Bustification

[daveklepper]

The conversion of Los Angeles Railways lines to bus began under LARR ownership, but was restricted to light lines where maintenance and renewal of track was not economical.  Post-war PCCcars were bought, and some older lightweight failry modern double-end cars were modernized.  Under NCL control, step-by-step bustitiution of all lines was programmed and nearly complete before transit authority takeover.  This was clear case, not of any conspiracy, but of business policy, something very different indeed.  I am not as familiar with the economics of the heaviest streetcar lines in Los Angeles as I am with the three heaviest Detroit lines and Broadway-42nd, 42nd Crosstown, Treemont Avenue, and a few other New York lines, so I cannot claim that LA should have maintained streetcars.  Someone else may know more.  But it was Los Angeles Railways, not LA Lines, before the NCL takeover.  Typical of NCL, the former LARy equipment was repainted from yellow, black and silver, to a more golden yellow and pale green, the scheme of nearly all NCL systems, including Baltimore in its last non-authtority days. In one instance, Baltimiore, an NCL system actually stated they wished to retain streetcars on the last two heaviest lines, but they claimed the city's new one-way street plan would necessitate a heavy expenditure for some additional track and switches, which was not economically justified.

A few of the companies in your list never were electric railway operations.

In addition to buying New York Railways in 1926, Fifth Avenue Coach Compnay, with its double-deckers, and Chicago Motor Coach, the Boulevard Line, were essentially GM properties, but never were rail.  NCL was not involved in them.

NCL was owned by GM, Firestone, and Texico.

[DSchmitt]

The "GM - National City Lines conspiracy" to convert rail transit to bus came up in a recent thread in General Discussion  http://cs.trains.com/trn/f/111/t/252228.aspx

The following website lists the 55 systems owned by National City Lines and affiliated Pacific City Lines puss the 6 systems over which NCL had significant control.   http://www.chicagorailfan.com/holdbun.html

Of the 55 owned systems, 21 were converted bus - 38%

Of the 6 controlled systems 0 converted to bus  

Of the 61 systems owned or controlled 21 converted  - 35%

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In talk of busification Los Angeles is often brought up.  The interurban system was the Pacific Electric.  NCL did not own or control the Pacific Electric.  The Los Transit Lines (streetcar) was one of the 6 systems under NCL control but was not converted by them.

Most of the transit systems came under NCL control because they were failing.  NCL invested in them and extended the lives of many of them.

It is true that NCL management favored busses, but their intention was to make money running efficient transit systems, not destroy rail transit.