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It is 2:56 a.m. Behind a 3776-Class locomotive, Santa Fe's high-speed train No. 8, the Fast Mail Express, is barreling along through the California night.

With the dark landscape rushing by a-mile-a-minute, Railway Postal Clerk Charlie Jackson slides open the door of his RPO and peers through the cinder guard, a small windshield attached to the side of the car he is riding.

Far ahead, the beam of the locomotive headlight has picked out the mail crane beside the track at Daggett. A mail pouch with a string tied tightly around its middle, hangs vertically in the crane.

Charlie swings the long steel arm of the mail catcher out from the doorway and into position, aiming at the center of the suspended pouch. Number Eight hurtles put the Dagget station, and the mail pouch thuds into the neck of the catcher.

Pulling the catcher arm back against the doorway, Charlie Jackson quickly removes the pouch and closes the car door against the rush of cold air from outside.

He tosses the pouch onto a sorting table, and in a few minutes while the car speeds toward its next mail pickup, the communications from the people of Daggett, California, and vicinity, are separated by the deft fingers of eleven clerks into sacks and pouches for their various destinations.

This scene, one of the many fascinating aspects of the operation of the Fast Mail Express, was repeated hundreds of times a day - with variations of time and place over the span of more than a half a century that Santa Fe operated train Nos. 7 and 8.

For many of us, Santa Fe's legendary Fast Mail Express holds a particular fascination. A sooty step child of the gleaming stainless steel streamliners for which the Santa Fe was an famous, the Fast Mail Express certainly never measured up to the road's fleet of Chiefs in style and flash - but it often cut ran them between terminals Perhaps it was the speed dust the Fast Mail Express achieved that attracted us, for nowhere on the Santa Fe, save for the Super Chief, was there a more expedited train; or maybe it was the allure of their unique consists, switched heavily at terminals and frequently peppered with headend equipment from exotic foreign roads like the New York Central, the B&O or the Erie; or maybe it was the mystery and excitement of riding a passenger train that only the "rails" knew about and the general public hadn't seen listed in the timetable since 1943. Whatever the reason, we at The Warbonnet felt that it was time to chronicle the history and operation of these trains, to explore the equipment used on them, and visit some folks who are recreating these trams in miniature. Lastly, we will take a look at how the Santa Fe continued to carry the mail after the demise of trains 7 and 8.

For more than 125 years, the Santa Fe and the United States Post Office Department worked together in transport of the country's mails. As early as 1871, the AT&SF operated railway mail service between Topeka and Newton, Kansas on a train appropriately called The Mail. This precursor of Santa Fe's later dedicated mail trains went blasting and shrieking up and down between Topeka. and Newton, 134 miles, in seven hours and twenty minutes.

Records Indicate that as far back as 1892, Santa Fe was the designated mail route from Chicago and Kansas City to southern California.

As early a December 12, 1897, the Santa Fe operated Train No. 17, later changed to No. 7 in June 9, 1901, from Chicago to California. The tram first was designated as Mail and Express to Kansas City, Mexico and California Mail & Express beyond.

During a major portion of the first quarter of this century, however, train No. 7, although operated as a mail and express train, largely carried express and passengers and such mail as accumulated after the departure of the California Limited. The primary mail carrier was the California Limited, train Nos. 3 and 4, which for many years carried the mail from Chicago and Kansas City to Los Angeles because it had the faster schedule.

The California Limited had been placed in service in November, 1892, and continued daily until May, 1896, at which time it was discontinued for the summer period (May to November) of that year and thereafter was operated semi-weekly in summer, and tri-weekly during winter months, November to June. It was not until after November 1905, that these trains were again operated daily year 'round.

In 1915, the first dedicated transcontinental mail train on the Santa Fe began operation. Carrying the number 7 and the name Fargo Fast (Mail and Express), this train had only one passenger carrying car, a smoking car. The train's counterpart, Santa Fe Eight eastward, was not, as yet, exclusively a mail and express train. Public timetables of the day carried the notation that on train No. 7 passengers were "carried between operating points in smoker only." In 1923, the train was renamed Fast Mail Express.

