As early as 1835, mail was moved by trains. By the 1880s, specially equipped mail cars were built that allowed workers to sort the mail collected along the route. To speed pick-ups, a system was developed to allow trains to get the mail without stopping. In this 1940s era photograph, Albert M. Thompson stands on the mail platform at the Deerfield, Massachusetts, station. Over his shoulder is the bar that raises a signal for the mail train, telling it that there is mail to pick up. He his holding the mail pouch taut so that as the train passes by, a postman can catch it using a special hook. In the 1960s, trucks replaced the railway mail service.