Denver & Rio Grande Railroad Baggage-RPO Car No. 624
Arapahoe County
An important example of an early 20th century railroad car type, the 1914 car was designed specifically to handle the collection and distribution of mail in regular passenger train service, while also providing space for passenger baggage handling and express freight. Its layout and design clearly convey its function.
Denver & Rio Grande Railroad Baggage-RPO Car No. 624 being moved.
The car is also significant for its role in the important partnership of railroads and the U.S. government in the delivery of the mail in the first half of the 20th century. The railroads provided a fast, reliable, and efficient means of moving mail across the country. Many passenger trains survived after the 1950s only because of the mail contracts bringing in revenue.