As can been seen by its name, the handling of express was an equally important task to that of handling the mail. Much of this traffic originated in the East.

Eric Railroad's Pier 4 in Jersey City was a cavernous frame structure that loomed almost ominously out of the Hudson River's New Jersey shoreline. A large electric sign emblazoned "Erie Railroad" adorned its riverside end. It was also the eastern terminus of the Wells Fargo express empire in 1915. To a very real extent, Santa Fe train No. 7 also began there.

The Erie Railroad's train 9, an unmanned exclusively express traffic train, departed Pier 4 nightly at 9:00. The hustle-bustle of getting this tram under way each night included the loading and sealing of at least one through express car for Los Angeles - and often one for San Francisco as well. In 1915, these cars were incorporated into the consist of The Fargo Fast in Chicago.

Train No. 7's transcontinental consist was also nourished by other Eastern railroads. Wells Fargo also gained the express privilege on the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad upon the demise of the United States Express in 1914. This rewarded Wells Fargo with a daily through express car between Philadelphia and Los Angeles. Baltimore & Ohio train 29, The St. Louis Mail & Express, carried the car to its namesake destination. The Philadelphia through car met The Fargo Fast in Kansas City after making its overnight run from St. Louis on Missouri Pacific's train 9, The Missourian.

But the most important express connection to train No. 7 was formed long before 1915 - or even 1888. The American Express Company was formed on March 18, 1850, by the merger of three leading Eastern express companies: Butterfield and Wasson; Livingston, Fargo and Company and Wells and Company. Two directors of the newly consolidated company, with the full encouragement of the parent, Henry Wells and William Fargo, formed Wells Fargo and Company in 1852 in California. The two companies worked in close harmony (even having interlocking boards of directors from the get-go until the skeleton Wells Fargo express operations (by this time only a non-banking financial shell) were absorbed into American Express in 1925.

So it is not surprising that the New York Central, American Express' most important privilege (and the nation's largest originator and handler of express traffic) would also take advantage of train No. 7's single line haul from Chicago to Los Angeles. The Central also had access to train 7 through St. Louis (as did the B&O).

The Pennsylvania Railroad in 1915 had contracts with Adams Express Company - a bitter rival of the American and Wells Fargo Express companies. Adams did not have a transcontinental connection; hence PRR cars did not participate in train No. 7 consists in any significant way until the express consolidation of November 1918.

An examination of the standard consist for train No. 7 dated June 1, 1915, showed the following through head end cars:

• 1 express car New York to Kansas City
• 1 express car New York to Ft. Worth
• 1 or mom express car(s) New York to LA
• 1 express car New York to Ferry Pt. (San Francisco)
• 1 express car NYC to Oakland
• 1 express car Philadelphia to Ferry Pt. (B&O)

It is not clear from the consist book which New York City cars originated on the New York Central and which on the Erie, but probably both roads were represented in the consist.

After the express consolidation, the consist settled down to two cars from New York City to Los Angeles via the Michigan Central (and via Chicago). Thus it remained until after World War II.

Between 1915 and 1944, train No. 7 cut the elapsed time from Chicago to Los Angeles from 66 hours and 10 minutes to 47 hours and 25 minutes becoming, the fastest train on the railroad until the advent of the Super Chief. For most of this period, companion train No. 8 eastbound was used primarily to carry passengers and returning "deadhead" equipment. In May 1936, coincident with the inauguration of the Super Chief, an east bound counterpart of the Fast Mail Express was begun, No. 8 Fast Mail Express. Both Nos. 7 and 8 had a chair car at the end for carrying coach passengers between regular stops, but effective June, 1938, No. 8 carried only the same class of equipment as No. 7. No. 8 operated on a much slower schedule than its westbound counterpart taking 53 hours and 20 minutes between Los Angeles and Chicago. However in 1938, as a result of the delivery of new power, the schedules of both 7 and 8 were speeded up somewhat, but the Fast Mail Express (No. 7) was no longer the fastest train on the railroad, the Super Chief now held that honor. By 1944, No. 8's schedule was cut to 52 hours and 20 minutes.

