Passenger trains operational questions

Tue Apr 11 22:13:38 EDT 2017

Working RPO cars stayed on the home road to the best of my knowledge.  However, after 1957 the N&W RPO-baggage cars on trains 1 & 2 were no longer set out of the train at Hagerstown.  The postal contract was Hagerstown-Roanoke, but the car stayed in the train deadheading on to Harrisburg, PA.  The post office called this "closed pouch" when the mail clerks did not stay with the car.  PRR had a sealed express car which ran for years in Harrisburg-Roanoke service.  Always a PRR B-60, it ended after 1957.  There always was a motive power change in Hagerstown.

In the 1960's I was riding the SCL Silver Star northbound from Florida.  Leaving Jacksonville, there was a N&W baggage/express car in the consist.  I have seen a photo of a tuscan N&W baggage car in California after the time of the Wabash NKP merger.  The car probably came out of St. Louis on the former Wabash.

--Rick Morrison

----- Original Message ----- 
  From: NW Mailing List 
  To: NWHS Mailing List 
  Sent: Tuesday, April 11, 2017 9:49 AM
  Subject: Passenger trains operational questions

  Did head end equipment like RPO cars or mail storage or baggage cars ever leave home rails?

  What about on jointly operated trains like the Pelican or Birmingham Special?

  Did REA express cars travel frequently in N&W trains?  What about REA express refrigerator cars?  Would there ever be situations where foreign road express equipment might appear in an N&W passenger train (like an ACL express reefer)?

  Thanks,
  Brent 

  ________________________________
  Dr. J. Brent Greer

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