Revisiting Mail & Express Trains

Greetings All,

One of the Penn Central topics that has caught my attention again is post Amtrak mail and express traffic. Relieved of their money losing inter city trains by Amtrak on May 1st 1971 the Penn Central used their express boxcars, flexi vans and baggage cars for bulk mail service. The PC still had many E8s and E7s on their roster for use on these trains and would supplement them and even mix them with freight diesels. While the USPS had discontinued the RPO mail contracts in 1967 plenty of bulk mail was still being hauled by rail and the last manned RPO car ran until June 30, 1977.

Lets take a look at some of the Penn Central M&E trains being run today in and out of Empire City and Terminal Yard.

A Penn Central E8A with westbound Mail 9 enters Empire City Station while a PC RS-2 has pulled a couple of ex PRR B60B baggage cars with bulk mail from the Empire City Post Office.

Mail 9 is thus far comprised of a string of Flexi-Vans that the NYC and PC found perfect for hauling bulk mail. Low and sleek they could easily achieve and handle passenger train speeds.

In Penn Central fashion Mail 9 has a caboose bringing up the markers which was a PRR standard. The NYC used rider coaches for the crews handling the bulk mail. Looks like the red team won this round today.

The 9942 has tacked on the B60B baggage cars to Mail 9 and is now getting ready to tack the NYC 'Road to the Future' caboose back onto the train.

The caboose is coupled on and Mail 9 departs Empire City Station.

A short time later eastbound Mail 14 rumbles into Empire City behind Penn Central E7A #4210. 

A close up of Penn Central E7A #4210. This is a P-2000 engine  that I stripped, painted and lettered in July 2013. A second project on this unit and others in my fleet in 2016 was to eliminate the mars lights after I learned they did not have one.

Station switcher 9942 tacks three ex NYC express cars loaded with bulk mail onto the rear of Mail 14. The NYC purchased 400 of these ex troop sleepers for express shipments.

The station switcher gives Mail 14 a helpful shove as we see another PRR practice of adding cars behind the caboose. The N6B caboose was painted and lettered by fellow modeler and blogger John Bruce.

E7A 4210 powers Mail 14 as it makes the climb out of Empire City Station on the lower level of the layout.

Crossing over Market Street. The NH car is a Walthers track cleaner and the NYC baggage car is an Athearn BB model.

A three way meet at Bedford! Mail 14 is making the climb on track #1 and is the priority train heading east bound. A west bound PC freight is on track 2 and has cleared the switch for Terminal Yard while an eastbound Empire Belt train watches on track 3.  

The PC SD35 - SD9 combo pulling a transfer train west towards Empire City. A pair of Empire Belt GP30s head east towards Terminal Yard. Mail 14 has the green signal as it makes it's way east upgrade towards Terminal Yard. 

The SD35 - SD9 combo are Atlas units that I painted after seeing a similar lash up in volume 3 of the Green Frog Penn Central video series.

Back to the mail and express train. Mail 14 is now entering Terminal Yard while a yard switcher is connecting an Amtrak or PC ex NYC E8A to an outbound passenger train on track 1
Mail 14 heads further into the sprawling yard passing some open tri level auto racks and 86' Auto Parts boxcars awaiting engines. 

Baggage cars from the three Penn Central predecessor railroads are still looking good and earning their keep in the mail and express service.

That wraps up today's look at some of the Penn Central mail and express trains as seen on the N.Y.C.T.L.

Thanks for reading!!!