Transportation – World War II had a significant impact on transportation in the United States. The need for large, heavy bombers led to the construction of larger airports in America and in Europe, while the German autobahn served as a catalyst for similar highway projects in other countries, most notably the Interstate Highway system. American absence from a (relatively) quick World War II would result in certain modes of transportation flourishing more than others.
In the world of
A Perfect Democracy, aviation has developed in a much different way. For one, trans-Atlantic aviation remained a much more luxurious affair for longer, as American business did not grow as intertwined with Western Europe as much as in our time. As such, the “flying cruise ship” approach remained the rule for much longer than in our timeline. Germany continued with its fleet of zeppelins, even expanding it to four Hindenburg class ships –
Hindenburg, Graf Zeppelin II, Ludendorff, and
Karl der Gross – which flew across the Atlantic as well as over Nazi dominated Europe. However, a fatal accident in the mid-1940’s bringing the inevitable end of airship travel much later than in our timeline. Flying boats remain the preferred mode of international travel due to its many advantages. Larger and more luxurious flying boats built by Saunders-Roe and Boeing continue to fly the skies for much longer. Larger airliners do not develop, with intracontinental travel being largely taken up by smaller, shorter range planes and railroads.
The aptly named Saunders-Roe Queen vied with the Boeing 377 as the flying boat of choice for intercontinental airlines during the mid-20th century.
Speaking of railroads, they remain the preferred method of short and medium-distance travel, especially in the United States. As mentioned previously, no American involvement in World War II results in no development of an
autobahn-esque highway system in the United States, as American individuals and businesses still prefer railroads for the transportation of passengers and freight. During the presidency of Huey Long, the railroads were effectively nationalized under the
National Railroad System or
NRS, which gave the federal government greater control over nominally private railroad companies, now under the name
Amrail. By the 1970’s, they were formally nationalized. Passenger trains crisscross the country at various levels of capacity and comfort. Nationalization has led to the closure of some lines, however, but not to the same extent as in our timeline, given the lack of an effective competitor to rail from trucks or airplanes.
A GE Genesis in the standard livery for Amrail.