National Museum of Transportation near Kirkwood in St. Louis County, Missouri — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
#71
St. Louis - Southwestern (Cotton Belt)
— 1904 —
American Car and Foundry built this 60' long mail/express car for about $8,000. It weighs 80,000 pounds, has a wooden body and its underframe. The turnbuckles that join the two ends of each rod at the center of the car can be adjusted to keep the car's body straight and level. The railway post office markins show that the separate 15' long mail "apartment," as the post office called it, met the standards for handling U.S. mail. The mail catcher arm on its door could pick up sacks of first class mail at speeds of up to 80 miles per hour. Donated by the St. Louis - Southwestern Ry in 1952.Erected 2013 by Museum of Transportation.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Communications • Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical year for this entry is 1904.
Location. 38° 34.313′ N, 90° 27.662′ W. Marker is near Kirkwood, Missouri, in St. Louis County. It is in National Museum of Transportation. Marker can be reached from Barrett Station Road east of Old Dougherty Ferry Road, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map.
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Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. SBIX #1634 (here, next to this marker); #206 (here, next to this marker); #102 (here, next to this marker); #1522 (a few steps from this marker); #103 (a few steps from this marker); #952 (a few steps from this marker); "Black Diamond" (a few steps from this marker); #5011 (a few steps from this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Kirkwood.
Credits. This page was last revised on April 24, 2020. It was originally submitted on April 28, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 92 times since then and 6 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 28, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
