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| Thread ID: 110012 | 2010-05-31 06:22:00 | Great film, must watch........... | Billy T (70) | PC World Chat |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 1105403 | 2010-06-03 05:09:00 | Apparently the demise of streetcars in the USA came about when a certain company bought up streetcar runs, then junked the streetcars and replaced them with buses. And the name of the company who did the dirt on the streetcar? Yep, you got it.... General Motors :groan: Sounds like one of those myths. Highly unlikely. Trams went out for many reasons, in many countries, certainly having nothing to do with General Motors. 1) They were restricted to the routes as laid out. 2) Some countries ie UK had regulations that made the tram companies responsible for the roadway between the rails and for some distance outside them - whereas most damage was caused by other traffic - so trams subsidized all other vehicles. 3) They were expensive to build - then compounded the problem by lasting virtually for ever. So customers complained about the old uncomfortable trams compared with buses - forgetting that the trams could be 50 years older than the buses. 4) Interference with other traffic. I believe Blackpool still has the last TRAM PINCH sign in the UK. I'm just thankful that I am old enough to have traveled on the trams in many cities where they no longer exist, London, Leicester, Liverpool, Vienna etc. Ditto for trolley buses. |
Thomas01 (317) | ||
| 1105404 | 2010-06-03 07:36:00 | Actually no so much a myth. I first saw this info on a documentary a counple of years ago that GM in the US bought out trolley routes so that they they could kill them off and run GM sourced buses on the routes. I believe here in NZ the oil industry fans had a bit to do with demize of trams in our cities.. | paulw (1826) | ||
| 1105405 | 2010-06-03 08:40:00 | Common sense had a fair bit to do with it as well. | R2x1 (4628) | ||
| 1105406 | 2010-06-04 03:46:00 | I still find it hard to believe that any oil company or large motor manufacturer would be so daft as to put money into buying up trams simply to get rid of them. Ditto trolley buses. Their time had obviously run out and they were unpopular all round. They were rapidly being phased out all over the world. A great pity because now we realise just how good trams are at shifting large numbers of people. But the new ones are faster, more comfortable and convenient. My last serious tram ride - Blackpool to Fleetwood in 1999 just reinforced how brilliant the 1930s trams built for Blackpool were. So much more comfortable than any bus ever could be on that route. Probably one of the most enjoyable I used was the tram route in Vienna from Schonbrunn to the city centre. Blimey it was slow - generally a 3 car tram which just managed to swerve and bend round a twisty route where the houses were VERY close together. I often wonder how they manage with buses. |
Thomas01 (317) | ||
| 1105407 | 2010-06-04 08:23:00 | For what it's worth . The last Wellingtons trams were only 10 years old when the system was scraped.. | paulw (1826) | ||
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