I'm wondering where best to learn about the mailing system used in an RPO baggage car. I had no idea how complex it was until a gracious doner unloaded several tons of RPO paperwork at a museum I volunteer for. Included are mostly tags for mail bags and what are labeled as "practice cards" with the names of various destinations across the country. The story of the RPO baggage car would fit nicely in the rail history narrative our museum provides. How many other RR museums present this type of information? I remember seeing the mail car at the Railroad Museum of PA years ago, but don't recall the depth of interpretation that was provided. Maybe I should have paid attention!

Several museums have displayed RPO cars that are variously displayed.

Here are two that I'm most familiar with. I'm sure others will report others.

Orange Empire Railway Museum has Santa Fe #60. Visitors can walk inside the car at one end and view the car.
http://www.oerm.org/collection/santa-fe/atsf-60
The display was originally set-up several decades ago by retired mail clerks who not only dressed the car with mail bags, etc., but also had the practice cases and other related items.

California State Railroad Museum has Great Northern #42
http://www.csrmf.org/library-and-collections/rolling-stock/passenger-cars/great-northern-railway-post-office-car-no-42
The car is staffed by Museum volunteer docents and is ADA accessible with a wheel chair lift.

I suggest you contact Frank Scheer at the Railway Mail Service Library. He has been collecting history, artifacts and information on the RPOs for years.

http://www.railwaymailservicelibrary.org

The New Hope Valley Railway near Raleigh NC has a fully-restored 1922 Southern RPO and mail crane. Some pictures here about a 1/3 of the way down:

http://surewhynotnow.blogspot.com/2010/ ... g-day.html

Sounds like you have one mans life work. He might have been a chief clerk. See if there are any trip reports and if his name appears on them. How complete is your car? does the RPO section still have the fixtures? In addition to what others have said check out RailwayPO on Yahoo.

Bill Olson
Orange Empire Railway Museum