This week we are allowing all our Bridgeliner readers to have a glance into the trivia fun our members normally get. There’s a lot of Portland/Oregon trivia out there, but we try to go in really deep to see if You Can Answer This Question!
In 1961, the Washington Park and Zoo Railway became one of the first recreation railroads to have its own what?
Answer
Cancellation Stamp!
Until the late 1970s, most mail in the United States was carried on trains. While in transit, mail was canceled using rubber stamps denoting the railroad. In 1961, the Washington Park and Zoo Railway became one of the first recreation railroads to have its own cancellation stamp. With the demise of the Railway Post Office, the zoo railway is the last operating U.S. railroad with its own authorized railway postal cancellation to continuously offer mail service. Mail deposited in mail boxes on the zoo grounds or on the locomotives is hand-canceled with the Washington Park and Zoo Railway stamp. It has become a collector’s item.
Photo credit: Kostiantyn Li