Westcoaster Mailster 1966 Delivery Vehicle (photo)

This three-wheeled, gas-powered, quarter ton, lightweight mail delivery van is known as a 'mailster'. It was produced by Westcoaster Company and could hold five hundred pounds of mail. By the early 1960s, mailsters comprised one-third of the postal fleet. Unfortunately, they did not work out as well as postal officials had hoped. A few inches of snow could immobilize them. The three-wheel design left mailsters susceptible to tipping. They were prone to breakdowns with everything from brake and clutch failure to broken front axles and gear shift levers. The mailsters were phased-out and replaced by more reliable vehicles, including jeeps.