Advertisement for the New York Central Railroad

1944

This advertisement for the New York Central railroad appeared in the April 29, 1944 issue of The Saturday Evening Post. It includes a diagonal graphic of a New York Central United States Mail Railway Post Office car cut away to reveal the interior with staff processing mail. The advertisement ties the public’s appreciation for the speed of mail and the emotional appeal of letters to loved ones at war to promote America’s railways. In the mid 1940s, railroad companies were beginning to feel the threat of losing passenger traffic to airline companies and the growing highway system.