Order of Cars

Thu Feb 1 10:20:35 EST 2018

There was a recent discussion on the passenger car list about RPOs.  When they were in use and mail was being sorted, they were the first car in the train and the doors were locked.  Mail storage cars were next as postal workers often need to get mail bags from the car and sort them as well.  Try to find a book by Vic Roseburg about mail and express handling on passenger trains.  While Pullmans were usually on the rear for set offs,  interesting operation in Huntington, WV with a Pullman and interchange between the B&O and C&O, that I'll be glad to share if you are interested, but diners were usually between the coaches and Pullmans to limit passengers movement.
Larry Smith    

      From: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
 To: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> 
 Sent: Thursday, February 1, 2018 5:44 AM
 Subject: Re: Order of Cars

 I believe that there was a rule that the RPO was the first occupied car in a train. That would put any unattended car(s), like an express reefer or storage mail car between motive power & RPO.     WJPowers

 On 1/31/2018 4:12 PM, NW Mailing List wrote:

Yes, there were essentially a consist book, showing the type and how many of types of cars and position in the train. The N&W was not that large, because it was not many trains, and not nearly as much involved in mail, packages and express, as say the Pennsy or Southern Pacific, both roads consist books ran into over 100 pages, N&W was more like 15-20. 
  If a train was not listed in a consist sheet, it was always the plan to run mail and express up front, baggage following, then coaches and sleepers and/or diner or observation lounge on the rear. The reason for sleepers or diners on the rear was simple, those cars often came on or off in locations along the way, and it is far quicker and simpler for the railroad to pull a car off, put another on. 
  Best Ken
  On Jan 31, 2018, at 3:46 PM, NW Mailing List via NW-Mailing-List wrote: 

 During the days that the J Class engines pulled passenger cars, was there any proper order for lining up the baggage car, mail car, passenger car, dining, etc?  Thanks,

  Jack
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