T he first telegraph system was completed in 1839 along the Great Western Railway between London and West Drayton, a distance of 13 miles. Some 20 years later on June 2, 1859, an announcement appeared in the Standard (London):

              "A line of telegraph had been laid down by the Jamaica Railway, which is regarded as an event in the history of
              the progress of the island."

This line would most likely have connected Kingston and Spanish Town, a distance of 12 miles.

The need to instantly report train arrivals, departures, and problems made the telegraph an invaluable communication tool between stations. There is no known written evidence that the railway telegraph offices also handled commercial communications, but philatelic evidence shown by the three stamps below suggests that this may have occcasionally taken place.

The author has not seen an entire telegram with Jamaica Railway markings and has only seen two other examples of Jamaica telegraph stamps with Railway handstamps. Commercial use of the Railway telegraph system appears to have been rare.

One shilling telegraph stamp with the usual cigar shaped CANCELLED handstamp plus a partial Jamaica Railway double ring datestamp dated APR 30 18?? in blue. The only known example of a 19th century railway double ring datestamp.

One shilling telegraph stamps with the usual cigar shaped CANCELLED handstamp plus a straight line JAMAICA RAILWAY handstamp in violet.