comparisons with the contemporary world are fascinating.
cenhyperion 13y ago
http://99percentinvisible.org/post/31907362467/episode-61-a-series-of-tubes http://99percentinvisible.org/post/31907362467/episode-61-a-... Here's a great podcast on a mail system of pneumatic tubes. Definitely worth a listen.
walshemj 13y ago
At my first job we ran a small scale pilot system near milton Keynes to test Pneumatic systems for industrial uses. My colleagues in that department some times had to crawl 1/4 of a mile in the tunnels to unstick the capsules! - that is why I chose the mathematical modeling section
- dm2 13y ago
  Was it safe? I mean was there any chance that the system could be turned on and injure the person crawling? I was trying to imagine a 1/4 mile crawl in a small tube as an engineer and was just thinking, "NOPE." but if I had built the system and it was near 100% safe, maybe...
  - walshemj 13y ago
    I presume they used standard safety procedures (Lockout/Tagout) everyone working in the tunnel locked the controls to off with their own lock and took the key with them into the tunnel. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockout-tagout https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockout-tagout

by ig1 13y ago

MrBuddyCasino 13y ago

Interesting, the mail office actually used this for some time, but to quote the article: "The Edinburgh Evening News reported in 1876 that the trucks containing the parcels continually stuck in the tunnels, and this was the reason for the failure of the company."

noelrock 13y ago

NYC also had a pneumatic tube mail network: http://untappedcities.com/2013/03/15/nycs-pneumatic-tube-mail-network/ http://untappedcities.com/2013/03/15/nycs-pneumatic-tube-mai... It ran until 1953. Paris also had one. It's a worthwhile read.

david927 13y ago
Prague has one that's both extensive and still functions.
- agilebyte 13y ago
  You mean this one? http://www.capsu.org/features/pneumatic_tube_system_in_prague.html http://www.capsu.org/features/pneumatic_tube_system_in_pragu... They say it is no longer working after the floods of 2002, but the article is from 2004 so what do I know.

7952 13y ago

"The Victorian Internet" by Tom Standage is worth reading if you are interested in this. It is mostly about telegraph, but includes tube systems. The obvious comparisons with the contemporary world are fascinating.

cenhyperion 13y ago

http://99percentinvisible.org/post/31907362467/episode-61-a-series-of-tubes http://99percentinvisible.org/post/31907362467/episode-61-a-... Here's a great podcast on a mail system of pneumatic tubes. Definitely worth a listen.

walshemj 13y ago

At my first job we ran a small scale pilot system near milton Keynes to test Pneumatic systems for industrial uses. My colleagues in that department some times had to crawl 1/4 of a mile in the tunnels to unstick the capsules! - that is why I chose the mathematical modeling section

dm2 13y ago
Was it safe? I mean was there any chance that the system could be turned on and injure the person crawling? I was trying to imagine a 1/4 mile crawl in a small tube as an engineer and was just thinking, "NOPE." but if I had built the system and it was near 100% safe, maybe...
- walshemj 13y ago
  I presume they used standard safety procedures (Lockout/Tagout) everyone working in the tunnel locked the controls to off with their own lock and took the key with them into the tunnel. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockout-tagout https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockout-tagout