By 1941, the Fast Mail Express had earned the distinction of being the only "regularly scheduled daily exclusive mail and express train west of the Missouri River." Moreover, the Santa Fe was now the ranking express and mail carrier west of Chicago and ranked third among U.S. railways in revenue for mail and express transportation.

During World War II, train No. 7 operated in two sections practically every day, carrying an average of 21 cars into Los Angeles daily. Mail handling was always first. If there were two sections to a train the mail would fill out the first section.

A typical month's operation of the Fast Mail Express at this time included 210 cars of mail, 400 cars of express and 32 other cars, in addition to 161 cars of express which were switched off at Barstow for northern California. During the War years, the Fast Mail Express had only slight schedule adjustments. Sometime between September 1942 and April 1943, however, train Nos. 7 and 8 were taken out of the public timetable. Them had been a lot of problems with people showing up to ride them causing delays during heavy traffic periods due to inadequate accommodations. Ticket clerks had already been instructed not to mention them when queried about public train service.

Set to depart Chicago's Dearborn station nightly around 10:35 p.m., the scene at trackside was frenetic as last minute adjustments were made to No. 7's consist. The Post Office Department always made an inspection before they would release the train. Between Chicago and Kansas City, the RPOs always had to have their working ends together so as to allow access to storage mail cars adjacent to the RPOs, and all were to be towards the rear of the train to minimize buff forces from the locomotives. On more than one occasion, the Post Office was known to refuse the train due to switchmen's error and an RPO would have to be switched out and turned on the coach yard turntable.

Everyone knows what mail is, but it is more than just letters. In past eras, the carriage of parcels and packages in the mail was also very noteworthy. The amount of mail carried could be awesome. Note that the Fast Mail Express sometimes carried as many as three full 60' RPO cars between Chicago and Kansas City. This 180-feet of working RPO space was far greater than virtually my other single train on any railroad in this country. This did not count the working storage mail and sealed storage mail cars already presorted to be set-out. This was also a normal occurrence. The Fast Mail could get really burdened with both mail and express parcels at particular times of the year, the most notable of which was the Christmas holiday season.

But mail was only half of the equation. Before the advent of the jet plane and interstate highway system, the bulk of high-value and time-sensitive express fell to a train like the Fast Mail Express. A check of the consists will show that there were regular, weekly shipments of magazines by express car. At one time, many of the weekly and monthly magazines were printed/published on the east coast. Regular weekly, or monthly, shipments of these magazines to the west usually arrived on the Santa Fe via New York Central and the Erie. These were not random shipments, but shipments on a particular day of the week on a regular schedule. It should also be noted that there were also many eastbound shipments of express originated on the Santa Fe which had destinations off-line, primarily in the east. Most Santa Fe enthusiasts are accustomed to the shipment of fruits and produce in GFX freights and large reefer blocks in freight trains, but high-value agricultural products, like fresh strawberries grown in California, were expedited via express shipments by the car-load to Eastern markets. This was a regular occurrence when such items were in season and ready to be picked. It is important to note that this required express reefer cars, not boxes or baggage cars. On the return trip west, those express reefers might have then carried non-perishable express parcels or shipments; but obviously the requirement of reefers for particular shipments would be crucial to tying to accurately model an express train.

Another aspect of the Fast Mail Express operation were the Harvey House express cars, which carried Harvey House supplies, provisions, and even laundry to/from the Harvey House restaurants, hotels and the Harvey commissaries.

Refer to the consist chart on the opposite page for a look at the make up of the Fast Mail Express and its following sections as they appeared at the end of the war, just prior to dieselization. Train 1-7 (the first section of train No. 7) was the mail section. It carried a through storage mail car Chicago to Los Angeles from the New York Central daily, except Monday, in its normal 12-car consist. Second 7 operated on an unpublished 54½ hour schedule leaving Chicago seventy minutes behind First 7, arriving at Los Angeles at 4:00 a.m. on the third day.

