Railway Mail Delivery In Canada

There will be a question after reading this small post..See if you can answer it.


Mail and parcels going to be loaded on the train.


Mail was snatched from a moving train to be delivered to regional post offices and VS.


Old picture of a Canadian mail train.



Mail was handled on trains from the earliest times, possibly as early as 1836 with the opening of the first railway, the tiny Champlain & St.Lawrence. The first proven train cancellation was October 22,1853 on the St.Lawrence & Atlantic between Montreal and Portland, Maine, following the opening of a 292 mile long route in July 1853. Postmaster General James Morris wrote the Governor General of British North America, August 12,1853, suggesting travelling post offices. The first one began January 1854 on the Great Western Railway between Niagara Falls and London, Ontario, which line was opened November 1, 1853

SO WHEN DID CANADIAN MAIL TRAIN PROCESS STOP TO BE REPLACED BY AIR DELIVERY..???

If no one comes up with the answer, I will also shown the last cover.

I believe that the first official airmail flight in Canada was in 1918.

mirman..When did it end..?

Robert

The question may be invalid - it assumes an abrupt 100% transition, and all to air, etc

Is your question really: "When did railway mail service end in Canada and what modes picked up the slack?"

Mail was handled by train, plane and motor-vehicle simultaneously through much of the 20h century. The shift to, from, and among these modes was gradual. I would suppose, like in the U.S., train use gradually declined and mail movement was shifted to airplane and motor vehicle (including Highway Post Office in the U.S.) as local requirements dictated.

Apparently you have a "Last Day RPO" cover to share. So how would that same letter be handled if it were mailed the next day? Via ground transport unless airmail postage was paid.

To close this quiz and not get helpful answers, here is the answer.
Have a good day.


The last R.P.O. ended its run April 24, 1971 returning from Campbellton, New Brunswick to Levis, Quebec.
Mail was still carried by rail until 1987, when it was finally turned over entirely to trucks and planes.