I am a Retired USPS Clerk 1987-2017. I Remember seeing them when i was a child In the late 60s. Some of The old carriers when i started out told me They were Underpowered and could not go up hill with a load of Sears catalogs without a Running Start. Were Governed for a top speed of 34 mph as they were unstable and Tipped over easy. They leaked in the Rain, Loud as you sat over a 25 hp Lawnmower Engine and were Unheated. The Final Mailster Order of 2500 Delivered 59/62 had an Improved Engine/Brakes/Electric System and Lights. Steering Wheel instead of Handlebars, Fully Inclosed w/ Sliding cab doors and Full height rear compartment with vertical double rear doors w/ door and side body windows. They were phased out a year or so after the Post Office Dept. became USPS in 1971.
Good description! Thanks. I worked for the P.O. in the early '70s on the noisy, mind-numbing LSM-ZMT machines, tho that work was better than manually sorting mail on the 'cases' where we leaned on our 'rest bars'.
i remember seeing some if the full enclosed ones in Germantown/chestnut hill section of Phila where much of homes were similar to older suburbs . but with the main street of cobblestones with trolly tracks i wondered how they worked in winter and rain . they were getting the jeeps around then . moved to fl in 95 the city her had some they used for meter reading water meters probably excellent for that until they contracted reading out] they probably still be ok for the gated sliums they build everware but seems gang boxes are common on new ones
As a kid in Indiana back in the late 50s, I can recall when our mailman first got one of these for his route. He said he loved it, and was happy that no matter how bad the weather was, he was safe and dry. He did say that the only bad part was the Post Office expected to cover a bigger route!
The Appleton Wis. Police Department used these for parking enforcement (meter maids) back in the early to mid 1970s before going to Jeeps. The southside Appleton Dairy Queen had a version of this they used to drive up/down residential streets selling ice cream treats. They called it the Dilly Wagon after one of the treats being sold.
We had one of the Cushman's! We promptly exploded the engine within 2-1/2 to 3 months. Put a Corvair engine/automatic transmission under it and It was Insane!!!
I’m a recently retired letter carrier. Never heard of the mailster. Before my time I’m guessing. But safe driving skills were drilled into all generations of USPS carriers.
There is a Restored one at The US Postal Museum Vehicle Section at The Smithsonian in DC. After they were Withdrawn in 71 most were simply worn out after 12-15 years and sold for Scrap.
I remember these being used in the San Fernando Valley during the 1960s - early 70s, then a GF's dad had one, built by Cushman, that he had bought surplus. I drove it several times, it was a blast.
The Cushman made ones in the early 1970s used a two cylinder Onan air cooled engine. Under the seat, the noise was incredibly loud. Only produced 18 horsepower, they would do about 35 mph, tops. Easy to tip over, they were soon retired.
bought one from a friend in the early 70s. he drove it to high school here in dallas. big single engine was hard as hell to start, and by then no brakes... but i loved it. 😂 no memory of where the damn thing went.
Three-wheeler Cushman service scooters very similar to that Mailster shown here were used in my neighbourhood in the South Puget Sound region for selling ice cream novelties/popsicles, when I was growing up during the '70s/80s. I think there's someone else in the area who has found another one and was using it for that very same purpose this past summer... A total throwback for someone like me who remembered those from the first time around.
Looks like these were pretty much a step up from walking. I’m 60 so there may have been some still in service when I was little but not certain. Interesting video.
My Father was a carrier through the 50’s till the late 70’s. I remember him driving one. And at least twice I can recall him sliding on ice and having it flip onto its side.
These may have been mfg'd. by the Cushman co. of Lincoln NE - the name is barely visible on the dashboard metal tag in one scene here. Back then, Cushman made many 3-wheeled small delivery vehicles similar to these 'Mailsters', powered by what appeared to be a very low hp gasoline-fueled engine. I remember them from around the early to mid-60s in S. Fla. In those days, private home metal mail 'boxes' were nailed to a 4"x4" vertical wood post located out by the street in front of each house, thus, the carrier rarely left his vehicle.
