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American Railway Express existed from 1917 to 1929, formed by the nationaization of the express mail services owned by Adams Express, American Express, and Wells Fargo Express. World War I was hard on the fractious US railway system. The successor private company to ARE was Railway Express Agency (REA), owned by the railroad companies. It lasted from 1929 til 1975: a victim of mismanagement, corruption, and more nimble competiton.
Does it strike anyone else that it looks as though the wheels on this truck were designed to allow it to operate on railroad tracks? The front wheels have a railroad-style flange and the groove in the rear wheels looks it was make to ride on rails as well.
[This is a common early truck tire. Solid rubber and tubeless. - Dave]
The "house" window for windshield is very interesting!
I am loving this series of vehicular disasters in DC! It beats the accidents I see during my daily commute.
Check out the fire/police call box on the pole. I have one dating back to the 1800s.
What character vehicles had in that time, I'd imagine the front axle alone has enough metal to make a car today.
That is indeed an electric vehicle. It was manufactured by the Walker Vehicle Company of Chicago.
The poster has a point. There was a Walker electric truck in 1918. Here we are almost a hundred years later and we're working on creating electric trucks again.
How about those solid rubber tires? What do you think the large footlocker shaped box is between the front and rear wheels? Could it be a battery for an electric motor? I don't see any radiator for a gas engine. Check out the aahh-ooo-gah horn by the front seat.
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