NEB&W Guide to Railroad Mail CranesThis file is open to website members only
Last Update: 2009-05-06
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Mail Cranes
A mail crane was a way to load a sack of mail onto a moving train. The sack was held upright and a special mail catcher on the side of an RPO snaggled the sack on the fly.Although the idea of sending mail by rail occurred to Congress in 1838 (when they made all railroads official postal routes), it wasn't until 1864 that a car where the mail was sorted