Some acquaintance of my dad had bought a bunch of these surplus. I remember going to look at them. They were parked nose to tail along a fence. We went down the row, starting those Onan engines. I don’t know why my dad ultimately decided not to buy one, but I sure wish he had.
Can't say I remember these with mail as a child of the mid-60's as they had right drive Jeep's by then but city police used these for downtown traffic/parking enforcement. Now that I've seen these Cushman's again, I now envision a Harley-Davidson Road King design in this fashion which I'd call the H-D Roundabout. You could ride them inside grocery stores to do your shopping (can't do that at Ace Hardware as the isles are too narrow), your honey bunny could ride in the back jump seat to the beauty saloon but you'd have to ask her to keep her dress pulled all completely down so she doesn't flash traffic following. You could stuff several kids in the back for a ride to ice cream shop. And if you have a large lawn, tie up several lawnmowers on the rear and mow yer yard. Not sure if golf courses ever used these to get from hole-to-hole.
Post-World War II enthusiasm was replaced with the war in Korea from June 25, 1950, through July 27, 1953. Introduced in 1950, perhaps accompanied by Union concerns, modernized economicly, productivity increased with workloads reduced, instead of walking the beat every step of the way. Their Peak years of use were in 1966. Inexpensive, standardized maintenance minus artificial intelligence and batteries, reliant on a human. Seemingly, they were not worried about gang violence and thieves and guns back then.
I was born in 1951 and can never remember seeing one of these on Pittsburgh streets. These Mailsters must’ve been meant for Midwestern cities/towns. Sweet vehicle! 👏
My uncle bought one of those used in the late sixties to use as a delivery vehicle for his restaurant. My older brother worked for him for a while and took a corner too fast a laid it on its side. I guess he didn’t watch the film! 😂
Good gravy, I wonder which congresscritter got bribed to foist that thing off on the Post Office. I think I saw a couple as a child in dense urban centers where the lack of speed and manuverability wouldn't be as much a handicap, but around my suburban neighborhood growing up mail carriers had the enclosed body Jeep for decades before the present model. And no way in hell that thing would be of use in more rural communities.
I can just imagine when these were introduced to U.S. Post Offices across the country. I’m sure many postmen said, “You’ve got to be kidding me! You want me to drive THAT to deliver the mail?” I can only imagine when road conditions were less than ideal (giant ruts and potholes) and there was a blizzard 🌨️ with several feet of snow ❄️. Yes, it’s not quite a motorized vehicle 🚗 and it it’s just a tiny step above a tricycle. And to top it off, it has a very poor center of gravity! The Mailster will make you wish you were never a mail carrier.
Our mailman would park his at the curb and make his deliveries down the block. I was small boy and would admire with great interest the little vehicle.
I remember these in the mid to late '60s. Some of us ornery kids found one unattended and pushed it around the corner from where the mailman left it. I also remember big plastic toys of these, in police and mail markings; think they were made by the Gay Toy company (no smart remarks, please!). They were in bins with other larger plastic vehicles in the Ben Franklin store .
@@josephschuster1494 I was banned from a Ben Franklin store (Suburban Pittsburgh, PA) in the mid '70s. My A**hole cousin was shoplifting, And I was just with him, Guilt by association. I did get a good part of my early record collection from Ben Franklin, I still have most of those records 50 years later!
I grew up in Minneapolis and I remember those. They were totally unsafe. In the late 60’s a mail carrier was killed in a tragic accident near my house. He pulled out into the left lane to pass a bus that had stopped to pick up a passenger. There was a truck in the oncoming lane. The mailman had to swerve suddenly back into the right lane. The unstable mailster tipped over right in the path of the oncoming truck. The mail carrier never had a chance. He was dead at the scene. As I recall, the local mail carriers refused to drive them after that.
