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the war was only a period of 4 or 5 years. We've been in many wars for far longer than the one specific war you are talking about.

by riffic 4y ago

bobthepanda 4y ago
The streetcars were not around for those other wars though, and the war effort was not nearly as total. The US went through the war unscathed, and even then most goods were highly rationed and citizens were encouraged to make do and use less. Stopping all maintenance on any kind of complex system for four or five years will almost certainly bring it to a state of ruin.
- bogomipz 4y ago
  Except they didn't "stop all maintenance" on the trolley system during those years, as it was too important. It's what got all the new migrants to LA to all those new factory jobs in aviation in defense to support the war effort. This is sometimes referred to as the "Second Great Migration" in LA history [1]. There was also fuel and rubber rationing which forced people onto the trolley, making it all the more important. https://www.kcet.org/history-society/the-great-migration-creating-a-new-black-identity-in-los-angeles https://www.kcet.org/history-society/the-great-migration-cre...
  - bobthepanda 4y ago
    Rationing did affect streetcars as well; steel was for the navy, air force and army, and so basically no regular fleet renewals or construction/repair happened during this time. Then after the years of good profits, the legacy of deferred maintenance had to be dealt with; all that heavy usage took its toll.
- actually_a_dog 4y ago
  The US has been at war almost continuously since its existence. See, for instance, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wars_involving_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wars_involving_the_Uni... In particular, note that the US has been involved in one conflict or another during some part of the vast majority of years from 1946-1999.
  - bobthepanda 4y ago
    But how many of those involved actual rationing away from citizens and entire industries?
    - actually_a_dog 4y ago
      Literally all of them involved diverting resources away from home in order to bomb people in other countries.
      - bobthepanda 4y ago
        But not any sort of actual rationing. All those resources were still obtainable for a price and readily available in stores with no limits on purchase. The US has not experienced war based rationing since the end of WWII. And I am talking about things as basic as even large conglomerates like Pepsi being unable to buy sugar.

the war was only a period of 4 or 5 years. We've been in many wars for far longer than the one specific war you are talking about.

by riffic 4y ago

the war was only a period of 4 or 5 years. We've been in many wars for far longer than the one specific war you are talking about.

bobthepanda 4y ago

The streetcars were not around for those other wars though, and the war effort was not nearly as total. The US went through the war unscathed, and even then most goods were highly rationed and citizens were encouraged to make do and use less. Stopping all maintenance on any kind of complex system for four or five years will almost certainly bring it to a state of ruin.

bogomipz 4y ago
Except they didn't "stop all maintenance" on the trolley system during those years, as it was too important. It's what got all the new migrants to LA to all those new factory jobs in aviation in defense to support the war effort. This is sometimes referred to as the "Second Great Migration" in LA history [1]. There was also fuel and rubber rationing which forced people onto the trolley, making it all the more important. https://www.kcet.org/history-society/the-great-migration-creating-a-new-black-identity-in-los-angeles https://www.kcet.org/history-society/the-great-migration-cre...
- bobthepanda 4y ago
  Rationing did affect streetcars as well; steel was for the navy, air force and army, and so basically no regular fleet renewals or construction/repair happened during this time. Then after the years of good profits, the legacy of deferred maintenance had to be dealt with; all that heavy usage took its toll.
actually_a_dog 4y ago
The US has been at war almost continuously since its existence. See, for instance, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wars_involving_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wars_involving_the_Uni... In particular, note that the US has been involved in one conflict or another during some part of the vast majority of years from 1946-1999.
- bobthepanda 4y ago
  But how many of those involved actual rationing away from citizens and entire industries?
  - actually_a_dog 4y ago
    Literally all of them involved diverting resources away from home in order to bomb people in other countries.
    - bobthepanda 4y ago
      But not any sort of actual rationing. All those resources were still obtainable for a price and readily available in stores with no limits on purchase. The US has not experienced war based rationing since the end of WWII. And I am talking about things as basic as even large conglomerates like Pepsi being unable to buy sugar.