7819 - Postal Container Wagon

1983-1984
183 pieces, 1 minifig

instructions
leaflet, 2 pages
13.5 x 13.5 cm

Rolling Stock
from 7 years

In 1983, LEGO introduced a second wave of sets for the train system, replacing some sets from the first wave. This second wave again came with several stand alone "extra" rolling stock sets, and this 7819 is one of them.

A-Model

This mail van 7819 is the successor of mail van 7820 from 1980. Like the 7820, the wagon is used for both transporting and sorting mail. The wagon was adorned with te horn-and-envelope logo from the Postal subtheme that was introduced the year before (in 1982, with sets like 6362 and 6651), providing a neat intersection between the Town and Train themes.

Although it was never announced as such, it's one of two add-on sets for the 7740 express, together with 7815, sharing the colour scheme of 7740.

7819 uses the 6x28 train base plate, and the big sliding doors that were introduced in 1983 (also in sets 7727 and 7838). Because of the sliding door plates, the body is two plates higher than 7815 and the 7740 wagons. From the Postal subtheme it borrows the printed envelope tiles and the Postal shirt of the minifig.

This set was sold for only two years and was succeeded by the mail wagon in set 7722 in 1985, which actually looks very similar to the B-model of this 7819.