Re: (rshsdepot) Re: Park Row- "Third Avenue Postal Cars" . . .

[Seth Bramson <sbramson_@_bellsouth.net>]

"Paul S. Luchter" wrote:

> Here is an article from the September 21, 1895 about the Third Avenue =
> Railroad receiving 25 new Postal cable cars for the 3rd Avenue line. The =
> main post office was at Park Row. When the 3rd Avenue RR went to =
> electric traction (using a center culvert scraper-adaptive re-use of the =
> cable slot) these cars were converted. How long these (Streetcar POs?) =
> lasted, how long mail was carried on the Third Avenue line I don't know, =

If you will bear with me I will look it up in Herb Harrington's great "All Time List of US RPO's."  I THINK the date for this operation is in there, although not certain.

>
> nor if the NY&Harlem/Metropolitan Ry/4th Avenue line (which also had =
> Park Row as its southern terminal) also had postal cars- CPOs when =
> cable?
>
> NO.  It positively DID NOT.  The only trolley RPO in Manhattan was the "Third Avenue RPO" which was cable operated, as noted.  There were, of course, about five Brooklyn
> Stree RPO's, the two most common being "Brooklyn Circuit RPO" and Brooklyn South Shore RPO.  I will, next time I turn up the Harrington Book, give you the info on the
> RPO services in Brooklyn.  Although LIRR had several RPO's that were at least partially electrified, I do not believe any of the predecessors had street RPO's; in fact,
> I'm pretty much willing to "bet" on that one.  (Yes, again, many traction companies, both intracity and interurban did carry closed pouch mail but did not sort or cancel
> on board, which is what the RPO's did.)

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