Train 2-7 was the express section. Among its normal 11-car consist were the following:

• 1 express car New York to Kansas City (from the NYC)
• 1 express car New York to Wichita (from the NYC)
• 1 (or more) express car(s) New York to Los Angeles (from NYC)

A minimum of one through express car for Los Angeles was added at Kansas City from the East (ordinarily of PRR origination) via Missouri Pacific Train 9.

Eastbound, when there was enough overflow, a second No. 8 was operated, but it was usually a very short train and the cars going to Chicago were combined with the coach - or second section - of No. 24 at Kansas City arriving in Chicago 62 hours after they left Los Angeles. Quite often, second 8 was annulled at Newton, commencing in 1949, and the deadhead equipment then moved to Kansas City on train No. 2, the Centennial State, which originated at Denver from February 1949 to April 1950.

The change from steam to diesel power in 1946 again increased the speed that the Fast Mail Express traversed the country. In February, 1949, No. 7 was operating on a 47 hour 25 minute schedule between Chicago and Los Angeles. By ]une 1954 the schedule had been reduced to 44 hours and 35 minutes. As early as 1948, on the "Speedway" between Dodge City and La junta, No. 7 averaged an incredible 64 mph, with a stop at Syracuse, while in California by 1950, No. 7 traversed the 167.6 mile Needles District of the Los Angeles Division, at 54.4 mph - second only to the Super Chief at 59.1 mph.

At the west end of the district, at Barstow, the Oakland and Richmond cars off No. 7, which had formerly been shunted to No. 1 North (The Scout), were incorporated into a new train in 1947 known as No. 7 North, which originated at Barstow. Unlike the Fast Mail Express, North 7 did accept passengers. North 7's counterpart, North 8, which was primarily made up at Bakersfield out of equipment from No. 6 North, was not introduced until 1954, and then only operated between Bakersfield and Barstow.

In 1958, North 8's schedule was extended all the way to Richmond.

In the 1950s, the stream of mail and express from the East, which found its way onto No. 7, had intensified. The New York Central nightly dispatched a fleet of mail and express trains westward from its New York terminals; train 135 The West Side Mail, passed Croton-on-Hudson at thirty-five minutes past midnight; train 139, The Railway Express, at 12:56 a.m.; train 43, Mail, at 2:35 a.m.; train 3, Mail, at 4:25 a.m. and train 9, Mail, at 4:45 a.m.

At the same time, the Pennsylvania was generating a steady stream of mail and express traffic daily from New York Philadelphia and Washington. Train 11, The St. Louis Mail, departed New York at 1:00 a.m. carrying a daily-but-Monday 60-ft mail storage car New York to Los Angeles. Similarly, the all-coach train 13, New York - St. Louis Express, which departed New York at 2:45 a.m., carried a 60-ft. storage mail car for Los Angeles on an overflow basis. However, one of the heaviest mail and express trains in the East was PRR train 95 The Railway Express Agency. It departed New York at 5:00 a.m. bound for Pittsburgh where it was split into three sections: train 99 for Chicago, train 27 for St. Louis and train 203 for Cincinnati. Both of the first two sections carried cars bound for direct interchange with ATSF train No. 7.

Train No. 7 made a quick connection at Kansas City with Missouri Pacific train 9, The Missourian from St. Louis. Train 9 collected westbound head end cars which had been blocked for it on PRR's trains 11, 13, and 27; B&O's train 29 and New York Central trams. Missouri Pacific Train 9 departed St. Louis at 11:17 p.m. and arrived in Kansas City at 6:30 a.m. Santa Fe train No. 7 was scheduled to arrive in Kansas City at 9:00 a.m. The Kansas City Terminal Railway switch crews were busy (for 2½ hours or less) assembling and blocking cars delivered to it from train 9, plus the cars turned over to it which originated in Kansas City.

