Another Fallen Flag: Railway Express Agency
By Bill Meyer

Not so many years ago, shipping a valuable package anywhere in the world merely required phoning Railway Express. The public knew the big green trucks with the red emblems and the advertising billboards on the side, for there were literally thousands of them. Perishables, fragile items and things that you wanted picked up at your house would have traveled by Railway Express. REA industrial customers could deal with this single entity that would handle the package through as many modes of transportation as necessary to get through to San Francisco, or York Pennsylvania or York, England. And all of this with the proud claim that no parcel had ever been lost without compensation to the customer, for every Railway Express package was insured.

REA was formed in 1929 when 86 railroads purchased the American Railway Express Agency and reorganized it. ARE had been formed in 1918 when Adams, American, Southern and Wells Fargo Express merged.

Today, REA is gone, having ceased operations in 1975 and was replaced by the likes of Fedex™ and UPS™, but many of the structures and equipment for REA are still in existence.

Their offices were located at major Terminals and coach yards throughout the country. For example, in Washington, D.C., the REA building, located on 2nd St. just down from Union Station, is still in use as an office building.

Washington, D.C. Chapter NRHS also has three former Richmond Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad Baggage cars that were used for REA service. The cars, former RF&P, #171, #174, & #186, are currently being restored, including authentic 1930's lettering Railway Express Agency and RF&P Lettering. Each car will receive it's authentic RF&P number, the words “RAILWWAY EXPRESS AGENCY” centered between the doors, and the words “RICHMOND-WASHINGTON LINE” on the centered letterboard above the doors (the latter phrase is about 25 feet in length).

The REA complex at Sunnyside Yards, Queens, N.Y., was built by the PRR in 1926 at a cost of 2 ½ million dollars, complete with their own exit and entrance ramp to their complex.

The terminal was 1/5 of a mile long and 250 feet wide with six tracks going into the building.

It could hold 75 express cars and 200 trucks could load and unload from the outside of the complex.

Over the years, Lionel has produced many REA reefer, passenger cars and boxcars.

#0872-200 Refrigerator car (HO)
#15154 Pullman Baby Madison REA Baggage from set 15153
#16235 Railway Express Agency reefer
#16237 Railway Express Agency boxcar
#16649 REA Steam RS 1 boxcar
#17311 Railway Express Agency reefer (Std O)
#19064 Wabash Railway Express Agency "2630" Baggage car from 19061 Wabash 4-pack
#19070 Pullman Railway Express "9501" Combination Car from 19069 Pullman 4-pack
#19080 New York Central REA "2564" Baggage car from 19079 NYC 4-pack
#19160 Lionel Lines Super Chief "2530" baggage car
#19536 Soo Line Railway Express Agency Woodside refrigerator car from #11738 Soo Line SSS
#19859 Railway Express Agency "6267" boxcar
#2530 Railway Express Agency passenger baggage car with small or large (1954) doors.
#36206 Railway Express Agency boxcar
#39048 Baltimore & Ohio Heavyweight, REA Baggage from set 39047
#48481 REA (NASG) 893 Dark (Standard)
#48806 REA 8806 refrigerator car
#5-8412 REA "78412" refrigerator car (HO)
#52117 Railway Express Agency St. L LRRC Tractor & Trailer, Sold with 52117 Wabash Flatcar
#52117 Railway Express Agency/Wabash St. L LRRC, w/52117 Tractor & Trailer
#52148 Santa Fe Railway Express Agency 52148-558 CLRC animated boxcar
#52174 Long Island Railroad NLOE Railway Express Agency "0083" Baggage car
#52223 Santa Fe/REA operating boxcar, CLRC overstamp
#5709 REA Woodside refrigerator car
#5734 TCA Seattle Railway Express Agency Woodside refrigerator car
#6572 Railway Express Agency refrigerator car with gold lettering.
#7220 Illinois Central City of New Orleans smooth bodies Railway Express Agency Baggage car
#7228 Wabash Fallen Flag Railway Express Agency Baggage car#87101 Pennsylvania REA refrigerator car
#87105 Seaboard REA refrigerator car
#87806 Railway Express Agency "7806" Cataloged but not produced
#9521 American Railway Express Baggage car
#9522 American Railway Express Baggage car
#9523 American Railway Express Baggage car
#9570 Pennsylvania Congressional Limited Aluminum Railway Express Agency Baggage car
#9863 REA reefer separate sale and in #1450 Denver & Rio Grande SSS

Gilbert

#951 passenger baggage cars AFL Railway Express Agency Baggage Green-painted/white and Maroon-painted/white

MTH

#30-7804 Railway Express refrigerator car
#30-7810 Railway Express refrigerator car
#50-7914 Railway Express refrigerator car with breaking glass sound when car is jostled.