A somewhat high center of gravity and only three wheels, this looks like it could tip over if turns were taken too fast. Oh, and no seatbelt. I wonder how many mail carriers were injured.
@@dwightl5863 Good point about the seatbelt and the frequency they have to reach to get more mail. The shelf doesn't look like it holds all that much mail. There was a lot more First Class Mail back then -- personal and business letters, bills, bill payments, etc. Wisconsin exempts rural mail and newspaper delivery persons from the mandatory seatbelt laws when using their personal vehicle and they are actively delivering.
@@MsJamiewoods Not sure about the law in Minnesota regard seat belts at the time. Rural mail drivers used their personal vehicle which was left hand drive. Drivers sat mostly on the right side (bench seats) working controls with their left foot and hand.
The forefather of the rickshaw. Motorbike based, small, efficient. These must have been fairly rare, i don't geek out on mail history, but i've never seen one before. I'd drive that for a mail route in a slow speed community.
these being around for ages, in Italy you had the Piaggio Ape, the Tuk Tuk in India and Phillipines, even now they are still being produced. In Peru you can see them being used as taxis
I can see why this vehicle was tried….but with its lack of safety features, ease of use and limited capabilities…also know why it failed! I feel for any postal worker that had to use this thing.
Not so bad back in the day before cell phone riding soccer moms,texting teens,mustang maniacs bmw boneheads and an occasional uninsured illegal alian thrown in for good measure😢
I am a Retired USPS Clerk 1987-2017. I Remember seeing them when i was a child In the late 60s. Some of The old carriers when i started out told me They were Underpowered and could not go up hill with a load of Sears catalogs without a Running Start. Were Governed for a top speed of 34 mph as they were unstable and Tipped over easy. They leaked in the Rain, Loud as you sat over a 25 hp Lawnmower Engine and were Unheated. The Final Mailster Order of 2500 Delivered 59/62 had an Improved Engine/Brakes/Electric System and Lights. Steering Wheel instead of Handlebars, Fully Inclosed w/ Sliding cab doors and Full height rear compartment with vertical double rear doors w/ door and side body windows. They were phased out a year or so after the Post Office Dept. became USPS in 1971.
A bicycle much better
Good description! Thanks. I worked for the P.O. in the early '70s on the noisy, mind-numbing LSM-ZMT machines, tho that work was better than manually sorting mail on the 'cases' where we leaned on our 'rest bars'.
Great info, thank you!
Sounds like an exciting experience ;-)
i remember seeing some if the full enclosed ones in Germantown/chestnut hill section of Phila where much of homes were similar to older suburbs . but with the main street of cobblestones with trolly tracks i wondered how they worked in winter and rain . they were getting the jeeps around then . moved to fl in 95 the city her had some they used for meter reading water meters probably excellent for that until they contracted reading out]
they probably still be ok for the gated sliums they build everware but seems gang boxes are common on new ones
As a kid in Indiana back in the late 50s, I can recall when our mailman first got one of these for his route. He said he loved it, and was happy that no matter how bad the weather was, he was safe and dry. He did say that the only bad part was the Post Office expected to cover a bigger route!
I own one of the 50's Westcoaster Mailsters. It's a riot to drive. Very unstable in corners. Still so much fun.
The Appleton Wis. Police Department used these for parking enforcement (meter maids) back in the early to mid 1970s before going to Jeeps.
The southside Appleton Dairy Queen had a version of this they used to drive up/down residential streets selling ice cream treats. They called it the Dilly Wagon after one of the treats being sold.
We had one of the Cushman's!
We promptly exploded the engine within 2-1/2 to 3 months. Put a Corvair engine/automatic transmission under it and It was Insane!!!
I’m a recently retired letter carrier. Never heard of the mailster. Before my time I’m guessing. But safe driving skills were drilled into all generations of USPS carriers.
I drove 1 for a few days back in 1969 at Pontiac, MI main post iffice on Huron Street
My Uncle Jim was a mail carrier for 35 years on foot. He didn't like the politics at the Post Office.
