I been reading about this off and on for a few years and I’m curious as to what everyone here think about the Great American Streetcar Scandal?
i don’t know if your talking about what GM did in the 30’s (or at least i think it was the 30’s). GM, at the time an automotive manufacturer, bought out many streetcar lines throughout the states (or cities) and ripped them up so more people would buy autos and give GM more profit.
maybe thats what your talking about?
Yes, that’s what I’m talking about.
It’s generally considered by more objective observers to be a lot of organic fertilizer. People who believe in this theory generally don’t want to admit that the American population as a whole was buying automobiles for personal transportation, a situation which doomed street railways and other urban transportation systems which were privately owned and operated to a slow death, resulting in either abandonment or municipalization.
It may be fertilizer in most cases, sort of like the 300mpg carburator. But in Minneapolis, there does seem to be a well documented case of prematurely destroying the streecar system. GM did not buy it out, but apparently GM and Firestone played a big role in lobbying or somehow influencing the demise of the Minneapolis streetcars for their own interests. I don’t know the complete story, but it has been tied to organized crime in some way. But it is also true that there was a general euphoria for the future of the private automobile. They proclaimed the future to be rubber tires on roads. Now Minneapolis is considering the feasibility of bringing back the streecars.
Here’s the link to wikepedia’s entry http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_streetcar_conspiracy which has a number of links/references at the end.
From what I have read, there seems to have been some effort to eliminate streetcars. Given the long history of corporate greed and malfeasance in this country it would not be surprising for GM to have engaged in some unethical behavior.
OTH streetcar/interurban systems don’t seem to have been all that prosperous in the late 30’-50’s so they might have been low fruit for the plucking. Plus most people seem to like having their own transportation vehicle - it is more convient.
Enjoy
Paul