Fun fact: It used to be that every freight line with a post office contract (so all of them), had to hang a few passenger cars on the train. So back in the day

Fun fact: It used to be that every freight line with a post office contract (so all of them), had to hang a few passenger cars on the train. So back in the day the US passenger rail network covered pretty much every medium size and larger town in the country. Naturally of course the railroad execs complained that this was going to bankrupt them and the nation's economy would collapse unless the rule was removed, so it was. A remnant remains though. If you're rich enough to own your own passenger car they still have to take you at some kind of standard rate. Although I don't know the details, because I don't have a Pullman.