I was just looking the user video Coast Mail at Guadalupe. It showed a long mail train with mostly head end cars and a single coach at the end. It looked like it had two RPOs interspersed among the express/baggage cars. It got me wondering if a long mail train would ever use two RPOs in the same consist. I run a similar mail train on my layout but with a single RPO.
Well, I'm certainly no expert on this topic, but it seems likely to me that perhaps one of the RPOs will be cut out at some point, headed for a different destination.
I have several RPOs on my layout, mainly because they're such interesting-looking cars.
One is in the BEE, a kitbashed diesel-electric doodlebug...
This one's a slightly modified Rivarossi car....
...and this one was built from a Walthers kit of a PRR RPO. I modified the porthole windows in the doors to de-Pennsy-fy the appearance a bit, but there's no mistaking its heritage...
I also run this modified MDC car, in mail storage service...
...and will be scratchbuilding or kitbashing at least a couple of wood RPOs.
Wayne
My mail train is short, with an express reefer, an express boxcar, an RPO, and two baggage cars.
I would like to add a milk car and a passenger car, but my Sunset Light USRA 4-6-2 is working hard enough with those five cars.
I would imagine a second RPO would be added based upon need. I seem to remember seeing pictures of "regular" passenger trains with two RPOs in the consist.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
I considered the possibility it is a combined train that will split. I don't do that with my mail train but I have a combined secondary passenger train that divides in my my city to go to two different destinations. It arrives with a single RPO but after the train splits, a second RPO is added to the other consist. I agree with you that RPOs are very interesting cars and I have several styles. I have two versions of the 20th Century Limited, one in the 1938 livery and the second in the 1948 livery. Both have the full length RPO. I have heavyweight RPOs from several manufacturers, mostly 60 footers. I think switching passenger trains adds a lot of interest and RPOs give me a reason to do that.
John, The few PC mail trains I seen in the late 60s during my railfan travels was all headend cars and express boxcars. Some had a coach,some had cabin cars or a red flashing warning device (not FRED) as a marker.
Here's why.
There was a massive drop of RPO routes in 1967 because the USPS saw no future in passenger trains due to passenger trains being dropped by the railroads..
The last mail only train operating between New York and Washington was dropped in June,1977. This train didn't carry passengers.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
BRAKIE John, The few PC mail trains I seen in the late 60s during my railfan travels was all headend cars and express boxcars. Some had a coach,some had cabin cars or a red flashing warning device (not FRED) as a marker. Here's why. There was a massive drop of RPO routes in 1967 because the USPS saw no future in passenger trains due to passenger trains being dropped by the railroads.. The last mail only train operating between New York and Washington was dropped in June,1977. This train didn't carry passengers.
I model the year 1956 so mail trains and RPOs are still a big part of my operation.
An RPO was a working "post office". On a long distance mail train there would be be several cars of unsorted mail on eithr side of the RPO and the clerks would move the mail into the RPO, where it would be sorted, then the sorted mail would be bagged and put back in the baggage cars. If you had a lot of mail to sort you might need two full RPO's to handle the volume. This would not be a small local train, this would be a dedicated long distance mail train (i.e. Chicago to New York). There could also be mail storage cars of presorted mail either to set out enroute or to partially unload enroute or to go all the way through to destination.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
I seem to recall that the NY-Washington mail train that Brakie mentioned did work two RPOs at least for a while. I would have to find the issue of the PRR Keystone that has an article about it and report back.
I have read of other routes with heavy mail traffic that would use two RPOs and, as Wayne points out, there were cases where a route would be split and each RPO would continue on the respective route.
RPO_NY-Wash, 1977 by Edmund, on Flickr
NY_Worlds-fair-RPO by Edmund, on Flickr
Thank you, Ed
gmpullmanI seem to recall that the NY-Washington mail train that Brakie mentioned did work two RPOs at least for a while. I would have to find the issue of the PRR Keystone that has an article about it and report back.
I saw that train quite often during the last several months of its operation and IIRC it always had two RPOs.
DSO17I saw that train quite often during the last several months of its operation and IIRC it always had two RPOs.
I saw it maybe four or five times between 1971 and '74. I recall two RPOs as well but nearly all my sightings were sometime around 3AM and the train was probably running at or near 79 MPH.
Good story here:
https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-2006-06-17-0606170296-story.html
John-NYBW I model the year 1956 so mail trains and RPOs are still a big part of my operation.
Cool.. I seen photos of PRR mail trains with two RPOs. IIRC there was several mail storage cars between them..
doctorwayne Well, I'm certainly no expert on this topic, but it seems likely to me that perhaps one of the RPOs will be cut out at some point, headed for a different destination. I have several RPOs on my layout, mainly because they're such interesting-looking cars. One is in the BEE, a kitbashed diesel-electric doodlebug... This one's a slightly modified Rivarossi car.... ...and this one was built from a Walthers kit of a PRR RPO. I modified the porthole windows in the doors to de-Pennsy-fy the appearance a bit, but there's no mistaking its heritage... I also run this modified MDC car, in mail storage service... ...and will be scratchbuilding or kitbashing at least a couple of wood RPOs. Wayne
Deano
Deano, your kind comments are much appreciated. Thank you.
It would depend on the time of year too. Back when stamps were only a few cents each, people used to send out many more Christmas cards than they do now, so there would be a huge uptick in mail during November - December.
When I was a little kid back in the early 1960's I'd sometimes go several days without seeing may dad, who was a mailman, because he would start work at 6 a.m. and not be home when it was my bedtime that night. He said some people on his route used to receive and send 100-200 cards each year.
I have a video called Mail by Rail that shows the process of becoming an RPO worker. It includes a lot of in the car video of workers sorting mail and all the the steps it takes to move the mail. A very interesting video.
It's called Mail by Rail an inside look at the Railway Post Office. It's 62 minutes long and is available from:
Revelation Video Inc
PO Box 129
Tallmadge OH 44278
330-630-9817.
PS, I have no connection with this company, just though it was a very interesting video.
Joe