Postal Heritage Days 2003 Featuring RPO #74

On October 11th and 12th we hitched RPO #74 to our Miller Creek train to show our visitors how the mail was carried and sorted in this country for over 100 years. Before each of the trips to Miller Creek we demonstrated several times at the Campo Depot how the mail hook on the RPO was used to catch the mailbag from the mail crane. Life member #1, and former RPO clerk, Herb Kehr performed these demonstrations flawlessly. He also instructed two other museum members the technique of catching the mail. Thanks for the demonstrations, Herb!
  #74 coupled to #7285. RPO was usually next to the engine.
Herb Kehr
Retired RPO clerk Herb Kehr worked the RPO's mail hook.
Catching the bag at 15 mph in front of the Campo Depot.

  North side of RPO #74.
This onboard video shows Herb tossing out the mailbag for the depot, then raising the hook to retrieve the mailbag from the mail crane at the depot.
Video by Jack O'Lexey.
  Mpeg video (4.5M) of mailbag catch

This trackside video first shows the mailbag being tossed out from the RPO, then the bag on the mail crane being caught by Herb at 15 mph.
Video by Jack O'Lexey.

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Page and photos (except as noted) by Randy Houk, updated 10-17-2003