Metroliner telephone article 4062

Philip Nasadowski

Probably cost more to remove it.

Even back then propulsion costs were a concern (be it diesel fuel or electric power) and light weight saved money over the life of the car. SEPTA was screwed recently since its newest P&W and MFSE cars came in very heavy and power is expensive in Phila.

Budd's stainless steel didn't need painting and was corrosion resistant, another big cost savings over time. The carbodies of the 45 year old MFSE cars were as good as new at retirement. (I hope SEPTA got a good scrap price for them as stainless steel is very expensive compared to plain steel.)

And that was the flip side to Budd: they had to push the light weight savings since their stainless steel cars cost a lot more and the savings would take time to achieve. Unfortunately, Budd couldn't compete on price and lost order after order and went out of business. It lost big money on the Metropolitan order due to inflation and debugging costs. The Red Lion Rd plain in Phila was torn down and is now a golf course. The main Hunting Park Ave plant will become a casino.

In the mid 1950s. There may have been some special exceptions, but basically Western Electric was telephone company and military sales only, by govt order. W-E certainly had the expertise to make other electronic goods but was not allowed to.

IIRC when Bell developed Unix and C they had to give out for free. (Another thing the Bell System developed which we all take for granted.)

That's on the same website where I got the Metroliner article.

We use standard phones and I have a splitter in the jack. My "real" phone, a 2500 set, has the ringer off. I use that to dial out and get messages.

People like disposable. Maybe there's some esoteric industrial grade phones but I bet they're extremely expensive.

The last Bell System real town to go dial was Santa Catalina Island in Calif. They had to ship a new ESS by boat and haul it up hilly roads. I think the islanders like having manual just fine.

There were a couple of very isolated trailer parks and the like with manual. The cheapness of solid state and radio transmission allowed that to go away so I think everything is dial now. (I have some references to a Grand Canyon bottom town that is still manual, but I wonder if that's still true.)