Our adventure started as we boarded Amtrak's 8:00 am Northeast Regional train at Richmond's Staples Mill train station. We bought coach tickets on sale for $19 each, one way for a total of $86 for two people, round trip. Not a bad deal at all! In my opinion, taking the train to DC is much preferable than driving I-95 and paying for parking. The train left on time and arrived only a few minutes late. Our Coach Quiet Car was quiet indeed and pretty comfortable. I did visit the cafe car for some bottled water and a sausage, egg & cheese biscuit. Hit the spot! Fueled up for a day of exploring!
Below is the engine for our train to Washington, DC's Union Station. It was already at the station by the time we parked at about 7:15 am. Parking at Staples Mill Station is tough at the moment until the parking lot expansion is complete. I recommend arriving about 45 minutes prior to your train departure.
Click on my photos below to see them in high resolution on Flickr. You can view the entire set in high resolution by clicking here!
Amtrak Engine 117 a GE Diesel P42DC @ Union Station - Washington, DC
Union Station was built in 1907. Today, it serves Amtrak, MARC (Maryland Area Regional Commuter), and VRE (Virginia Railway Express) as well as Washington Metro and buses. The original portion of the building is quite pretty to look at. Here's the ceiling of the main hall.
Statues & Skylights @ Union Station c. 1907 - Washington, DC
The National Postal Museum is located adjacent to Union Station. Literally, you just cross one street and you are there. Unfortunately, it was pouring rain and Pam's feet and sandals got soaked.
In 1775, the Second Continental Congress appointed Benjamin Franklin the first Postmaster General of the American colonies. He was responsible for post offices from Georgia to Massachusetts. As such, he is considered the father of the US Postal Service.
Benjamin Franklin, First Postmaster General
As we walked toward the main gallery from the escalators, we were greeted by this scene. The plane is a de Havilland DH-4B Airmail Biplane, one of 100 de Havillands the Post Office Department requested from Army surplus after World War I. At one point, half of the Air Mail planes operated by the Post Office were de Havillands.
Entering the atrium
De Havilland's were nicknamed "Flaming Coffins" because the pilot could become trapped between the engine and the mail compartment in a crash. Modifications in 1919 eliminated most of the design flaws. In their first year of service, de Havillands carried 775 million letters. They were retired from service starting in 1926 when the Post Office Department started contracting with private carriers.
de Havilland DH-4B Biplane
Right next to the de Havilland is the Wiseman-Cooke Biplane. This plane was flown by Fred Wiseman in 1911 from Petaloma to Santa Rosa, California to deliver the first Air Mail in the United States. He carried only three letters, some copies of the local newspaper ("Press-Democrat") and some groceries. His trip was marked by mechanical failure, forcing Wiseman to land twice. His second landing was so close to Santa Rosa, he was carried, with his mail, by cheering spectators into Santa Rosa. During his flight, Wiseman never exceeded 70 mph and flew no higher than 100 ft off the ground.
On the ground, the Post Office Department contracted with owners of coaches to carry the mail from the 1820's until the early 1900's. When a federal law prohibited awarding extra fees to stagecoach contractors, horseback riders were utilized. The fully restored Downing & Son Concord-style coach was built in Concord, NH in 1851. It carried the mail between White River Junction and the Woodstock Inn in Vermont.
Downinig & Son Concord-style Mail Coach c. 1851 - front
Downinig & Son Concord-style Mail Coach c. 1851 - rear
Starting in 1832, mail was transported via railroad mail cars. However, the volume of mail carried by rail was modest until the Civil War. Starting in 1862, the mail was sorted while en route between destinations, significantly reducing the amount of time required to deliver the mail. The practice also facilitated the effort to decentralize the post office operations. As the rail networks grew, so did rail delivery of mail through World War II.
Mail Sorter inside the mail car
I felt a bit old when I recognized some of the mailboxes in the exhibit below. Do you remember seeing any of these mailboxes? I do!
Horses were not the only animals employed in the delivery of mail. So were dogs! Dog sleds were used to deliver mail in Alaska from the late 1800's to the early 1920's. Ed Biederman and his son Charlie Biederman used the sled to deliver mail between Circle and Eagle, Alaska, a 160 mile route from 1922 to 1938.
Alaskan Dog Sled c. 1922
The Post Office Department was one of the first federal agencies to purchase Thompson Submachine Guns ("Tommy Guns") for their Postal Inspectors.
During the Great Depression and World War II, purchases of new trucks for the Post Office Department were kept to a minimum. As a result, trucks purchased in the 20's and early 30's were kept on the road much longer than expected.
In the 1930's, Stinson Reliant airplanes were used to test a newfangled way to snatch mail bags in midair with a hook. Mail-on-the-fly eliminated the time required to land the plane, service and take off again. The mail-on-the-fly method was used to service 150+ post offices in Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, Kentucky and West Virginia. Over 10 years, 75,000 pounds of mail was snatched during 23,000 pick ups.
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