The Last Mail Car

Don't collect stamps, but are they going to offer rides in this RPO (behind steam, even)?

645 posted:

Don't know if you're aware but the Illinois Railway Museum operates a working RPO where they drop off mail bags / pick them up on the fly. Retired RPO workers participate in this annual event which has been held for a few years now. The 2017 version is coming up:

June 10 & 11, 2017 - Saturday & Sunday - Railway Post Office (RPO) Weekend > Operations and Demonstrations of Railway Post Office railway cars with on-the-fly mail pickups. See how railroads played a major role in the handling of the U.S. Mail.

Frisco 2-10-0 #1630 should be operating that weekend too. Don't know if 1630 would power the RPO consist but think it has in the past.

Regular admission is charged - no extra cost involved.     http://www.irm.org/schedule/

Thanks for the info, I haven't been there in 3 years that's a excellent reason to go back.

Scrapiron Scher posted:

The Minnesota Transportation Museum will be running the first (and last?) RPO to ride the rails in 40 years. This is particularly attractive if you collect stamps/covers as I do. You can go to the Museum website and purchase first day covers and post cards that will be stamped/processed on their RPO on the day they run and then sent directly to you.

Minnesota Transportation Museum RPO May, 2017

I've never been to this museum,  I don't know if I'll make it for this event but I will visit at some point. I have heard good things about it and always enjoy Minnesota.

I thought the last real RPO was in 1977 on the NEC between WAS and NYP.

Dominic Mazoch posted:

I thought the last real RPO was in 1977 on the NEC between WAS and NYP.

That would be correct.  The link in the original post refers to "one of the last operating" RPOs.  It does not say "the last".  If are talking simply mail cars where mail is transported and not sorted en route, then I believe the last mail cars ended service in late 2004 on Amtrak. 

Scrapiron Scher posted:

You can go to the Museum website and purchase first day covers and post cards that will be stamped/processed on their RPO on the day they run and then sent directly to you.

And I did just that, thanks to your timely tip, Eliot.  Thanks for the heads-up.