Karl, in addition to the excellent points Chris makes, remember that the 631 was slow, cruising at just 200mph. The Lockheed Constellation was a contemporary -- although smaller, it carried almost as many passengers just as far, much faster, and had only four engines to maintain instead of six. The later DC6 was smaller, too, but carried even more passengers 100mph faster, and 1000 miles farther. So the 631 was overtaken by more efficient technology, even if these other aircraft lacked the 631's elegance.
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