Dale Mail

Dale Mail is a fictional mail delivery company operating in Dovedale. It is named after Dale Green. They currently operate 14 post boxes based on the real life Type B Pillar Box design introduced in the 1880s. All post boxes have the same design, with every post box featuring a designated number plate, a mail slot in the box to input letters and an information placard. The information placards are the same on all boxes, featuring the "Dale Mail" name, stating that collections happen daily at 6pm, that only standard stamps are accepted and a "No Animatronics" rule. It is unclear why this rule has been implemented.

Post box 10 is the only exception to this with the box appearing rusted rather than the regular red. This is a reference to how this post box is currently the oldest in the game, being the only one of the original 6 post boxes to remain in the game after the version 1.0 update. On top of the regular information found at all other boxes, the information placard on post box number 10 also says "For deliveries addressed to greendale, please use the Special Delivery Service*". This is a reference to the town of Greendale from the children's TV show Postman Pat, specifically the 2008 spin-off show Postman Pat: Special Delivery Service.

The post boxes around the map are actually interactive. When hovering over the number plate of a box if you click it, you will deposit a letter into the box. Depositing letters into all the post boxes in numerical order plays a "You've Got Mail!" sound effect on the last one. If you click the post boxes out of order then nothing will happen, and no letters appear. This does not seem to have any other use.

In the current version of the game, there are 14 Dale Mail post boxes around the map.

Box 01 is found next to the open entrance to Fanory Mill train station.
Box 02 is found next to the pillar of the railway bridge passing over Conby.
Box 03 is found outside the front of Satus Train Station next to the train planter.
Box 04 is found on the road leading out of the Satus town.
Box 05 is found in the small town of Chippy Warton between Satus and Dovedale East, it is found in the bus stop facing towards Satus.
Box 06 is found in the small town of Shelby Gowt.
Box 07 is found outside the entrance to the Wington Mount
Box 08 is found next to the footbridge over the railway line and onto the promenade at Dovedale Central.
Box 09 is found on the street corner in the Dovedale City suburbs between Til_brns house and the road to the Dovedale Central footbridge where box 8 resides.
Box 10 is found at the base of the Lighthouse. Despite being rusted it appears to still be operational, with pickups happening at 6pm daily.
Box 11 is found to the left of the Gleethrop End station entrance.
Box 12 is found on the round-a-bout leading to Dovedale East Crossing and Dovedale Primary School.
Box 13 is found on the opposite side of the road from Cosdale Harbour (Station).
Box 14 is found at the junction connecting Dovedale Central to Gleethrop Crossing and the ramp to the Dovedale City Suburbs.

History

Prior to version 1.0, six post boxes could be found around the map. These older boxes seem to be a completely fictional design, baring no resemblance to real life post boxes. They were large red metal boxes with the corners rounded to create a semi-circular top. At the top of each box there is a Royal Cipher `CIIR`; although it is not clear what this is supposed to represent. The boxes also features a black mail slot and an information placard which is considerably larger than the modern boxes and uses 3D text to post its collection times. Unlike the newer boxes, the old Dale Mail boxes say collection is at 6:30pm Monday - Friday, and claim the collection on Saturdays is 1pm which goes completely unmentioned on newer boxes.

In the lead up to the v1.0 update the post boxes were slowly being phased out as the stations they resided at got replaced over time. By the v1.0 update only one post box remained, the one at the base of the Lighthouse (Structure). Once the v1.0 update was released this box saw some minor changes, with the mail slot and information placard being turned red to make the box a uniform colour, it is unclear if this was intentional. It wasn't until the version 2.0 update that this box was retired and replaced by the newer design. Post Box number 10, placed at the base of the lighthouse, was made uniquely rusted and old to signify how it is the only post box that has remained throughout the game since its introduction.

Trivia

In early versions of the game, the only major station to not host a box was Fanory Mill.
The original post box design never actually had a slot for mail to go in to as the box was completely solid.
Out of the original 6 post boxes, 2 of them were placed at Gleethrop End on either side of the tracks.
There is actually 2 post boxes numbered "01". An additional Post box 01 can be found in front of the shops in Fanory Mill town. This other post box cannot be interacted with and is presumably a mistake.
You can deposit a letter into a post box by clicking on the number plate. This was cause a blank postcard to appear then slide into the box.

Gallery

A front view of Dale Mail post box 01.
A picture of a letter being put into Dale Mail post box 01.
The information placard found on Dale Mail post box 01.
A picture of the fake post box 01 found in-front of the Fanory Mill shops. This has the same number as the real Dale Mail post box 01 but is non-functional.
A picture of the Dale Mail post box 01.
A picture of Dale Mail post box 02.
A picture of Dale Mail post box 03.
A picture of Dale Mail post box 04.
A picture of Dale Mail post box 05.
A picture of Dale Mail post box 06.
A picture of Dale Mail post box 07.
A picture of Dale Mail post box 08.
A picture of Dale Mail post box 09.
A front view of Dale Mail post box 10.
The information placard found on Dale Mail post box 10.
A picture of Dale Mail post box 10. It is the only one to be rusted.
A picture of Dale Mail post box 11.
A picture of Dale Mail post box 12.
A picture of Dale Mail post box 13.
A picture of Dale Mail post box 14.

Classic Post boxes

The box that was found at the Lighthouse before version 2.0, at one point the only box left on the map.
One of the post boxes at Gleethrop End prior to v1.0.
The postbox found at the old Dovedale East Railway Museum.
The box found on one of the old Dovedale East platforms.
The box found at Dovedale Central before the remodel.
A picture of Gleethrop End prior to v1.0 where you can see the 2 post boxes either side of the tracks.

References