Postino, in the past, when mail was carried by the railroads (at least in America), train workers routinely carried side arms, usually Colt or Smith & Wesson revolvers to protect themselves, and the mail which may have contained currency, etc. In the lore of the Old West, the James brothers were notorious for robbing trains. I'm sure that their example caught on with the European railroads as well. Having armed train workers was thus not unusual, especially in the era of steam locomotives (prior to 1950).
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