Train No. 9, however, would frequently arrive at Kansas City with 20-25 cars of express - way more than No. 7 could handle By the early 1950s, the Fast Mail Express was no longer operating in two sections and usually ran very long and heavy, with normal consists running between 17 and 22 cars westbound and 16 cars eastbound. Santa Fe's response to the overflow from the MoPac was to call an Advance 7, which would originate at Kansas City about an hour behind No. 7. Operating via the Southern District, Advance 7 frequently outran northern district 7 to Belen and often continued on to Barstow or Los Angeles. The only distinguishing difference between 7 and Advance 7 was that the former carried an RPO while the latter did not. In June 1954 when Nos. 3 and 4 were transformed into a Southern District mail and express train, the practice of running Advance 7 was discontinued.

Once Santa Fe's premier train, Nos. 3 and 4, the California Limited had been eclipsed in the late 'twenties by The Chief; then time and the streamlined era took further tolls on the train. By 1954, Nos. 3 and 4 were reduced to a local train traversing the Southern District, and the following year they became increasingly known a the Southern District "section" of the Fast Mail Express operating between Kansas City and Gallup, or Winslow where its consist was incorporated into No. 7. By 1959, No. 3 was simply referred to as "Overflow 7," but when the size of the combined train would exceed 17 cars, No. 3 or 4's equipment would run separately between Winslow and Los Angeles.

By the early 1960's, the Fast Mail Express was running long and heavy. Motive power requirements increased from four to six units on the more demanding stretches on the western end of the system, but this was not to List. On September 6, 1967, the Post Office Department announced that effective October 6th, it was canceling all but two of Santa Fe's RPOs. All first class would henceforth travel by air. The remainder second, third and fourth class mail would be handled at such a reduced rate, that it was no longer feasible to be handled in passenger service. Santa Fe's Fast Mail Express in all of its manifestations were suddenly expendable. Early in October, the Fast Mail Express itself was reduced to a single unit and a rider coach. Nos. 3 and 4 were discontinued October 18 1967 and, while North 7 and 8 lasted until early November, on October 19, 1967, train Nos. 7 and 8, Santa Fe's legendary Fast Mail Express were gone.

As Santa Fe's fastest train - prior to the introduction of the streamlined Super Chief - the Fast Mail Express' demanding schedule always commanded the fastest and most modern passenger power available. In the mid 'thirties, long engine runs expedited the schedule. In January 1938, the new 3460s joined high-wheeled 3400s in through service between Chicago and La junta, a through run of 992 miles. Heavier power of the 4-8-2, or 4-8-4, types was needed in the mountainous territory between La Junta and Los Angeles, a distance of 1,235 miles. Locomotives with 79 and 84-inch driving wheels were allowed a maximum speed of 100 mph and the 4-8-4's were allowed 90 mph.

During 1946, a program to dieselize the Chicago-California passenger trains was implemented and the first sections of Nos. 7 and 8 were dieselized that November using 158-168 series converted FTs until more F3s arrived in 1947-1948. However, extra sections of the trains west of Kansas City were frequently steam powered. Up through the end of 1953, an occasional 4-8-4 would run through from Kansas City to Barstow, usually on the second section of train No. 7 via Amarillo.

Up until 1957, the Fast Mail Express was almost exclusively assigned four-unit sets of F3s and F7s from the 16 and 37 classes in a rotation from Barstow to Los Angeles to Chicago to Barstow. Thereafter, things became more complicated with various combinations of EMD and ALCo power being traded out at Barstow, Winslow, Gallup and Kansas City at various times. The PAs seemed to hold favor in California west of Barstow to both Los Angeles and to Richmond on North 7, while the 11 and 80 class E units were preferred between Chicago and Kansas City. For more information see the accompanying chart.

