Mail and Express cars

Railroads hauled the U.S. Mail under contract from the Goverment. Each railroad had cars called a Railway Post Office (RPO) used to sort mail by Postal Workers and Mail Storage Cars for bulk mail in sacks. Most passenger trains had an RPO Car that would pick up a mail bag on the fly by means of a special hook mounted on the side door. This hook can be seen in many of the RPO photographs listed below.

Mail Trains were slower because of the time making a stop to unload and load bags of U.S. Mail and Express including Milk and Cream. Cars were also picked up and dropped off along the route at railroad junctions from other Mail Trains.

RAILWAY POST OFFICE CARS
• RPO/Coach T&NO 468
• Mail Storage Car SP 4404
• Express or Baggage car, ex-RPO SP 6009
• RPO/Baggage SP 5036
• RPO/Baggage SP 5199,
• RPO/Baggage SP 5121
• RPO/Baggage SP 5124, Daylight Colors
• RPO/Baggage SP 5217, Daylight Colors
• RPO/Baggage SP 5032, Lightweight Car, painted Dark Lark Gray

  The Railway Express Agency (REA) Company also used Baggage Cars to haul express packages. The company's name was painted on the sides of many railroads Baggage Cars used in their service.

  BAGGAGE AND EXPRESS CARS

• 2 Door Baggage SP 6188, REA
• 2 Door Baggage SP 6236, REA
• 2 Door Baggage SP 6348, Milk and Cream
• 2 Door Baggage SP1682, Rebuilt Coach
• Baggage/Mail SP 6779
• Express Box Car SP 5709
• Baggage-Express Box Car SP 5740

  COMBINES, and RIDER COACHES used on Mail Trains

• Combine SP 3176, Daylight Colors
• Standard Coach SP 2345, Two Tone Gray
• Standard Coach SP 2532, Green
• Harriman Coach SP 1240, Two Tone Gray.
• Harriman Coach SP 1360
• Harriman Coach T&NO 807

Here is an interesting old photograph showing an SP Baggage Car at the Red Bluff, Ca. freight station during the mid 1950s.

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