At the beginning, Wood had held great hope for the benefits the car would eventually bring to the Springfield and Worcester properties. Combined, these companies operated over a thousand cars, many of pre-World War I vintage. That the hoped-for benefits would never come to be was evident even as the car was first shown. When the Journal announced on March 26, 1927, the unveiling of Miss Springfield, it also reported that fifty conventional light-weight cars were being ordered for Springfield from Wason and fifty more were being ordered for Worcester from the Osgood-Bradley Company of that city. The railway companies hoped that some of Miss Springfield's features, if successful, would find their way into future cars for these two lines. With testing expected to take a full year, and construction of the new cars just three months, the hope could not have been very great. Still, it is interesting to note that the plan dimensions for Miss Springfield and the new cars were identical, as were some of the lesser features. Was there an outside chance that the new truck might be found immediately successful and incorporated at the last minute? Or were Miss Springfield's dimensions simply those that the designers already felt to be ideal? Probably the latter.

Brill Magazine.

The timing of the orders for new cars was an unfortunate outcome of more politically motivated events. In 1914, the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) had forced the New Haven Railroad to relinquish majority ownership of the latter's Massachusetts trolley holdings (the Berkshire Street Railway excepted). In a series of postwar rulings, the ICC reversed itself and encouraged the New Haven to reassume control of its original holdings. With the rulings, the ICC acknowledged that strong financial corporate backing was needed to sustain the struggling urban transportation companies. The New Haven, attempting to win takeover approval from at least two-thirds of the communities affected, promised an expeditious investment of two million dollars to upgrade the Springfield and Worcester properties. Most of the money -- $1.7 million -- was to be spent on new rolling stock, the rest on track and other improvements. Approval from the affected communities was gained piecemeal in the closing months of 1926, the last coming from Springfield late in December. The final obstacle was cleared on February 14, 1927, when the railroad's directors voted to approve the road's acquisition of the Springfield Street Railway. The New Haven then moved quickly to make good on its pledge, placing the new car orders on March 22. Lost in the process was the dream that Miss Springfield's innovations would someday improve the trolleys in Springfield and Worcester.

As 1926 drew to a close, the likelihood of a New Haven takeover, and with it the expeditious purchase of conventional cars, was all but guaranteed. Yet Wood and Harwood persevered in completing the Miss Springfield experiment. Thus it was that Gordon concluded his April 23, 1927 editorial, saying:

The Springfield Street Railway is entitled to a great deal of credit for taking the brunt of responsibility in pioneering an improved type car. It is perhaps a reflection on the industry as a whole that the men of this comparatively small property, while going through the throes of a change in ownership, had the courage to spend good money in developing a car which they felt was needed. The benefit to be derived by Springfield is small in comparison to the possibilities which are opened to the rest of the industry -- both manufacturers and operators. Regardless of the final verdict on this first shaft-drive car, electric railway history was made in Springfield last week. The men who backed their convictions with courage to go ahead are entitled to frank commendation by every one who has faith in the electric railway industry.

Miss Springfield in Hooker Street Yard, October 8, 1939. Photo by S.M. Hauck; Alfred Barten collection.