Up until the mid-1950's, Santa Fe equipment found on the Fast Mail Express was primarily drawn from its extensive fleet of heavyweight "C Channel" and "Fish Belly" side sill baggage-express cars, horsecars and RPO's. It should be noted that not all baggage cars were the same, nor were they all interchangeable as to type of service. A class of cars noted for use as storage mail cars would have differences from one assigned for usage as a messenger service car. A car assigned to messenger service had to have certain accommodations for the agent, and was usually noted on the outside of the car by a star in about the middle of the side. A messenger/agent for express shipments would ride in a baggage car assigned to handle/protect the express parcels in that car which might contain valuables.

Lightweight baggage cars began to make their appearance as more of them were acquired throughout the 1950's, but lightweight RPO s - much fewer in number - were usually assigned to the streamliners and were rarely seen on the Fast Mail Express until the very end. Fe-24 express box cars, in the 4100-4399 series, painted "Pullman" green with black underbodies, were regulars on No.7, and beginning in late 1952, and continuing through early 1953, Topeka Shops turned out two hundred and fifty Fe-29 class cars with Dreadnaught end doors. The first fifty cars in the class, numbered 9700-9749, equipped with steam and signal lines for passenger service, supplemented the Fe-24 box express cars already in express service. In practice, the first twenty-five of these cars were used exclusively in passenger service, while those in the 9725-9749 series were dual-purpose cars. Beginning in 1962, container flat cars in the 200 series, rebuilt from heavyweight diners, and fitted out for mail storage containers, began making their appearance on the Fast Mail Express. However, as the roster of Santa Fe equipment slowly modernized, one thing remained the same -the seven non-air-conditioned Baggage-Coach rider cars in the 2602-2608 series, outshopped by Pullman in 1923. These were augmented by nine drover cars, Nos. 2591-2599, equipped to serve as riders during World War II, 3000 series chair cars and even such exotic equipment as Tribe series sleepers, but the 2602 series rider cars were a fixture on the rear of these trains for years. Late in 1965, however, they were withdrawn from service for repairs and were replaced by full coaches until they re-entered service in late 1966. The accompanying tables list Santa Fe headend equipment most likely to be seen on the Fast Mail Express in 1952 and 1965. However the Fast Mail Express was more than Santa Fe head end equipment.

Santa Fe's train No. 7 was assembled from its constituent parts: its own originated cars from Chicago, New York Central originated cars (mostly) through Chicago, PRR originated cars (mostly) through St. Louis, B&O originated cars through St. Louis and, again, its own originated cars in Kansas City. The Missouri Pacific also originated cars from St. Louis and often had cars turned over to it from the Illinois Central from Chicago. Hence, the majority of the foreign line cars in train No. 7 (excluding REX cars). came from these railroads. Southern Pacific, Chicago & Northwestern, Burlington, Rock Island or Union Pacific cars on the Santa Fe were rare, as these roads were themselves competitors for transcontinental mail and express traffic, or were part of a network of competitive routes. All other cars were likely, however, and did, in fact, show up in actual Fast Mail Express consists.

Researcher David Lambert uncovered some less obvious examples embedded in these consists than the obvious synergy and interchange of PRR and New Haven cars, such as; the dominance of the PRR over the Norfolk and Western at various times (N&W storage mail cars were regular visitors on trains 7 and 8) and the interchange of Seaboard Air Line as well as Atlantic Coast Line cars with the PRR.

In a study of foreign line headend cars in the Railway Express Agency Pool most likely men on trains 7 & 8 circa February 1953, (ssee chart) most of the roads we would have expected to see are, in fact, represented. One surprise is the CB&Q car. if one counts the Northern Refrigerator Car (NRC 255) as a New York Central car (as it was), both New York Central and the Railway Express Agency are the most represented foreign line cars (with 9 each) in the 21 consists Lambert studied. The CRDX/Kansas City Southern converted troop sleepers were part of the Express Agency pool as were the two GN express reefers. The PFE express refrigerator car, although owned by the subsidiary of the Southern Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads, was also assigned to the REX pool; in were SAL 3600 and 3610. Any REX pooled express refrigerator was fair game for my Santa Fe consist.

