Railway Express Agency Records
name: label: Author
content: Railway Express Agency.
label: Donor
content: Karl, Roger F. R.
label: Names
content: Adams Express Company
label: Names
content: American Railway Express Agency
label: Collector
content: Mechanical and Civil Engineering, Division of
label: Names
content: REA Express
topic: label: Topic
content: Pony express
label: Topic
content: Railroads -- Brakes
label: Topic
content: Railroads -- Freight
label: Topic
content: Transportation
label: Topic
content: Blueprints
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Gift from Roger F.R. Karl, consulting engineer.
creator: label: Author
content: Railway Express Agency.
label: Donor
content: Karl, Roger F. R.
setName: label: See more items in
content: Railway Express Agency Records
abstract: label: Summary
content: Records of to Railway Express Agency, Inc., a shipping operations company.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: In 1860 there were three principal transcontinental mail and express routes:  By ship from New York to Panama then by portage across the Isthmus to the West Coast and finally back to sea for the last leg to San Francisco; Second, the Butterfield and Fargo Stageline operating from St. Louis through the Indian Territory along the Santa Fe Trail and up to Los Angeles to San Francisco; and third the stageline of Russell, Majors, and Waddell, which traveled from Ft. Levenworth, Kansas to Denver, then over the mountains to Salt Lake City and California terminating in San Francisco. Early in 1860 the Pony Express concept was formed and operated from St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacremento, California.  The end of the Pony Express came in 1861 when the telegraph line connected Omaha and San Francisco and officially ended on October 26, 1861.

On November 1, 1866, Wells Fargo & Co. purchased the stage and Pony Express operations from Ben Holladay.  At this time there were several express companies; however, by 1914 there were only seven.  During World War I these seven companies were consolidated at the direction of the Federal Government into one nationwide organization, the American Railway Express Agency.  In 1929 the nations railroads bought the express business and changed the name to Railway Express Agency, Inc.  In November 1960, REA Express was adopted as the Company's trade name.  In October 1960, they acquired Fast Service Shipping Terminals Inc.  In January 1961, formed REA Leasing Corp a trailer leasing company.  In February 1965 formed with Seven Arts Associated Corp. and Travel Theaters Inc. REA Express Seven Arts Transvision, Inc.  In 1965, they sold 32 terminals and leased them back.  In April 1967, REA Express Canada, Ltd., was formed.  In May 1967, Rexco Supply Corp. formed to conduct tire recapping and automotive parts distribution business.  In February 1970, The Express Co. Inc. was founded as a subsidiary of REA Holding Corp to conduct an international air freight forwarding business.

On February 21, 1975, the Company filed a petition under Chapter XI of the Bankruptcy Act in Federal Court in New York County listing assets of $41,000,000 and liabilities of $55,000,000.  Company said the reasons for the petition included losses created by years of railroad domination as well as high rate of inflation, a recent decline in express shipments, and limited availability of credit.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 3 Cubic feet (10 boxes, 7 map-folders)
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1860-1970
custodhist: label: Custodial History
content: Collection transferred to the Archives Center from the Division of Mechanical and Civil Engineering (now Division of Work and Industry), date unknown.
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives Center, National Museum of American History
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NMAH.AC.0260
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is arranged into eight series.

Series 1, Adams Express Company, 1899-1913

Series 2, Railway Express Agency Printed Material, 1914-1965

Series 3, Engineering drawings and publications, 1898-1952

Series 4, Air and Mail Forms, 1954-1964

Series 5, Personnel materials, 1864-1879

Series 6, Schedules and routes, 1929-1967

Series 7, Rates, Rules, and Regulations, 1860-1962

Series 8, Notebook--Bulletins and Circulars, 1929-1958

Series 9, Drawings, 1873-1970
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: Archives Center staff, 2006.
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: Mainly forms, manuals, federal regulations, accounting instructions, and personnel materials. Included are labor agreements, an employee handbook, and information on the employees' sick benefit association. Other materials include drawings of property owned; and photographs, engineering drawings, technical publications relating to railroad passenger car brake equipment; also a public relations publication, "The Pony Express Story."