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Railway Express Agency logo
The Railway Express Agency (REA) was a rail express service, at one point the only one in the United States. Originally the American Railway Express Agency, founded on March 29, 1839,[1] its name was changed in 1927. The company filed for bankruptcy in 1975.
[edit] Refrigerator car line
The Railway Express Agency operated a Chicago, Illinois-based refrigerator car line beginning in the early 1900s. REA concentrated on express refrigerator service from 1940 on, and continued to expand its fleet of express reefers until the mid- to late-1950s, when business declined dramatically due to the increase in refrigerated motor truck shipments. By 1965 many of REA's reefers were in lease service as bulk mail carriers (stripped of their refrigeration equipment); many ended their days relegated to work train service.
Railway Express Agency, 1920–1970:
| 1940 |
1950 |
1960 |
1970 |
| 426 |
1,272 |
2,492 |
1,463 |
- *American Railway Express Agency.
Source: The Great Yellow Fleet, p. 17.
[edit] References
- The Historical Guide to North American Railroads, George Drury, ed. Kalmbach Publishing Co. 1985 edition
- The Adams Express Company: 150 Years (corporate history largely devoted to its rail-express past)
[edit] External links