@@Monica-gj2yxwhat isn't that special.
Filmed in Bethesda, Maryland...you can see the downtown at 15:52.
Interesting little vehicle, I hope some of them still exist preserved in museums or collections
There is a Restored one at The US Postal Museum Vehicle Section at The Smithsonian in DC. After they were Withdrawn in 71 most were simply worn out after 12-15 years and sold for Scrap.
I remember these being used in the San Fernando Valley during the 1960s - early 70s, then a GF's dad had one, built by Cushman, that he had bought surplus. I drove it several times, it was a blast.
Cushman mail scooters! That is pretty neat! Back in those days, the traffic cops in my hometown (Greensboro, NC) used to use these!
I think some airports and golf courses would use something like this. It's been awhile since I've seen a Cushman.
I had a hunch it was Cushman. Could tell by the front wheel suspension which was also used on their scooters.
@@MrTravisGoldman We had them at the airport and golf courses in Denver in the 60s, 70s, parking patrol was using them into the 70s.
I would love to have one 😊
The Cushman made ones in the early 1970s used a two cylinder Onan air cooled engine. Under the seat, the noise was incredibly loud. Only produced 18 horsepower, they would do about 35 mph, tops. Easy to tip over, they were soon retired.
11:04 Never exceed 25mph, but speedometer can go up to 60.
12:27 Always curb your wheels.
bought one from a friend in the early 70s. he drove it to high school here in dallas. big single engine was hard as hell to start, and by then no brakes... but i loved it. 😂 no memory of where the damn thing went.
Three-wheeler Cushman service scooters very similar to that Mailster shown here were used in my neighbourhood in the South Puget Sound region for selling ice cream novelties/popsicles, when I was growing up during the '70s/80s. I think there's someone else in the area who has found another one and was using it for that very same purpose this past summer... A total throwback for someone like me who remembered those from the first time around.
I remember the jeep based mail truck. The only 3 wheel vehicle from my youth was parking enforcement vehicles. Basically the same vehicle
LAPD used three wheel Harleys.
Looks like these were pretty much a step up from walking. I’m 60 so there may have been some still in service when I was little but not certain. Interesting video.
Actually they were a step up from bicycles! The PO had specially designed mail bikes they used in South Florida. Goofiest things I ever saw!
My Father was a carrier through the 50’s till the late 70’s. I remember him driving one. And at least twice I can recall him sliding on ice and having it flip onto its side.
These may have been mfg'd. by the Cushman co. of Lincoln NE - the name is barely visible on the dashboard metal tag in one scene here. Back then, Cushman made many 3-wheeled small delivery vehicles similar to these 'Mailsters', powered by what appeared to be a very low hp gasoline-fueled engine. I remember them from around the early to mid-60s in S. Fla.
In those days, private home metal mail 'boxes' were nailed to a 4"x4" vertical wood post located out by the street in front of each house, thus, the carrier rarely left his vehicle.
Some acquaintance of my dad had bought a bunch of these surplus. I remember going to look at them. They were parked nose to tail along a fence. We went down the row, starting those Onan engines. I don’t know why my dad ultimately decided not to buy one, but I sure wish he had.
There was one of these on display in the lobby of the main San Diego Post Office (Carmel Mountain).
I sent this to my mom to see if my grandfather ever drove one of these on his route.
The all new and exciting, luxurious Mail Master 300.
Can't say I remember these with mail as a child of the mid-60's as they had right drive Jeep's by then but city police used these for downtown traffic/parking enforcement. Now that I've seen these Cushman's again, I now envision a Harley-Davidson Road King design in this fashion which I'd call the H-D Roundabout. You could ride them inside grocery stores to do your shopping (can't do that at Ace Hardware as the isles are too narrow), your honey bunny could ride in the back jump seat to the beauty saloon but you'd have to ask her to keep her dress pulled all completely down so she doesn't flash traffic following. You could stuff several kids in the back for a ride to ice cream shop. And if you have a large lawn, tie up several lawnmowers on the rear and mow yer yard. Not sure if golf courses ever used these to get from hole-to-hole.
