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Postal clerks busy sorting mail on the go. The RPO car is on one of the C&O passenger trains that ran between Washington, DC and Cincinnati, OH. F. Douglas Bess, Jr. Collection

The Railway Post Office (RPO) was in existence for over 130 years. The RPO was an efficient way to move mail throughout the United States. Mail was sorted in route for destinations to insure timely delivery. The RPO car was off-limits to passengers, and postal clerks were armed with pistols. 

October 28, 1967, however, marked the end of through RPO mail service on Chesapeake and Ohio passenger trains between Washington, DC and Cincinnati, OH. Although some limited sorting of mail still existed, it was really the beginning of the Post Office Department’s move to handle mail on trucks and planes throughout the U.S.

The history of carrying mail on trains in the United States dates back to the early part of the 1830’s. Mail was carried only on a couple of railroads at that time, although it was carried in bags along with other baggage. On July 7, 1838 the US Congress officially designated all railroads as official postal routes.

Left Photo: Postal Clerk placing mail in pigeon holes. Right Photo: Mail being bagged up. The hook in the background was for grabbing mail set out at intermediate stations and depots where trains did not stop. The bags were collected on the fly.  F. Douglas Bess, Jr. Collection.

The first mail sorted on a train while in route occurred on August 28, 1864, between Chicago and Clinton, IA. Mail was sorted to, and received from each post office along the route, as well as major post offices beyond the route’s end-points. The expansion of mail service came with the signing of the Pacific Railroad Act on July 1, 1862, which the government funded to help build the transcontinental railroad. Other railroads were later built in the west which greatly expanded mail service by rail.

Some time after WW II, people began abandoning travel by passenger trains and opted instead to use car or airlines. Improved roads and air service made travel by these modes more attractive, convenient and faster. Passenger trains were removed gradually over the years for lack of ridership. However, a number of trains continued because the revenue for hauling mail offset losses by decreased ridership.  With reduced routes and the increasing cost of moving mail by rail, the Post Office Department came to the decision instead to use trucks and planes to move the mail. 

Letter to Huntington Publishing Company (HUPCO) librarian from the Post Office Dept returning photos that they had requested for their “Postal Life” issue. Apparently by this time the Post Office Department had made the decision to cancel mail contracts with the railroads.  F. Douglas Bess, Jr. Collection.

As contracts were cancelled, railroads began applying to the Interstate Commerce Commission (predecessor to today’s Surface Transportation Board)  to discontinue most remaining passenger trains. A case in point was the removal of C&O’s trains #3, the Fast Flying Virginian (FFV) and #4, The Sportsman on May 12, 1968. The eastbound and westbound George Washington, trains #1 and 2, were the only passenger trains left on the C&O after that date and they lasted until the formation of Amtrak on May 1, 1971.

Both photos at Ashland, KY station: The station was located in the heart of town where the passenger main ran between the east end and west end of Ashland. It was here where passengers could connect with trains to Louisville, KY and Detroit, MI. The passenger main was removed years later. Now, passengers at Ashland board the Amtrak Cardinal at the site of the old C&O Freight Station next to the Ohio River.  F. Douglas Bess Jr. Photos.

I was fortunate, along with several other members of the Collis P. Huntington Railroad Historical Society, to have ridden on and photographed the last run of RPO mail service on the C&O. The black and white photos (above) of the interior of the C&O RPO car were taken by a staff photographer of the local Huntington newspaper. These photos were passed down to me by my grandfather Bill Bess, who worked for the newspaper for over 40 years.

Both photos at the Newport, KY depot: Mail and baggage being unloaded. Newport was located directly across the Ohio River from downtown Cincinnati. Often times people heading to destinations in the downtown Cincinnati area would get off the train here instead of Cincinnati Union Terminal and take a taxi, as it saved time. The truck being loaded with baggage was a sign of things to come for mail service. F. Douglas Bess, Jr. Photos.

Both photos at Cincinnati Union Terminal: The photo at left shows Train #3 arriving at CUT on October 28, 1967. The elevated concourse was removed in 1974. However, the remainder of the terminal was saved and is now a museum of science and history. The photo at right shows employees at CUT loading storage mail (not requiring sorting or delivery en route) on baggage car #301. This car will be on Train #2 that will leave CUT that evening.  F. Douglas Bess, Jr. photos.

After arriving in Huntington from Cincinnati on Train #2 on the evening of October 28, CPH members (left to right) John Killoran, Wayne Hamrick, your author, and Bob Withers gathered around C&O RPO #111 to bid it farewell on its final trip to Washington.  Larry K. Fellure Photo, Bob Withers Collection.

As a side note, the Railway Mail Service (RMS) within the Post Office Department (POD) existed between 1864 and September 30, 1948. The RMS was renamed the Postal Transportation Service, and existed until 1960. The change in name came about by the increased use of the Highway Post Office (HPO). Similar to the RPO, the HPO, came into existence in 1942 to supplement RPO service. As more passenger trains were discontinued, more mail was being handled over the highways by the HPOs. After that, the management of the mail came under the Bureau of Transportation, which was still under control of the POD. By 1971, the POD was no longer a cabinet position. With an act of Congress, it became a governmental agency, and was renamed the United States Postal Service.