G.E. Equipped PCCs

[Jim Holland]

Greetings!

Edward H. Lybarger wrote:

> 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.

	V-e-r-y  nicely stated!  Trolleycars served their purpose and their
time has ended.  I have to admit that there was a time when I wanted to
blame someone for what happened to trolleycars but as I
*got-more-educated* I feel I have a larger perspective.
	There were many factors that contributed to and *hurried* the demise of
trolleycars  --  GM, New Deal, Big Deal, NCL, general hatred of
trolleycars as *old-fashioned* by the public, govt., business, and
railways  --  but probably the biggest was internal economics!  The
infrastructure necessary for trolleycars is quite expensive and it was
much cheaper to bus.
	It was not necessarily the fact that *we-the-people* abandoned
trolleycars  --  we abandoned public transport for private mobility  -- 
which means abandoning trolleycars, trolley coaches, and motor coaches! 
This, too, was a factor but not the total cause.
	It was inevitable that this would happen!
	But this does not mean that I agree with the manner in which it
happened in all cases  --  nor does it mean that trolleycars are totally
dead.  There may be a place for them and I wish them success if there
is.
	I believe that had PRCo survived until today that they would have
systematically replaced the trolleycars rather than rebuild the lines in
many but not all cases.

James B. Holland

        Pittsburgh  Railways  Company  (PRCo),   1940  --  1950
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N.M.R.A.  Life member #2190; http://www.mcs.net:80/~weyand/nmra/