I drove 1 of these as a T-6 mail carrier in 1969 at main Pontiac, MI P.O. vut i wasn't shown this film. Wish I had!
Our town got some Cushmans in the mid 60s. My father was Assistant Postmaster and dubbed them "Monster Bugs". They only had them a year or two
Post-World War II enthusiasm was replaced with the war in Korea from June 25, 1950, through July 27, 1953. Introduced in 1950, perhaps accompanied by Union concerns, modernized economicly, productivity increased with workloads reduced, instead of walking the beat every step of the way. Their Peak years of use were in 1966. Inexpensive, standardized maintenance minus artificial intelligence and batteries, reliant on a human. Seemingly, they were not worried about gang violence and thieves and guns back then.
I think that 60 mph speedo was a tad optimistic.
I was born in 1951 and can never remember seeing one of these on Pittsburgh streets. These Mailsters must’ve been meant for Midwestern cities/towns.
Sweet vehicle! 👏
I'm also from Pittsburgh! I would love to have one of these! The Postal Service has had some interesting vehicles over the years.
Southern , actually.
Reminds me of pacific bell we were supposed to do a safety check of headlights.taillights turn signals each day.
Like how the wires under the dash are not even in a loom..😮
My uncle bought one of those used in the late sixties to use as a delivery vehicle for his restaurant. My older brother worked for him for a while and took a corner too fast a laid it on its side. I guess he didn’t watch the film! 😂
Good gravy, I wonder which congresscritter got bribed to foist that thing off on the Post Office. I think I saw a couple as a child in dense urban centers where the lack of speed and manuverability wouldn't be as much a handicap, but around my suburban neighborhood growing up mail carriers had the enclosed body Jeep for decades before the present model. And no way in hell that thing would be of use in more rural communities.
I can just imagine when these were introduced to U.S. Post Offices across the country. I’m sure many postmen said, “You’ve got to be kidding me! You want me to drive THAT to deliver the mail?” I can only imagine when road conditions were less than ideal (giant ruts and potholes) and there was a blizzard 🌨️ with several feet of snow ❄️. Yes, it’s not quite a motorized vehicle 🚗 and it it’s just a tiny step above a tricycle. And to top it off, it has a very poor center of gravity! The Mailster will make you wish you were never a mail carrier.
Our mailman would park his at the curb and make his deliveries down the block. I was small boy and would admire with great interest the little vehicle.
once upon a time when many things were so much simpler
I remember these in the mid to late '60s. Some of us ornery kids found one unattended and pushed it around the corner from where the mailman left it.
I also remember big plastic toys of these, in police and mail markings; think they were made by the Gay Toy company (no smart remarks, please!). They were in bins with other larger plastic vehicles in the Ben Franklin store .
Great memories…Ben Franklin stores. ❤️ 🇺🇸
@@josephschuster1494 I was banned from a Ben Franklin store (Suburban Pittsburgh, PA) in the mid '70s. My A**hole cousin was shoplifting, And I was just with him, Guilt by association. I did get a good part of my early record collection from Ben Franklin, I still have most of those records 50 years later!
@@josephschuster1494Great memories...Gay Toys!
Maybe I missed it but who made these. Here in Mishawaka we used to make mail trucks at AM general. Now they may Hummers..
I want one!
Double-clutching! Still fairly common in the early 1950s...
I can picture a rogue postman going 40 and pulling a wheelie!
"Always ring twice." 😉😉😉
I grew up in Minneapolis and I remember those. They were totally unsafe. In the late 60’s a mail carrier was killed in a tragic accident near my house. He pulled out into the left lane to pass a bus that had stopped to pick up a passenger. There was a truck in the oncoming lane. The mailman had to swerve suddenly back into the right lane. The unstable mailster tipped over right in the path of the oncoming truck. The mail carrier never had a chance. He was dead at the scene. As I recall, the local mail carriers refused to drive them after that.
