Back in the day passenger trains carried the mail as well as passengers. It is one reason why mail moved so much faster 100 years ago than today. The mail was actually sorted while it moved between cities. And the train didn’t need to stop to either pick up or deliver mail to a town as it went by it.
It is also why the Federal government could intervene in rail strikes. You could do a lot of things, but don’t even think of interfering with the mail. But I fear the days of taking forceful action to prevent and/or punish crimes are long past us. Except, of course, crimes against special people and places.
“The mail was actually sorted while it moved between cities. “
Did not know that.