Lambert also developed the accompanying tables detailing foreign line equipment which might typically appear in the consists of Trains 7 and 8 in 1952. This, together with the table listing the cars with ATSF reporting marks most likely to be seen on Trains 7 and 8 in early 1952, should give the reader the information needed to construct very representative consists for Trains 7 and 8 in the early 1950's. A similar perusal of tables listing foreign line and Santa Fe cars circa 1965 should give a good idea of what the consists looked like as the operation; were towards the end.

Lambert was able to study some mid 1960s consists of train No. 7 and draw some conclusions about what was typical about the train by then. Chart "Typical Consist Train 7, Late 1960s Train 7R, July 19, 1967" represents what could have been a typical late-in-life consist for the train. Note that the first two cars of the tram were Merchants Despatch (New York Central) Flexi-Van passenger-equipped flat cars, giving the train a decidedly exotic first impression. There were a couple of Fe-24 express box cars, a former troop sleeper express refrigerator carrying dry express and a heavy weight combination rider coach. The train is predominated, however, by Budd and ACF-built lightweight express cars and "auxiliary baggage" cars assembled in the Company's shops from Pullman-supplied car body "kits."

By 1957, trains 3 and 4, the former California Limited, were in serious decline. Having lost their famous name with the June 6, 1954 timetable, they lost their sleepers, and finally, in 1957, they lost any pretext of being passenger carrying trains and were made the Southern District (via Amarillo) mail and express trains with a 3000 series chair car as a rider. Their consists closely mirrored those of trains 7 and 8. "Typical Consist Train 3, Late 1960sTrain CK July 31, 1967" represents a typical late-in-life consist for train 3. (CK represents the 31st of the month in Santa Fe's alpha system of train departure date designations.) Like its Northern District sister (train No. 7), train 3 had a ragtag appearance. It was an eclectic mixture of home grown and foreign line container flat cars, rebuilt heavy weight former chair cars, former troop sleepers, the ubiquitous New York Central heavy weight 60-foot express cars, express box cars and many smooth- and fluted-sided light weight cars. This train had a little extra interest because the rider car was not carrying the markers until the train reached Amarillo.

So, in retrospect, whether moving at high speed or undergoing complex terminal switching, Santa Fe's Fast Mail Express was a truly fascinating operation in all of its forms and functions. From the gleaming PAs up front to the dusty rider coach carrying the markers, to the assortment of headend equipment in between train 7 and 8, though only a memory now, make an ideal modeling subject for us today.

Modelers in HO scale are blessed with enough kits and brass imports to accurately model most of the equipment used on the Fast Mail Express from the late 'twenties to the end of operations in 1967. With the abundance of imported brass locomotives and the recent advent in smooth-running high-quality plastic diesels, the modeler should have little difficulty assembling a set of 16 class passenger F's, or assigning a 3776 class 4-8-4 to their Fast Mail Express.

As far as head end equipment is concerned, the reader's attention is directed to the chart on this page which lists modeling equipment for Fast Mail Express service. Many of the brass imports noted have been produced in the past and availability is likely scarce but with persistence, the reader may find the needed piece on the secondary/used market. There are a few Coach Yard and Precision Scale Co. models listed which have not yet actually been produced, but are due to arrive during 1997.

Several plastic models from Athearn, Con-Cor and AHM/Rivarossi can be used for various Santa Fe and foreign road cars, some more accurately than others. This depends on one's level of acceptance of fine detail, or lack of same. Walthers has also produced several other generic heavyweight kits in HO and O which, if found, can be used to represent various road's head end equipment.

The subject of passenger equipment in N scale is a sorry one. Even those with well-lined pockets often find themselves lacking. For those of you modeling the Fast Mail Express, compromise is the word of the day. There are currently plastic cars available from two importers. Kato has produced UP prototype smoothside cars that have taken the cause of plastic passenger cars to a new level. Unfortunately, they are of little use to Santa Fe modelers. The sleeper is quite close to the Valley series, and is the only car that flu well. Lamentably, Kato has chosen to sell these in sets, treating the serious modeler with contempt. Rumors of corrugated cars abound, fed by the announcement of a CB&Q business car, but Kato refuses to confirm or deny.

