Were Railway Postal Clerks employees of the railroads or the U.S. Post Office?
Would they stay on the train from end point to end point, i.e., New York to Chicago, or would they switch out along the way?
I would guess that they are railroad employees but have taken the post office exam. When I was in the navy, the ship’s postal clerk was in the navy but had to take the post office exam so make of that what you will. Here’s a story about him. I was walking by the ship’s post office and he asked me for a cigarette. I said that I didn’t smoke. He said, “Neither do I” and showed me a pile of cigarettes on the counter. He asked everyone that walked by for a smoke, just for amusement. Didn’t have enough to do, obviously.
Another thing- When the ship would be tied up in, say, Barcelona occasionally American tourists came aboard to mail packages home. They paid the same rate as they would at home and whatever they sent was not subject to customs. I sent a box of Cuban cigars home that way with no problem at all.
About switching out, I really don’t know.
From what I’ve read, they were considered Federal employees, and I believe there were cards in RPOs, some of which survive in museum cars, noting that interference with them or their business was a Federal offense.
Here’s an amusing page I hadn’t seen before:
They were federal post office employees, and their job description in the RPO service required they carry a side arm, generally a .38
Sheldon
My understanding is the same as Sheldon’s. US Post Office employees.
I don’t have any idea what their work routine was. But I’m guessing they worked several hours in one direction, were replaced, then worked the next RPO heading back to their home terminal. But that’s just a guess, and I too would be interested in knowing how it worked.
It was probably distance based, just like the train crew.
It was a very long disance for some crews. From what little i have. I had a great uncle who worked from Bristol, Va to Washington DC. usually on train # 42 and train #41 back. It was different south of Bristol as the Memphis trains changed both RPO crews and mail cars at Chattanooga. The CHA - MEM RPO car had much smaller capacity. RPO crews had to come on duty early at CHA to work in the mail cars. That also included the locals than ran from CHA to MEM< BHM< ATL. The train to New Orleans Changed RPO crews at Birminham.
As far as I can tell both SOU and the West point , L&N routes ATL - NOL was one crew district.
I cannot imagine what it was like during heavy mail times at Christmas with hours late trains on the routes.
Great video, a reminder of life before computers.
Sheldon
About 15 years ago, I knew an old fellow, about 105 years old, who had worked for 50 years the mail car from Bangor, Maine to Portland, Maine and had memorized 500 Maine town names (pre zip code days) so that all his mail was sorted by the end of his run. I assume he worked the opposite train to return to Bangor. Very different world!
Don’t forget telephones - before the days of dials, let alone push buttons or tones.
My Grandfathers phone number when I was a kid - Severna Park 45. When his phone system was upgraded to being a dial system and the Exchange Operator was done away with - his last 4 digits ended up being 4545.
Severna Park - that’s where I am from.
I remember when the phone exchange started with two letters. In Severna Park MI7-6586 was out phone number.
Sheldon
That were the start of a word.
My telephone was LOWELL-7-3809. My grandparents in Kingston, PA had BUTLER-7-6945.
I was told there was lots of fun in suburban Philadelphia where CYNWYD was used and people thought it was spelled as spoken to them…
For some reason, I still remember the phone # we had in Dallas when I was 9. DA7-5973. Probably I remember because it was the first phone number I ever knew.
As I recall - Severna Park wasn’t upgraded to dial phones until the late 1950’s, much later than the rest of the Baltimore area - at least the areas I was familiar with.
I was born in 1957, graduated Severna Park High class of 75. Lived in that part of AA County most of my childhood.
It was still pretty rural into the early 70’s, not so much now. I have been in Harford Co for the last 26 years.
Sheldon
We were just the opposite in Englewood, which received the first direct-dial long-distance installation (circa 1949). Now when Bell introduced touch-tone it was marketed as an extra-cost luxury rather than cost saving (much as alternators were in cars) and I was frugal and then hidebound enough to keep dial service on my company line until very late. Finally Bell contacted my father about switching, and I agreed to switch if they would give me the ‘sled’ of equipment for the 3809 line. It was an enormous thing!
I was in college then so not long after 1975…
At Severna Park HS my Uncle was the Principal for many years.
When I was really little, my parents had a two party line with just a two letter prefix (WH)+4 digits. Then it became WH8, then MO8 then 668, remaining the same until they passed.
How many of you young whippersnappers remember picking up the phone, hearing the operator say “number please”, and telling her the number?