Mail Trains - Are You Into Them?

BarstowRick May 1, 2020

  1. BarstowRick

    BarstowRick TrainBoard Supporter

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    I've been enamored with mail trains since I was first able to discern there were passenger engines pulling trains that looked like freight trains but still had passenger cars. Dad, I was over heard asking, why are passenger engines pulling those ugly freight trains with passenger cars? He was an REA agent and able to answer that question but not to my satisfaction. Of course.

    Here's the first of several videos I plan to submit. Feel free to submit your favorites.

     
    Last edited: May 1, 2020
  2. SP-Wolf

    SP-Wolf TrainBoard Supporter

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    One of my favorite types of trains

    FP7's - handling the mail
    [​IMG]

    Thanks,
    Wolf
     
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  3. BNSF FAN

    BNSF FAN TrainBoard Supporter

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    Mail trains are cool Rick but what about "femail" trains? :D:p:ROFLMAO:
     
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  4. BarstowRick

    BarstowRick TrainBoard Supporter

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    LOL BNSF Fan. I found myself asking that as well. Scares me, that we think alike.

    Union Pacific pulled by a popular stove.



    I don't know how we can call the Big Boy a her?
     
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  5. BarstowRick

    BarstowRick TrainBoard Supporter

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    SP Wolf, nice catch. Reminds me of the days growing up in Hollister, Ca. Going over to the Garlic Capitol of the world, Gilroy, Ca., and catching the north bound SP Mail Train running hard, headed for San Francisco. In the 60's.

    Keeping with your interest here's one for you.



    If you think it is easy to model a prototype mail train. No big deal, right? You might want to check out the consist of those mail trains. The mail box cars, various streamline and heavy weight mail storage cars, RPO cars and those flat cars that showed up carrying various kinds of containers and piggy backs. Then note how many different road names you find represented in the consist. Then try finding all of those for your mail trains.

    Love a challenge, you got one.
     
    Last edited: May 1, 2020
  6. bremner

    bremner Staff Member

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    [​IMG]
     
  7. bremner

    bremner Staff Member

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    The Pacific Electric had RPO cars...I have thought about modeling one...
     
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  8. BarstowRick

    BarstowRick TrainBoard Supporter

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    Good one Bremner. Aiiyiiyii :confused:

    I've attempted to recreate Union Pacific and Santa Fe Mail Trains as I best remember them. You'll be able to pick this apart as there are several box cars and passenger cars that probably don't belong in a regular consist. Did I say regular? Was there such a thing?

    Christmas Rush on the Howland Pacific Railroad as video graphed by a good friend, John Acosta.
    Now don't judge a picture until it's fully developed. The layout was under construction at the time of this video. Now it's under reconstruction or restoration.



    The REA car with silver trucks, did you see that? It's been changed up but I had to sacrifice a MP REA car to get the correct trucks, off of it. I'm not happy with that consist of UP mail cars but it was fun running it.

    Shout out of thanks to John Acosta.

    More to come so stay tuned.
     
    Last edited: May 1, 2020
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  9. SLSF Freak

    SLSF Freak Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    My favorite mail train will always be the TGV La Poste (y):

    tgv_la_poste.jpg

    Would love to have one of these in N Scale.

    Mike
     
  10. BarstowRick

    BarstowRick TrainBoard Supporter

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    Visiting the La Mesa Model Railroad Club, Balboa Park, San Diego, Ca. you might see this:



    Check out the types of cars and road names represented in this mail train.
     
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  11. BarstowRick

    BarstowRick TrainBoard Supporter

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    Gives me cause to think. It's entirely possible mail trains just might come back. Santa Fe's Super C and other trains today carry a lot of packaged mail across the states. All shipped piggy back or in containers. As is true of the other railroads.
     
    Last edited: May 2, 2020
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  12. BarstowRick

    BarstowRick TrainBoard Supporter

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    If only we could replicate this:



    My S scale, American Flyer, RPO heavy weight passenger car had a similar set up. Didn't work that great but was close.
     
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  13. Shortround

    Shortround TrainBoard Member

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    Some really nice videos guys. Thanks for sharing.
    Still looking for that Femail train though. :love:
     
  14. Point353

    Point353 TrainBoard Member

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    That would be the French version of Express Mail.

     
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  15. r_i_straw

    r_i_straw Mostly N Scale Staff Member

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    I posted this on Youtube 11 years ago.
     
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  16. Point353

    Point353 TrainBoard Member

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    Consist info for the Santa Fe Fast Mail Express: http://santafe.gmbus.com/7-8FastMailExpress/7-8FastMailExpress.htm

    Note that this mail and express train is flying green flags, so there's another section following:

    [​IMG]
     
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  17. bremner

    bremner Staff Member

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  18. BarstowRick

    BarstowRick TrainBoard Supporter

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    You need to check out the couplers. Oh, I'm going to get bott-ed for this one.
     
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  19. Point353

    Point353 TrainBoard Member

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  20. BarstowRick

    BarstowRick TrainBoard Supporter

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    To prove Point 353's, point. :confused: That just doesn't sound right.:)
    The trains I saw come through Barstow, resembled many of the loose interpretations... of the mail trains, you see here.

    Another visit to La Mesa Model Railroad Club, Balboa Park, San Diego, Ca. Well, I've been looking for examples of Santa Fe's Mail Trains.

     
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