February 1999 - Roanoke Chapter National Railway Historical Society

In the 1940’s and 1950’s, however the nation’stransportation system underwent radicalchanges. The advent of commercial airlines,interstate highways and affordable automobilesall spelled doom for the old-time network ofpassenger trains.The number of trains available for mail transportationdropped steadily from 2,600 in 1956to 1,400 in 1961 and 741 in 1967. And as theinfrastructure of trains and rail facilities shrunk,the RPO’s had to be cut back accordingly.The last RPO run took place on June 30, 1977,between New York and Washington, closing thebook on one of the most colorful episodes inU.S. Postal Service history.For the last RPO clerks, it was a time of greatsadness and - in some cases - bitterness. Theyhad taken great pride in their work. And,despite the rigors of their job, they remainedfiercely loyal to the RPO way of life.“We had a special exprit de corps, a specialcamaraderie. We all worked together, andnobody was up (finished) until everybody wasup”, says Clifton. “But on the same token, on theRPO’s you could be your own man.”The last RPO run is only a few years behind us.But the Railway Post Office already seems a thingof a bygone era. To a remarkable extent, the RPOclerk - like the Pony Express riders and the pioneersof air mail - has become an object of nostalgiaand even glorification. There is no harm inromanticizing the RPO clerk - some of them,after all, were heroes and legends.But the truth about the RPO clerk is both simplerand grander: he was, by and large, an intelligentbut unpretentious worker who happenedto take enormous pride in moving the mail. Assuch, he remains an example to all of(Above story via The Bulletin, Bridge LineHistorical Society; The Tower Topics, Utica &Mohawk Valley Chapter; The Green Block,Central New York Chapter; The Timetable, LakeShore Chapter; The Orderboard, Tampa BayChapter, from an article originally appearing inthe May-June 1991 issue of Postal Life.)Turntable Times is published monthly as the newsletter of the Roanoke Chapter, National Railway Historical Society, Inc. Opinions and pointsof view expressed herein are those of the staff members of the Turntable Times and not necessarily reflect those of the members, officersor directors of the Chapter. Items of interest should be sent to Editor Kenny Kirkman, 590 Murphy Road, Collinsville, VA 24078-2128.Editor, Turntable TimesRoanoke Chapter NRHSP.O. Box 13222Roanoke, VA 24032-1322Non-ProfitOrganizationU.S. PostagePAIDRoanoke, VAPermit No. 89