Mail pouch for Railway Post Office mail exchange

c. 1930-70

This cotton mail pouch was used in the Railway Post Office (RPO) “on-the-fly” mail exchange, a service which allowed mail to be transferred between trains and small town post offices while the train was moving. Postmasters placed First-Class mail inside the pouch and closed and secured the pouch with a mail lock. They then placed the pouch on a specially constructed iron crane, securing it to the crane with the rings on both ends of the pouch.