Search:
Type the text to search here and press Enter.
Separate search terms by a space; they will all be searched individually in all fields of the database. Click on Search: to go to the advanced search page.
Classifieds Only: Check this box if you want to search classifieds instead of the catalog.
Please help support TroveStar. Why?

Miller Engineering - 0072 - Structure, Billboard - Railway Express Agency - Railway Express Agency

This item is not for sale. This is a reference database.
N Scale - Miller Engineering - 0072 - Structure, Billboard - Railway Express Agency - Railway Express Agency
Click on any image above to open the gallery with larger images.
Sell this item on TroveStar
Sell
Add a comment about this item.
It will be visible at the bottom of this page to all users.
Comment
Stock Number0072
Original Retail Price$29.95
BrandMiller Engineering
ManufacturerMiller Engineering
Body StyleMiller Engineering Billboard
PrototypeStructure, Billboard
Road or Company NameRailway Express Agency (Details)
Reporting MarksAnimated Billboard
Road or Reporting NumberRailway Express Agency
Ready-to-RunNo
Item CategoryStructures
Model TypeBillboards
Model SubtypeVarious
Model VarietyVarious



Specific Item Information: Railway Express Billboard - A great sign from the past! Once almost as well known was UPS is today, the Railway Express Agency In 1917 there were seven express companies in the United States; they were consolidated into one, the American Railway Express Agency during the First World War. REA began an Air Express Division in 1927. Sadly the company filed for bankruptcy in 1975. Size: 2.1” wide x 2.25” tall, Railroad Express Suitable for HO & N scales
Model Information: Add visual interest and excitement to any layout with unique, incredibly realistic animated billboards. These paper-thin light-up signs produce no heat and incorporate many new design features, including improved connectors, no painting required, longer life, and stiffer laminations. All billboards include a 3-cell AAA battery pack (batteries are not included). Current draw: 95 ma.
Road Name History:
The Railway Express Agency (REA) was a national monopoly set up by the United States federal government in 1917. Rail express services provided small package and parcel transportation using the extant railroad infrastructure much as UPS functions today using the road system. The United States government was concerned about the rapid, safe movement of parcels, money, and goods during World War I and REA was its solution to this problem. REA ceased operations in 1975, when its business model ceased to be viable.

The first parcel express agency in the United States is generally considered to have been started by William Frederick Harnden (1812-1845), who in 1839 began regular trips between New York City and Boston, Massachusetts as a courier transporting small parcels, currency and other valuables. William G. Fargo, a New York Central freight clerk at Auburn, N.Y., and Henry Wells, a leather worker at Batavia, N.Y., organized Wells Fargo & Co. in 1853. Other parcel express pioneers include Henry B. Plant, who formed Southern Express Company, Alvin Adams who founded Adams Express Company, and John Warren Butterfield. Express delivery in the early 19th century was virtually all done via horse, either via stagecoach or by riders. Ad for a railroad, showing American Railway Express service along the line. 1922

The express business flourished in the latter half of the 19th century, and by 1900 there were four principal parcel express companies, all of which included the rapidly advancing railways as one of their means of transport: Adams Express Company, Southern Express Company, American Express Company, and Wells Fargo. In 1913 the U.S. Post Office introduced its Parcel Post service, which offered major competition for the express companies. Despite this, private railway express business increased steadily through the end of World War I.

During World War I, the United States Railroad Administration (USRA) took over the nation's railroads. Under the USRA, the four major and three minor express companies were consolidated as American Railway Express, Inc., save the portion of Southern Express that operated over the Southern Railway and the Mobile & Ohio. Railway Express Agency office, San Augustine, Texas, 1939 REA electric truck circa 1920.

In March 1929, the assets and operations of American Railway Express Inc. were transferred to Railway Express Agency (REA). REA was owned by 86 railroads in proportion to the express traffic on their lines - no one railroad or group of railroads had control of the agency. In response to customer demand, REA added a Chicago, Illinois-based refrigerator car line. In 1927, REA began an Air Express Division. In 1938, the remainder of Southern Express also joined the consolidated REA.
Item created by: CNW400 on 2019-09-01 22:41:35. Last edited by CNW400 on 2020-05-17 09:32:47

If you see errors or missing data in this entry, please feel free to log in and edit it. Anyone with a Gmail account can log in instantly.