# National City Lines conspiracy dismantled Lincoln's streetcars after WWII  
**Published:** 2026-06-04T10:00:00.000Z  
**Source:** [Flatwater Free Press](https://flatwaterfreepress.org/how-a-corporate-conspiracy-pushed-lincolns-streetcar-off-the-rails/)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001)  
**Canonical:** https://lincolne.news/article/national-city-lines-conspiracy-dismantled-lincoln-s-streetcars-after-wwii

LINCOLN, Neb. — A corporate conspiracy bankrolled by some of America's largest industrial companies targeted Lincoln's streetcar system in the 1940s, according to a [detailed investigation by Flatwater Free Press](https://flatwaterfreepress.org/how-a-corporate-conspiracy-pushed-lincolns-streetcar-off-the-rails/). The story reveals how National City Lines, controlled by five brothers from Staplehurst, Nebraska, systematically replaced electric trolleys with petroleum-powered buses in cities across the country.

National City Lines received financing from General Motors, Mack Trucks, Standard Oil, Firestone Tire and other industrial giants who had a vested interest in promoting automobile, oil and rubber consumption. In exchange, NCL purchased buses, fuel and tires exclusively from its corporate stockholders. [The company controlled about 10 percent of the nation's transit systems](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_streetcar_conspiracy), but its impact on cities like Lincoln was profound.

The Fitzgerald brothers, led by middle child Roy, arrived in Lincoln in 1942. [By fall 1945, they had replaced all of Lincoln's streetcars with buses](https://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/2021/09/30/throwback-thursday-lincoln-traction-company-streetcar/). [Local historian Richard Schmeling noted the timing was no coincidence](https://journalstar.com/niche/neighborhood-extra/lincolnites-co-write-book-about-trolley-car-era/article_27603852-3db6-5790-addb-8f66a7d43631.html) — the federal government had barred companies from converting to buses during World War II due to shortages needed for the war effort. NCL moved swiftly once it could.

Federal prosecutors alleged in 1947 that NCL and its supplier-investors had colluded illegally to undermine free trade. Defense witness John Wilson admitted on the stand that he bought Lincoln Traction Company with NCL money while working as a Mack executive, contradicting Roy Fitzgerald's claims. [In 1949, the companies were convicted of conspiring to monopolize the sale of buses and supplies, though acquitted of conspiring to monopolize the transit industry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_streetcar_conspiracy). The punishment was light — four-figure fines for corporations and $1 penalties for executives.

Schmeling argued that streetcars in better condition, particularly [systems in Los Angeles and El Paso](https://flatwaterfreepress.org/omaha-once-torched-its-streetcars-could-their-revival-be-part-of-a-downtown-renaissance/), might have survived if not for NCL's intervention. However, some urban planning scholars contend the conspiracy was merely opportunistic. [Robert Post noted NCL's reach extended to only about 10 percent of transit systems nationwide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_streetcar_conspiracy), with most streetcar decline driven by market forces and public preference for automobiles.

## Sources

- [Flatwater Free Press](https://flatwaterfreepress.org/how-a-corporate-conspiracy-pushed-lincolns-streetcar-off-the-rails/)
- [Wikipedia - General Motors streetcar conspiracy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_streetcar_conspiracy)
- [Nebraska Library Commission - Throwback Thursday: Lincoln Traction Company Streetcar](https://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/2021/09/30/throwback-thursday-lincoln-traction-company-streetcar/)
- [Lincoln Journal Star - Lincolnites co-write book about trolley car era](https://journalstar.com/niche/neighborhood-extra/lincolnites-co-write-book-about-trolley-car-era/article_27603852-3db6-5790-addb-8f66a7d43631.html)

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This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Flatwater Free Press, enriched with 3 web searches. The original source is available at https://flatwaterfreepress.org/how-a-corporate-conspiracy-pushed-lincolns-streetcar-off-the-rails/.