G.E. Equipped PCCs

[Edward H. Lybarger]

Regrettably, I'm woefully unknowledgeable about the whole thing.  I have
bits and pieces but I can't tell a complete story, by any means.  I am
convinced that it was the politics of the New Deal, rather than anything GM
et al did, that was truly responsible for pushing already marginal transit
operations over the edge, but that relates only to the timing, not the
inevitability.  Ken and I talked about the subject, yes, but I feel
inadequate to "go on record" at this point.  It seems that the applicability
of the law depended somewhat on politics, too (surprise!).  Look in Moody's
for the postwar period for comments on Philadelphia Company...it's a seesaw.
First they didn't have to divest, then they did.

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
[mailto:owner-pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org]On Behalf Of Kenneth and
Tracie Josephson
Sent: Thursday, June 08, 2000 6:58 AM
To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
Subject: Re: G.E. Equipped PCCs




HRBran99 at aol.com wrote:

> When I posed the question of both Westinghouse and G.E. equipped cars to
the
> Superintendent of S. Hills Division around 1977, I was told that the US
> Government required the mix of both manufacturers controls because of a
court
> ruling having something to do with "antitrust" legislation of that era.
> Perhaps some research is required to come up with the exact reason for
this
> requirement.
>
> HrB

If this is the case, I find it ironic how the various Fed programs starting
with
the Holding Company Act of the 1930's and ending with the building of the
Interstate Highway System helped contribute to destroying mass transit as a
private enterprise. Now the Feds want to use their clout to force motorists
out
of their autos and back on the cars, trains and buses.....even though many
transit agencies often can't run them as efficiently as their struggling
private
sector counterparts did fifty years ago.

There were a number of WPA projects that condemned trolley rights of way for
road
widening, trolley companies had to pay a hefty share for "make work" bridge
replacements or abandon their tracks, Interstate highways sliced through
established urban transit corridors destroyed lines that were profitable,
secondary effects such as one way streets and paving reserved median
trackage for
more travel lanes and to make outer lanes available for curb parking.....

Geez, and no one in North America will make a new streetcar as light, quiet
and
reliable as the PCC was.

I suppose I can tie this in with Pittsburgh subject matter by asking Ed to
bail
me out and reply with the information he shared with me orally last autumn.
It
concerned the application of the Holding Company Act to Pittsburgh Railways
and
the consequences.

Ken J.