National Museum of Transportation near Kirkwood in St. Louis County, Missouri — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

St. Louis - Southwestern #71

(Cotton Belt)

— 1904 —

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), April 22, 2019

1. #71 Marker

Inscription. 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° 34.306′ N, 90° 27.663′ W. Marker is near Kirkwood, Missouri, in St. Louis County. It is in National Museum of Transportation. It can be reached from Barrett Station Road east of Old Dougherty Ferry Road, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3015 Barrett Station Road,

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Saint Louis MO 63122, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Greater St. Louis.

It is also in the American Midwest,

in the Lewis & Clark Corridor,

in the Corn Belt,

and in the Great River Road Region.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

the Louisiana Purchase,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Arkansas & Missouri #102 (here, next to this marker); Illinois Terminal Railbus #206 (here, next to this marker); Delaware, Lackawanna & Western #952 (a few steps from this marker); St. Louis - San Francisco #1522 (a few steps from this marker); Boston & Providence "Daniel Nason" (a few steps from this marker); Illinois Terminal Neon Sign (a few steps from this marker); Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis #318 (a few steps from this marker); "Black Diamond" (a few steps from this marker). Touch for a list and map of all

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), April 22, 2019

2. #71 Marker

markers in Kirkwood.

Photographed by Garrett Koch, November 14, 2025

3. #71 Marker

New marker sign and information. Most of the marker signs at the Museum have been upgraded & replaced some time ago. A couple notes of interest - The ACF Co. was located in St. Charles and was a huge employer of its citizens and of the surrounding area. Built in 1904, it could easily be assumed that this mail car went immediately into service, possibly involved in the incredible amount of mail & shipping going to and coming from the 1904 World's Fair in Forest Park. The look of the windowed ridge cap running along the length of the car, allowing plentiful light in during the day, mimics that of the Intramural Railway (street) cars running around and throughout the Fairgrounds.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 8, 2026. It was originally submitted on April 28, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 216 times since then and 24 times this year. Last updated on June 4, 2026, by Garrett Koch of Saint Louis, Missouri. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 28, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 3. submitted on March 5, 2026, by Garrett Koch of Saint Louis, Missouri.