Casey Akin Wrote:
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> Interesting info, am I correct in seeing the end
> walls were reinforced with vertical rails?
Yes, as for the RPO's still in service as such by the mid to late 1920's, at the request of/to meet the requirements of the Post Office which was in general not happy with wood cars by this time. (CM had built 3 new steel RPO's in 1913 for the same reason). Rails were, IIRC, sections of worn out 65#.
> Do RPO cars still exist on normal trains like
> Amtrak and the like??
nedsn3 gave most of the answer to this, the last RPO's in service were on the NE Corridor on a late-night train and were removed ca 1975 or '76. Trains mag covered the event.
Given reason for cancelling most RPO's in '67-'68 was that they didn't fit in with ZIP Code system. It has been alleged this was a payoff to airlines for campaign support involved.
The profitability of mail/express service in general is debatable, and has been debated at length over the years. The Trains issue "Who Shot the Passenger Train" claimed that it was a loser since RR's had to supply personal and facilities and could not, unlike airlines, refuse to carry the mail that day if they had a better money maker to haul. (Airlines also got a better deal on several other term and a higher rate of pay per pound carried)
Amtrak did take a stab at mail(sealed bag) & express service in the mid to late 1990's. It pissed off the "host" railroads who viewed it as an infringement on their own traffic. For the most part it was not a very well organized effort and flopped. Again, lots of controversy.
Hank
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/12/2021 11:33AM by hank.
