The Hague, 12 June 2020 – With the personal stamps from the Trains & Journeys series, PostNL is highlighting a number of fantastic and unique train journeys across the globe. At the beginning of the week, PostNL published stamp sheets about The Ghan and the Flying Scotsman – two famous train links in Australia and Great Britain.
sheetsLater this year, PostNL will publish several more stamp sheets in this series, which will include the Rocky Mountaineer (Vancouver-Jasper), PeruRail (Cusco-Machu Picchu), Eurostar (Paris-London) and the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express (Paris-Istanbul). In the period from 2019 to 2022, a total of 25 stamp sheets will be published in the Trains & Journeys series. Each sheet costs € 7.50. Subscribers receive 2 new stamp sheets each quarter. They will receive the Flevolijn stamp sheet as a gift with the first delivery. The second delivery will include the complimentary collector’s album.
The Ghan is a train journey right through the heart of Australia. The train, run by Great Southern Rail, runs from Adelaide in Southern Australia through the outback and Alice Springs all the way to Darwin in the Northern Territory. The name The Ghan comes from the Afghan camels that used to be an important means of transport in this part of Australia.
The Flying Scotsman runs in Britain, from London to Edinburgh. This train link has been operational since 1862. The name Flying Scotsman dates from 1928. Flying Scotsman is also the name of one of the world’s most famous engines. It was built in 1923 and was fully restored by the National Railway Museum between 2006 and 2016.
The Trains & Journeys personal stamp series was designed by graphic designer Sandra Smulders from Gouda. The stamps are aimed at both armchair travellers and train fanatics. “That is why I regularly zoom in on details of the equipment in the design,” explains Smulders. “Like unique locomotives or the gorgeous interior of some of the carriages. When I started working on this design I didn’t know much about trains. Now I know an awful lot more. It definitely moved me to make such a fantastic voyage myself.”
In addition to the usual stamp release schedule, PostNL also has an annual personal stamp release schedule. This is a flexible release schedule that allows PostNL to respond to topical developments and requests. Each issue is designed based on a fixed layout with a fixed number of personal stamps.
The Ghan and the Flying Scotsman sheets include 5 stamps in 3 different designs marked with ‘Internationaal 1’, the denomination for items up to 20g in weight destined for delivery outside of the Netherlands The stamps will be available in the PostNL webshop from 9 June 2020. The stamps can also be ordered by phone from the Collect Club customer service by calling +31 (0)88 - 868 99 00. The validity period is indefinite.