Model K-5 Express Delivery Truck
Railway Express Agency
International Harvester Co. & York Body Corp. – 1945
Railway Express Agency
International Harvester Co. & York Body Corp. – 1945
The Museum Foundation is currently restoring a historic 1945 Railway
Express Agency delivery truck for interpretive display and outreach use in conjunction
with our museum-support work at Travel Town. The truck was donated to the Foundation by
Mr. & Mrs. Charles Conrad, formerly of nearby Glendale, California.
The Conrads
had purchased the used in the 1960s and had used it as an extra
‘storage container’ in their backyard for several decades. The
historic truck is now undergoing a full mechanical and cosmetic
refurbishment, both to restore its proper visual appearance and to
return it to operational use as an “ambassadorial vehicle” for the
Foundation. Throughout the first half of the 20th Century, the
Railway Express Agency was a vital link in America’s transportation
network. The Travel Town Museum collection currently includes three
other artifacts that directly served as part of the Railway Express
Agency operations during the first half of the Twentieth Century:
Southern Pacific Lines narrow-gage Baggage-R.P.O. Car No. 12;
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Motorcar M.177; and a recently
refurbished Railway Express Agency baggage wagon. The addition of
the 1945 International Harvester R.E.A. Delivery Truck will offer
the museum visitors a more complete interpretive look at the “door
to door” aspect Railway Express Agency service – from customer
pick-up to depot handling to long-distance rail transportation to
delivery at the final destination.
BUILT: 1945 BY INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER COMPANY
BODY BY: YORK HOOVER BODY CORPORATION
MODEL: K5-21
GROSS WEIGHT: 13,500 POUNDS
DONATED: 2007 BY CHARLES & CAROL CONRAD
SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR PROJECT SUPPORT SPONSORS
Coker Tire Company
Chattanooga, TN
B & B Automotive
Canoga Park, CA
The Conrads
had purchased the used in the 1960s and had used it as an extra
‘storage container’ in their backyard for several decades. The
historic truck is now undergoing a full mechanical and cosmetic
refurbishment, both to restore its proper visual appearance and to
return it to operational use as an “ambassadorial vehicle” for the
Foundation. Throughout the first half of the 20th Century, the
Railway Express Agency was a vital link in America’s transportation
network. The Travel Town Museum collection currently includes three
other artifacts that directly served as part of the Railway Express
Agency operations during the first half of the Twentieth Century:
Southern Pacific Lines narrow-gage Baggage-R.P.O. Car No. 12;
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Motorcar M.177; and a recently
refurbished Railway Express Agency baggage wagon. The addition of
the 1945 International Harvester R.E.A. Delivery Truck will offer
the museum visitors a more complete interpretive look at the “door
to door” aspect Railway Express Agency service – from customer
pick-up to depot handling to long-distance rail transportation to
delivery at the final destination. BUILT: 1945 BY INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER COMPANY
BODY BY: YORK HOOVER BODY CORPORATION
MODEL: K5-21
GROSS WEIGHT: 13,500 POUNDS
DONATED: 2007 BY CHARLES & CAROL CONRAD
SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR PROJECT SUPPORT SPONSORS
Coker Tire Company
Chattanooga, TN
B & B Automotive
Canoga Park, CA