Now that's a lot of baggage........heh heh.....

[Kozzie]

Although the article was in the MR mag, I would also like to mention it here for comments from all you folk.

I was surprised [:0] by the number of baggage cars making up N&W's '"Cavalier," as shown in Oct 04 issue of MR. (A big thank you to Rich Weyand if he sees this post) Fascinating stuff...especially for us paaenger train nuts [:)]...heh heh...[:)][:p][;)]....eight baggage cars in front of only 1 sleeper, 1 coach and 1 diner-lounge. Now that is interesting!
This was on the N&W Pocahontas Division, but maybe other roads ended up doing something similar as postwar passenger numbers dropped, but they could still snare mail and express business.....anyone got any details of the other roads doing this? [:)][:p]

Cheers [:)]

Daev
(Kozzie)

[UPTRAIN]

I figure most of that was express or mail, ect.

[M636C]

Dave,

Most railroads ran "Mail trains" which carried mail and parcels (usually called "Express" in the USA). On lighter traffic lines this would also be the only passenger train. The "SP Coast Line" video shows a couple of these, usually with a single coach at the rear.

This wasn't confined to the USA, and similar trains ran in the UK until recently (although they often had no passenger accommodation).

In Queensland, the "Westlander" has run with eight refrigerator cars and five coaches including the power car! I got a shot of such a train crossing the river bridge at Ipswich in 1994.

Until about 1990, mail trains ran out of Sydney with complex compositions that sent a passenger car and two vans to maybe four separate destinations, often with a Travelling Post Office sorting mail to one of those points. The "South Mail" was one of these. I got a shot of the "Super Series" prototype 42220 leading two cars north out of Albury in the very early 1980s - it would be a 12 car train on arrival in Sydney next morning.

Peter

[UPTRAIN]

Nice info, I even learned something.

[Kozzie]

Thanks Peter [:)]

Especially for clearing up for me what the term "express" could mean in the States - I wouldn't have conected that to what we called "Mail Train" down here.

Sure makes for interesting running on the layouts. [:)]

So one could run just about run a model 'Mail train" in almost any road with the rather different look of more baggage than passenger cars.....[;)]

Dave

[M636C]

Dave,

Yes, even Amtrak carried mail in roadrailers and in the "Material Handling cars". Walthers make (or made) an MHC with the "US Mail" insignia on it.

But a train from the 1950s with a long string of baggage cars would be most likely to match the image you've described. You could include some of the green "Railway Express Agency" box cars (with passenger type trucks) or maybe some converted Pullman "Troop Sleeping Cars" (which looked like big box cars). The Troop sleepers were covered in a relatively recent "Model Railroader".

Peter

[Kozzie]

QUOTE: Originally posted by M636C

Dave,

Yes, even Amtrak carried mail in roadrailers and in the "Material Handling cars". Walthers make (or made) an MHC with the "US Mail" insignia on it.

But a train from the 1950s with a long string of baggage cars would be most likely to match the image you've described. You could include some of the green "Railway Express Agency" box cars (with passenger type trucks) or maybe some converted Pullman "Troop Sleeping Cars" (which looked like big box cars). The Troop sleepers were covered in a relatively recent "Model Railroader".

Peter

Peter [:)] Now you've really got me enthused about it.

A variety even in the types of head end cars to use...getting better and better [:p]

Dave