The Government -- Westinghouse vs GE equipment

[Kenneth and Tracie Josephson]

Okay, let's try this approach....

Suppose a transit system orders its first thirty new PCCs in 1937. Fifteen cars
arrive with GE equipment, the remaining fifteen with WH equipment. After a year or
two of operation, the company approaches St. Louis Car with an order for 100
additional cars.

The transit company has decided it prefers WH over GE and requests all 100 new
cars be built as WH cars. It also notes that any future orders must be 100% WH
equipped. Would it be possible or likely that St. Louis Car would refuse to honor
this request? Did the ERPCC or TRC people pressure transit companies to accept
split orders to aid in developement or to keep both GE and WH in the fold?

As cost concious as many transit systems had to be during the PCC era, I am
surprised that systems (especially those in receivership) didn't insist on
complete compatibility of as much running and electrical gear as possible.

I understand the PCC was continuing to evolve and that TRC would sometimes have
one or two cars in a given order built with innovations for field testing.

I wonder if any system did try to order a 100% GE or WH fleet. Ken J.