Re: Taken For A Ride

[Dave McL <davemcl@AXE*THISiprolink.co.nz>]

canetram59 wrote:

> However, best parts  were the historic scenes of  streetcars in many
> American cities especially the scenes of Pacific Electric in California.

Like much of the programme, this was fiction. National City Lines never
owned Pacific Electric. As many US streetcar systems were closed by
their municipal owners as under NCL ownership. For example, NCL never
had shares in such major, modern systems as Pittsburgh (a fleet of 666
PCC trams) or Washington DC (also an all-PCC fleet). A local authority
took over the Pittsburgh system from its former private owner in 1964
and shut down all but a few lines (the South Hills tunnel ones) by 1967.
The maginificent DC system was closed in 1961 by order of Congress.

NCL did own the Los Angeles city streetcar system, but sold out in 1959
to the present LA MTA. The MTA closed the system in 1963. Similarly, NCL
owned the Philadelphia system for a time and did indeed close many
lines, but SEPTA, the local authority which took over Philadelphia's
transit in 1967 has been doing its best to finish the job ever since.

The facts are that tramway systems in every English-speaking country
were being systematically closed in the 25 years after WWII and almost
all of them were municipally owned. In the US, where there were also
private systems, these too closed, whether they were bought out by NCL
or not. It was the fashion of the day. 

David McLoughlin
Auckland New Zealand