Hi Jack and Jim -- Thanks to both for the info. The SLE&P has a rather sizable “Fast Mail and Express” train that is currently hauled by three ALCo PAs. A C&EI car would probably make a standout consist with the orange paint -- most of the express cars, including SP, RI,WP, PRR, and of course the SLE&P, are all a variation of Pullman Green except the PRR Tuscan. I have all the RPCyclopedias and will take a look. Thanks for the reference.
As an FYI, the latest Railway Prototype Cyclopedia (25) is close to shipping right now. If you order direct and send money with the order, it’s $24.00 post paid. I think Oct 20 is the deadline for them to receive the money. For those who don’t have these things, they are a very convenient resource to find the sort of thing we are talking about. Unfortunately, most of the early ones are out of print, but can sometimes be found at book sellers. Bill Winans Prescott Valley, AZ ------------------------------------ << M&E Trains (mail and express) are a category all their own and interesting to model... The C&EI car is a class "Bx" car, defined as "A box car (new, rebuilt or converted) constructed and equipped to render it suitable for passenger train service ..." They were used a lot to haul mail that had already been sorted to a destination. Sometimes that could be in a regular passenger train consist and other times in dedicated M&E trains that ran on passenger schedules – think of the "Fast Mail"... In the case of the C&EI cars, mail storage service was probably to cities on the line. They could also carry express packages for the post office or on contract to REA, although less later. I have at least one reference to a C&EI express box car in a 44-car Pennsy M&E train from NYC to Philadelphia on December 22, 1965; all mail and packages as part of that year's Christmas rush. If you want to dig further, RMC did a two-part article on head end cars in April and May 1992. There is also a book with the highly original title of "Moving Mail and Express by Rail" (E. M. DeRouin, Pixels Publishing, 2007). I should warn you though; the book is a research tool - full of charts, documents, train movements and consists for M&E train geeks - like me...! <G> Jim Kindraka Plymouth, WI -------------------------------- Hi Jim, Thanks for your reply. I recall the RMC articles. I probably have them stashed somewhere. Looks like I ought to track down DeRouin's book. I also have the articles on BX Express Box Cars in Railway Prototype Cyclopedia Vols. 6 & 8. C&EI #1 is pictured in Vol. 6 and #2-5 in Vol. 8. I wish I had some sightings of these cars circa 1950 in the Southeast. They probably made it down here, but I'd like to see for myself. I'm thinking mail storage would be the most likely use, but maybe C&EI bought them for specific traffic. Jack Wyatt
