CORRECTION to my August 1, 2010 posting: Six (6) NYC Niagaras lasted into 1956 prior to retirement in the Spring of that year, not one (1).
I suspect that both of the NYCS and PRR super passenger haulers would have been built anyway, although perhaps not in
the numbers they were. The exotic materials, like CMV steel for lightweight rods would have become available earlier,
had the war ended in August '44 instead of '45. There are a LOT of personal factors to be considered here, on both
roads, and the resistance to abandoning steam power in certain circles at the time would have pitted Metzmann against
Kiefer on the Central and Duer and co. against Clement/Symes over at the Penn. Actually, in a lot of ways, the WPB
worked out well in the way things transpired, at least from a fan-base point of view. Alas, the same could not be said
for Alco...in the long run.