RPO cars

[Tom Pinnick]

Did the Monon own the RPO cars? If No - Who? If Yes - did the USPS lease the space? Where were the cars based out of? Since they were not Monon employees are there any records of whom was aboard the cars on any run? I know of one Post Office employee, Gene Mitchell of Bedford, who worked the RPOs but I have no information on how he worked the route.

[Ron Marquardt]

I can't answer your questions about ownership, but I do have a little information about how the guys worked.  Sue Trotman, cureator of the Gosport Museum, told me this about her grandfather who was an RPO employee.  He lived at Gosport, would deadhead to Louisville, worked two round trips between Louisville and Chicago, then deadhead home.  She also said that earlier in his career he worked other roads out of Chicago until he had enough seniority to hold a route on the Monon.  He may have worked between Chicago and Indy too.  I don't remember for sure.  / Ron

[George Lortz]

Rumor has it that the Monon did own at least one RPO car and it is located at the KRM in New Haven, KY.  At one time the Monon Society tried to acquire the car, but the KRM had plans to fully restore the car including the interior and place it on display.

George L.

[Steve Dolzall]

Monon RPO cars 11 & 12 were converted hospital cars rebuilt at Lafayette. They were used as RPO's on the Indianapolis trains. Monon RPO cars 13, 14, &19 were typically utilized on the Louisville trains.

Steve

[Ken Weller]

See attached diagram & pics of Monon RPO cars.

Does anyone else have pics to share?

Thanks. - Ken Weller

[George Lortz]

Here are some additional photos of RPO #13 and #14.

George L.

[George Lortz]

Here is an additional photo of RPO #19.

George L.

[Robert Gibson]

I had never seen a picture of RPO #18.  Thanks for sharing.

[Robert Gibson]

Taken at Shops in July 1982.

[Robert Gibson]

I noticed that the passenger train in the picture of the week on Monon.org has 2 RPO cars.  I wonder if the train split at Monon with 1 RPO going to Indianapolis and the other to Louisville?

[Robert Wheeler]

I enlarged the picture as best I could and it appears to be an RPO, Baggage, and either a Combine or possibly an RPO at the head end of the train.

There was a time during 1945-46 when on CIL TT 76 (08/27/45) until #77 (03/21/46) when only train #3 and #4 ran between Chicago and Louisville and were met at Monon by trains #30 and #31 which only operated between Monon and Indianapolis.

This may have happened as early as March 1, 1945 when an order from the Office of Defense Transportation (#ODT 47) had certain trains across the country annulled which included CI&L trains 5 & 6 (CHI-LOU) and 35 & 36 (CHI - IND) plus 19 & 28 Orleans-French Lick.

This restricted running only lasted until issuance of CI&L #77 at the end of WW II.