I remember these! This was when America was great (the first time!)
Thank Heavens for automatic transmissions now.
Seeing this film would signal my last day as a mail carrier.
8:37 Hey boss this damn lawn mower won't start...I fought the Jerries to come back home and drive this?😁
Sadly, I am old enough to remember the mailman driving one of these. I saw a salvaged one a few years back but it was in sad shape.
I want one.......
I really want to see one of those pegging the speedometer. Jeremy Clarkson driving a Reliant Robin is probably close enough.
7.5HP 30mph top speed, can be converted with 28" deck attachment to mow lawn.
A somewhat high center of gravity and only three wheels, this looks like it could tip over if turns were taken too fast. Oh, and no seatbelt. I wonder how many mail carriers were injured.
Can you imagine a postman unbuckling/buckling that seatbelt every 50 feet to make deliveries?
@@dwightl5863 Good point about the seatbelt and the frequency they have to reach to get more mail. The shelf doesn't look like it holds all that much mail. There was a lot more First Class Mail back then -- personal and business letters, bills, bill payments, etc. Wisconsin exempts rural mail and newspaper delivery persons from the mandatory seatbelt laws when using their personal vehicle and they are actively delivering.
@@MsJamiewoods Not sure about the law in Minnesota regard seat belts at the time. Rural mail drivers used their personal vehicle which was left hand drive. Drivers sat mostly on the right side (bench seats) working controls with their left foot and hand.
We had garbage men that drove Cushman tricycles back in the 90's.
You know there were more than a few tip overs
Sounds like Les Tremayne narrating.
Its like a B17 cockpit training.
thumb 👍
The forefather of the rickshaw.
Motorbike based, small, efficient.
These must have been fairly rare, i don't geek out on mail history, but i've never seen one before.
I'd drive that for a mail route in a slow speed community.
Rickshaw came way before like ancient China
Descendant, not forefather.
these being around for ages, in Italy you had the Piaggio Ape, the Tuk Tuk in India and Phillipines, even now they are still being produced. In Peru you can see them being used as taxis
The invention of the auto rickshaw dates to the 1880s.
And at its peak in 1966 nearly 18,000 Westcoast Mailsters were in service with the Post Office.
So neither innovative nor fairly rare.
Anybody else wanna see what this baby will do lol?
They skipped the instructions for what to do when the neighborhood hooligans tip it over or put it up on a low roof.
these things seemed like an accident in waiting
Imagine getting stuck behind one?
Am I guessin' that they had the capability to go faster than 25?🤔
Yes, downhill with a tailwind.
60 mph speedometer.
I noticed that too.
Probably…IF going downhill only! 🤣
There's no way the Post Office would have let Bukowski anywhere near one of these dangerous little bastards!
Incredibly, some of these are still on the road. But today they are called the "person-ster."
"Theysters/Themsters" 🤮
Do not wheelie. 🤣
A🚲 much Better
An American tuk tuk!
The thing is in countries like Pakistan and India they still make stuff like these. I think they call them. TukTuks
I can see why this vehicle was tried….but with its lack of safety features, ease of use and limited capabilities…also know why it failed! I feel for any postal worker that had to use this thing.
I used 1 short time in 1969, then paid to use my own vehicle to drive to walking route.
They were in service for about two decades and there were nearly 18,000 of them at their peak in the mid 60s.
Death Trap
USPS death trap
Not so bad back in the day before cell phone riding soccer moms,texting teens,mustang maniacs bmw boneheads and an occasional uninsured illegal alian thrown in for good measure😢
"A small, light vehicle designed for safe driving". I doubt that for some reason.
Child, It was the 1950s. Past your bedtime, sweet dreams 😘
I appreciate replies but not obnoxiousness. Do kindly remember this from now on.
Definitely post 1950s, 1960s, 1970s. No sense of humor.
@@joshhoman No.
Yawn