I’d like to know how express cars were used. Where should they reside on a layout and how do I use them. thanks.
Not easy to do in fifty words or less. Basically express cars were the FEDEX of the 40’s,50’s and into the 60’s. Many were used to ship magazines to the cities for distribution to retailers. Basically any time sensitive item was sent that way including fruit and high value items as well. If you model the 50’s or 60’s you need to include PRR R50b and B60b cars in your consists as they wentjust about every where. Generally to a freight depot or station annex where scheduled -pick ups were made
I actually remember seeing express cars in service in the 1950s, in the Los Angeles Calif area. These cars, in addition to what has been posted, carried much LCL shipments. LCL stands for less than carload lot. They were indeed, the FEDEX of the day. Los Angeles in the 50’s also had the Pacific Electric Railway. Although the PE sold it’s passenger operations in 1953, it still ran electric express cars on several lines. By this time, the service was a shadow of what it had once been, but still very interesting.
Thanks guys for the info…Were they included on both freight and passenger consists?
I assume they were not included on local freights. Did they stay with their train to the end of the line , or were they ever dropped of for unloading and picked up by the next express?
Express typically rode on passenger trains, or if business was heavy, special express trains. If the amount cargo was small, the car could be loaded or unloaded during station stops, but usually the cars were set out and picked up enroute.
Nick
Express cars were usually part of the head-end traffic on secondary passenger trains and mail trains. They were often boxcars with steam & signal lines, high-speed trucks and sometimes painted in passenger colors. Many were painted in medium to dark green for the Railway Express Agency.
Most large cities had a large REA facility next to the passenger station. In Chicago, REA’s facility was just south of the main Post Office on the south approaches to Union Station.
Express could be carried in baggage cars too, usually a baggage car or even RPO marked with “Railway Express Agency” could carry express (like packages etc.) There were express reefers too for perishable items, with trucks and steamlines etc. to allow them to be used in passenger trains at high speeds.