Streetcar Rpo

Starting in the 1890's several larger cities started using streetcars for mail service. 14 cities would use this service
Baltimore
Boston
Brooklyn
Chicago
Cincinnati
Cleveland
New York
Philapelphia
Pittsburgh
Rochester
St. Louis
San Francisco
Seattle
Washington, DC

I have finally started working on my pages for the machine cancels

I just bought a US Machine cancels catalog. Looking forward to it!

For those interested in RPO's, here's a free book on the subject that is a nice read (or download) as you prefer:

http://www.archive.org/stream/mailb.../n3/mode/2up

Nicely done Russ,
an unusual topic rarely covered on SCF.

I need to find me some Chicago and St Louis covers. I have been aware of them, but haven't looked for them specifically. I love the page layout. Great info!

Hey in that book (on pg. 200 I think) is a picture of Owney the dog. I guess he used to ride along in the mail cars and was the mascot of the old railway mail service in Washington I believe. Anyway, my wife says that the P.O. is releasing a sheet of stamps in his honor.

Stamperdude, both St. Louis and Chicago streetcar RPO cancel are duplex hand stamps. I have a couple of images somewhere and will post them later for your reference along with a partial list of the routes.

thanks Russ.

I love stamps, yes there is an upcoming stamp release honoring Owney the dog. I know I'll be getting a sheet.

Here is an example of a Chicago streetcar cancel (duplex) from Chicago & N. Clark St.


Other Chicago streetcar RPO's (others may exist)
Madison St.
Chicago & Wilwaukee Ave.
Chicago & Wentworth Ave.

Example of a St. Louis dupllex from Northwest


Other St. Louis streetcar RPO's (others may exist)
Eastern Ave.
Grand Ave. Circuit
South Broadway
Southwest Circuit

Thought I'd share this photo I took at the Seashore Trolley Museum in Maine.



This particular car was built in 1878...

More info on their trolley RPOs can be found at http://www.trolleymuseum.org/exhibi...00034FMA.php and http://www.trolleymuseum.org/exhibi...00108FME.php

Latest addition Pittsburgh

Seattle too had a streetcar rpo. In reading my newly acquired "The street railway postal service in San Francisco and Seattle & Seattle R.P.O. I just learned of these. It seems that Seattle had multiple street car systems and they were combined into one in 1900. The Seattle & Seattle rpo started in about 1901, although the earliest postmark known is 1903. The service was discontinued in 1914. Here is the example of postmarks.

Thanks for posting. Your pages are inspiring

I found a couple of 1910 streetcar RPOs in my cover boxes. I don't know when Pittsburg became Pittsburgh.



Mr. Betts did not know we would be reading his card to Miss Long over a century later LOL LOL.

Roughly, 1890-1911 the term "Pittsburg" was used over "Pittsburgh" but was often used interchangably even during that period, as documented in this Wiki statement:




So in the case of the July 5, 1910 Streetcar RPO showing "Pittsburg", that would have been the correct spelling at that time.

Another early city troubled by that terminal "H" was Galesburg(h), Illinois. I have covers showing both spellings.