Con-Cor imports heavyweight cars from Rivarossi. Although hardly state of the art, they are reasonable in appearance. East Coast aficionados my they resemble Pennsy prototypes. Although generally available in sets, some dealers can order individuals. Con-Cor also sells corrugated cars. These appear to be patterned after Rock Island prototypes. Whatever prototype or manufacturer, these are of poor quality, and unsuitable for even the intermediate modeler. They match the Santa Fe in no way.

In N scale then, the only choices are to modify, compromise, or buy brass. The only brass cars available individually are: the PRB heavyweights, and soon will be unavailable, never to return. They am quite good models, but priced in the usual brass range. Several importers have brought in Super Chief sets, but the head end cars are not available individually.

The rider car is the only easy model. The Rivarossi combine is a quite close representation of the 2602 series cars, and needs little modification other than decals. The Intermountain 50' double door boxcar is also quite close. The railroad added brace on the sill at the truck center can be added with a bit of styrene. Microscale makes decals, and the green cars with straight line maps have been pad printed in a limited run from Challenger-N-Scale in Tulsa. Fine-N-Scale, the makers of the Caswell Gon, produce a wood side express reefer that is the equal of any resin casting in any scale, although the cast metal trucks are a weakness.

From here on out, it gets harder. The RPO can be simulated with a cut-down Rivarossi car, with several windows filled, to make an OK arm's-length model. By shortening the Rivarossi baggage car and adding sheet styrene fishbelly sills, the storage mail and express cars are simulated.

For 1960s-era modeling, it gets even more difficult. There are simply no RPOs out there, except in brass sets. One must resort to cutting down Rivarossi heavyweight baggage cars. For the lightweight cars, one can use the Kato cars as an act of desperation. There is a start-up company in California that is bringing out a line of etched brass kits in N scale and we hear that the owner is open to Santa Fe prototypes. N scale modelers, step up to the plate! Then there is the lack of needed decals....

In compiling this material on the Fast Mail Express we have utilized every resource available to us. Experts have had a chance to review the material as it was developed yet, inevitably, errors or omissions do occur. We welcome the readers comments. As for ourselves, we just returned from a trip to Caboose Hobbies in Denver seeking the "right" brass foreign line head end cars to compliment our version of the train. Sadly, our sojourn was in vain. But there are many more hobby shops, but so little time.

Tony Frey, from the 3/97 Warbonnet:

"There was, however, somewhat of a gap in the story. Upon the demise of the mail trains, and before the mail was shifted to the Super C, there was a mail train of sorts which handled 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th Class that had been on the mail trains, and that was No. 55. The train, which possibly began running prior to October, 1967, departed Chicago at 6:00 a.m. and arrived in Los Angeles at 11:00 a.m. the third day. There was even a note in the Official Guide that it was a mail and express train. Many of the heavy and light weight mail and express cars formerly on the mail trains could be found interspersed among the TOFC/COFC cars on the train. There was no eastbound counterpart to No. 55, and the empty mail cars returned on various eastbound connections. I had heard rumors that the 2602 Class rider cars were used on No. 55, but I have never seen any photos or records to prove this.

In June, 1968 on a trip to Chicago, I was in the vestibule of No. 24 at Chillicothe, Illinois, and No. 55 paused for a crew change. Except for the then new SD-45s and the red way car, it could have passed for No. 7, as it still had both heavy and light weight head end cars as well as Railway Express cars.

One final note: upon the demise of the Santa Fe's RPOs, some of the newer (1964 Budd cars) were leased by the New Haven for a short time in late 1967 and early 1968. After the lease was up, the RPOs joined the long line of passenger equipment stored at Chillicothe until 1971.

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