From the Eugene, OR Register-Guard, May 22, 2011:

"If you’re making a day of it, climb aboard the narrow-gauge Oregon Zoo Railway, which in spring runs all the way to the now-blossoming International Rose Test Gardens, a 4-mile round trip. Aboard is the only surviving railroad post office in the country, so you may want to encourage the kids to mail a postcard while you’re on board."

Could other rail museums establish a similar relationship with USPS?

Sloan

I could have sworn that the Oil Creek and Titusville RR in PA has an operating post office as well....

Minor clarification, just so nobody is disappointed when they don't find an actual RPO car in the consist. :)

What they actually have is a "railway postal cancellation". There are mail collection boxes at the station, and also on the train itself. Letters and postcards are collected from those, and cancelled with the railway stamp. For a photo of the cancellation, and a bit more details on it, visit their website:

http://www.oregonzoo.org/AboutZoo/train ... stalcancel

Did some looking around, and I have to say the "Oregon" is a fine looking little engine, much better proportioned than a lot of others in park service.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/delina/244415818/

http://www.burnsland.com/disneyrailroad ... =10&t=3765

http://www.geocities.ws/pacificcoastshay/zoo/zoo1.html

"Minor clarification, just so nobody is disappointed when they don't find an actual RPO car in the consist. :)"--Bob Harbison

Wouldn't it be interesting to build an RPO for this train, possibly a combine of some sort with some passenger seating, a small car along the lines of something Sandley Light Railway Equipment would have built? Might help sell more cancellations. . .

Yes, she's a real beauty!

Here's a favorite shot of mine:
http://www.bobharbison.com/oregonzoo/Zo ... large.html

More photos of the railway:
http://www.bobharbison.com/oregonzoo/Zo ... index.html

I saw the railroad last I was in Oregon and it just blows my mind that our 156k lb Baldwin 2-8-0 runs on the same gauge as that locomotive!

I'd love to run her up the grade they have there! She'd look and sound great!

I suspect things could get a bit hairy at places like this though:
http://bobharbison.com/oregonzoo/Zoolin ... large.html

Not sure how a 2-8-0 would like that S curve, considering that the flanges on the 4-4-0 sing as she rounds that one.

Generally speaking, the USPS is pretty reasonable to work with in terms of special "cancellations".

A fine example is the Fox River Trolley Museum in South Elgin, Ill which has made a habit several times over the years of bringing out their Chicago Surface Line single truck RPO streetcar and having the local postmaster do official cancellations. I beleive IRM may have done something similar with their RPO Days events.

Back when we first restored our ATSF RPO #74 in Campo, we actually were able to get "covers," I think the stamp collectors call them, cancelled by both USPS and the Mexican Postal officers. We ran the RPO from Campo, CA, USA, to Tecate, Baja California, Mexico, and return. Postal clerks from both countries were on board, and they were busy for most of the trip.

Omaha Zoo also runs 30" and they were impressed with our size and power. Sure some good things going on with parks and steam, that's for sure!

Unfortunately, there's also some moderately bad news for the Oregon Zoo Railway.

The zoo has a new 20 year master plan. A big part of the plan calls for expanding and enlarging the elephant enclosure, and that means a significant reduction of the amount of track inside in the zoo.

The train is still part of the master plan. They will still operate, and they might increase how much of the year they run to the rose garden station. So it's not all bad. But the trackage inside the zoo grounds will be reduced, and the short ride looks like it will be very short indeed.

Here's a link to the new plan
http://www.oregonmetro.gov/index.cfm/go/by.web/id=36535

The existing track runs down the grey corridor shown on the plan, past the elephant meadow, through the large brown building (which isn't there yet, the rr shops are in that area now) and then turns back on a loop below the concert meadow. There are actually two tracks, running roughly parallel for much of the way.