[PRCo] Re: Good___Bad___Ugly

[Fred Schneider]

Remember that it was city policy starting with the public unification  
of the private transit systems (BMT came first in 1940) to get rid of  
the trolleys.   I have no trouble understanding minor dents when  
policy is to replace them with buses when they were 20 years old.    
I've read a letter from Mayor Laguardia to the Reconstruction Finance  
Corporation asking them to turn down a loan for 500 PCC cars in 1938  
for BMT.   The mayor explained in his letter that it was city policy  
to get rid of trolleys and that if such a loan were outstanding when  
the system was purchased by the city, and the purchase was imminent,  
the city would not repay it.   BMT did not get the loan and did not  
buy additional PCC cars beyond the first 100.    The mayor won.   He  
also won over Third Avenue Railway in an argument over franchises ...  
the mayor wanted the trolleys out of Manhattan and TARS pointed out  
that they had perpetual franchises for the trolleys.   The mayor  
countered that their bus franchises were not perpetual and that he  
would take them away and give them to some one else if they did not  
cooperate and tear up the trolley tracks.   The mayor also refused to  
allow fare increases beyond a nickel.   In that environment, how  
could you even think of fixing minor dents?

On Jan 14, 2007, at 9:11 PM, Jim Holland wrote:

> Who says  PRCo  capitalized on dings and dents??       Brooklyn didn't
> do such a bad job in this category!!!!!
> .
> Note on the back of my TTC photo taken during Shrine convention in
> 1960s:::::::
> .
> ALL   TTC   TrolleyCars Look This Good!!!!!!!
> .
> .
> .
> Jim___Holland
>
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