01-30-2013, 11:46 AM
According to Wikipedia at <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railway_Express_Agency">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railway_Express_Agency</a><!-- m --> "The Railway Express Agency (REA) was a national monopoly set up by the United States federal government in 1917. Rail express services provided small package and parcel transportation using the extant railroad infrastructure much as UPS functions today using the road system. The United States government was concerned about the rapid, safe movement of parcels, money, and goods during World War I and REA was its solution to this problem." It also says, "REA was owned by 86 railroads in proportion to the express traffic on their lines - no one railroad or group of railroads had control of the agency. In response to customer demand, REA added a Chicago, Illinois-based refrigerator car line. In 1927, REA began an Air Express Division.[3] In 1938, the remainder of Southern Express also joined the consolidated REA." In other words, for most of the period we're interested in, all the railroads that mattered owned REA. Express service was NOT the same as checked baggage service and was NOT, NOT the same as LCL. It's true that for any of these, the station would call you for a pickup, but that doesn't mean they were all the same. But also, this site <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.philmont.org/history0609.html">http://www.philmont.org/history0609.html</a><!-- m --> says "To the individual, the access to LCL (less than carload) freight shipment meant that large personal goods ordered by mail and items not suitable for mailing could be sent and received quickly and safely. " Rail publicity films I've seen from the 1930s and 40s give as examples of LCL shipments stoves and crated bicycles.
While this isn't real, real important in the overall scheme of things, everything I've seen suggests that a stove or refrigerator (although refrigerators were late for LCL or express in any case) would have come by LCL, not express. They were too big and heavy to go express. The railraods, with few exceptions, after the late 19th century handled express via separate express companies, and after WWI this was American Railway Express/Railway Express Agency. The railroads did not, and could not, compete with these agencies. LCL handled large mail-order items like stoves and bicycles. Express handled trunks and parcels. Checked baggage handled the same sort of luggage passengers still check on airlines.
While this isn't real, real important in the overall scheme of things, everything I've seen suggests that a stove or refrigerator (although refrigerators were late for LCL or express in any case) would have come by LCL, not express. They were too big and heavy to go express. The railraods, with few exceptions, after the late 19th century handled express via separate express companies, and after WWI this was American Railway Express/Railway Express Agency. The railroads did not, and could not, compete with these agencies. LCL handled large mail-order items like stoves and bicycles. Express handled trunks and parcels. Checked baggage handled the same sort of luggage passengers still check on airlines.