2012Railway Bridges - Joint Issue - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania - First Day Cover MS

The subject of this joint stamp issue of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania is railway bridges. The most outstanding of the 440 railway bridges built in the first period of Estonian independence are reproduced on the stamp, on the first day cover and the cancellation. In addition to the Narva Bridge, also the Carnikava Bridge in Latvia and the Lyduvìnai Bridge in Lithuania are featured on the souvenir sheet. The first railway bridge across the Narva River was built in 1869 and another, stronger one, next to it in 1902. After both the bridges were destroyed in hostilities a new strong railway bridge, which is also featured on the stamp, was erected by the early 1920s. Built as the last big iron bridge in the Republic of Estonia, it was opened for traffic on 12 December 1923 but was destroyed in the course fighting during World War II. The stamp also shows one of the new Stadler FLIRT type passenger trains that will arrive on Eesti Raudtee track at the end of this year. The reinforced concrete Sindi railway bridge across the Pärnu River that illustrates the cover was festively opened on February 13, 1928. Train traffic on the Lelle-Papiniidu narrow gauge (750 mm) railway line was launched three days later, and from that day the time gain of passenger trains was of about ten hours between Tallinn and Pärnu. In fact, it was not a railway bridge alone, but was designed for crossing the river also by motor traffic. Traffic of trains and other vehicles across the bridge was regulated by the bridge guard. The first day cancel features the Ahja Railway Bridge on the Tartu-Petseri Railway that was considered to be one of the most beautiful ones in Estonia and was completed in 1931.