On the posted schedule for Enid OK and Beaumont KS in 1936, I notice some of the cities are listed in bold face type. Would it have been because this was the only place the train stopped or because these could be transfer depots? Any idea whether any of the towns along the route had branch lines that went other places on the Firsco or other RRs? Also, are those train numbers (635 and 630) listed in the time columns? For more than 20 years ending around 1936, my grandfather, William, was a mail clerk on the Enid to Beaumont run. My father rode along one night and he once told me a little bit about it. I am researching it for a story I am writing. I am looking for the proper terms for the arm mechanism used on passing trains to hook mailbags hung outside depots. I may be reached at darmstrong3@wi.rr.com|-|
Without looking at the specific Timetable, it might be safe to assume that the stations listed in boldface font were transfer stations. Beaumont, Winfield, Arkansas City, Blackwell, Lamont, Steen, and Enid I would bet are in bold. These towns had more then just the Frisco serving them. As for other branchlines, there was one...from Arkansas City, KS to Anthony, KS, by way of Geuda Springs, Ashton, Portland, Hunnewell, South Haven, Drury (Which had a waterfall, and from what I understand, was a "relaxation" spot), Caldwell, Doster, Metcalf, and Bluff City. When the line was built, the Frisco and the Santa Fe were in cahoots, and sometime after 1900, I think, there was a falling out, and the AT&SF became the sole operator of the branch line from Ark City to Caldwell. The train numbers seem appropriate. In the 1971 Time Table, those had been changed to 637 & 638, so 635 & 630 dont seem to far fetched. The arm mechanism you inquired about has a simple name: Catcher Arm. In a report written by Clarence R. Wilking in 1985, "If mail was to be exchanged at non stop stations, reversible iron catcher arms were installed in the two doorways at the letter case end of the car; if they were not needed, they could be replaced with a solid rod, which facilitated loading and unloading mail at that door. The catcher arms were in one piece, the wooden handle extending about 18 inches above the bar that held the arm in the doorway. When the handle was pulled down toward the inside of the car, it swung that part of the catcher arm that was under the bar out, making contact with the catcher pouch hanging on the mail crane. The catcher arm was like a folded arm and, when held in a horizontal position, it would strike the hanging pouch in the center and the speed of the train would cause the pouch to slide along the arm until it wedged in the elbow. There were reversible cinder guards at each door to protect the clerk's eyes dispatching mail at a non stop station." http://www.railwaymailservicelibrary.org/articles/THE_RMS.DOC
The way you can ascertain the transfer status of a station is to look at an Railway Mail Service (pre 1949) or Postal Transportation service(post 1949) timetable. They were similar to regular employee timetables except that not all stations were listed. They were issued by Divisions , I believe there were 13, that covered RPO runs originating or terminating in a given state. The timetable showed the connections to other RPO runs as well as Star Routes. The RMS timetable would enable the clerks to figure out how to sort mail for an exchange point.The Timetable also showed the size of the mail apartment on a particular run. The size would also determine the size of the RPO crew. The standard sizes were 15 feet, 30 feet and 60 feet. I would imagine the Enid to Beumont run was covered by a 15 or 30 foot apartment. The remainder of the car would be used for storage mail (to be worked as the run progressed) or dead storage(closed pouch) depending on the length and population of the area . The Mobile Post Office Society has published a massive compemndium of RPO route details including start dates , end dates and changes in the RPO route.I would imagine that Beaumont to Enid might have been part of another RPO route at some time during its existence. The 1951 book Rail by Rail , published by Simmons-Boardman, provides fairly good information on general RPO operations. Another good source is RPO clerks.The problem is that many are well along in years , if not dead. I have managed to interview a number of RPO clerks in the Siloam Springs, AR area where there was a major RPO crew base on the KCS RPO run between Kansas City & Texarkana. They had a lot of very interesting stories about a job that seemed fairly boring.
