Cleveland streetcars
Encyclopedia
Like most large American cites, Cleveland, Ohio
, USA, had a large network of streetcar lines in the first half of the 20th Century. The lines were operated by the Cleveland Railway, which was formed in 1910 with the merger of two companies. The Cleveland Railway converted a few streetcar lines in the 1930s, but the onset of World War II
stopped any further conversions.
In 1942, the Cleveland Transit System took over the operation of all streetcar, bus
and trackless trolley lines from the Cleveland Railway. Following the war, CTS undertook a program of replacing all existing streetcar lines with either trackless trolleys or buses.
The last CTS streetcar ran on January 24, 1954 with a free ride celebration on the Madison line from Public Square to West 65th and Bridge.
The following table lists the conversion of the Cleveland streetcar lines to trackless trolleys (or trolleybuses) or buses in reverse chronological order, with the last date of streetcar service, the line name, the modern line number, the type of vehicle replacing the streetcar, and the length of time that lasted. Shuttle lines or "dinkeys" are not included.
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, USA, had a large network of streetcar lines in the first half of the 20th Century. The lines were operated by the Cleveland Railway, which was formed in 1910 with the merger of two companies. The Cleveland Railway converted a few streetcar lines in the 1930s, but the onset of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
stopped any further conversions.
In 1942, the Cleveland Transit System took over the operation of all streetcar, bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
and trackless trolley lines from the Cleveland Railway. Following the war, CTS undertook a program of replacing all existing streetcar lines with either trackless trolleys or buses.
The last CTS streetcar ran on January 24, 1954 with a free ride celebration on the Madison line from Public Square to West 65th and Bridge.
The following table lists the conversion of the Cleveland streetcar lines to trackless trolleys (or trolleybuses) or buses in reverse chronological order, with the last date of streetcar service, the line name, the modern line number, the type of vehicle replacing the streetcar, and the length of time that lasted. Shuttle lines or "dinkeys" are not included.
Date | Line | No. | Replaced with | From | Until | Then | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
January 25, 1954 | Madison | 25 | Bus Bus A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are... |
January 26, 1954 | Present | — | |
August 15, 1953 | Clark | 23 | Bus | August 16, 1953 | Present | — | |
August 15, 1953 | West 25th | 20 | Bus | August 16, 1953 | Present | — | |
March 20, 1953 | Superior | 3 | Trackless trolley | March 22, 1953 | April 12, 1963 | Bus | |
March 7, 1953 | East 55th | 16 | Bus | March 8, 1953 | Present | — | |
June 14, 1952 | Lorain (Public Square to West 140th) |
22 | Trackless trolley | June 15, 1952 | November 14, 1958 | Bus | Also used by the Cleveland, Southwestern and Columbus Railway |
April 26, 1952 | Euclid {Public Square to Windermere) |
6 | Bus | April 27, 1952 | Present | — | Also used by the Cleveland, Painesville and Eastern Railroad (Main Line) |
November 3, 1951 | St. Clair | 1 | Trackless trolley | November 4, 1951 | May 4, 1962 | Bus | Also used by the Cleveland, Painesville and Eastern Railroad (Shore Line) |
August 25, 1951 | Detroit | 26 | Trackless trolley | August 27, 1951 | November 14, 1958 | Bus | |
April 7, 1951 | St. Clair (East of East 129th) |
1 | Bus | April 8, 1951 | Present | — | Became Bus # 5 Now Bus # 1 again |
July 1, 1950 | West 25th (Broadview branch) |
20 | Bus | July 2, 1950 | Present | — | Became Bus # 67 Now part of Bus # 35 |
June 17, 1950 | Lorain (West 140th to Puritas) |
22 | Bus | June 18, 1950 | Present | — | Became Bus # 85 Now Bus # 22 again |
March 25, 1950 | Kinsman | 14 | Trackless trolley | September 6, 1950 | October 19, 1962 | Bus | Also used by the Eastern Ohio Traction Company (Cleveland and Chagrin Falls Railway) |
September 6, 1949 | Mayfield | 7 | Bus | September 7, 1949 | Present | — | Also used by the Eastern Ohio Traction Company (Cleveland and Eastern Traction Company) |
August 15, 1949 | Euclid (Hayden branch) |
6 | Bus | August 16, 1949 | Present | — | Became Bus # 30 |
July 31, 1948 | East 55th (Washington Park branch) |
16 | Shut down because of construction of Willow Freeway (now I-77 Interstate 77 Interstate 77 is an Interstate Highway in the eastern United States. It traverses diverse terrain, from the mountainous state of West Virginia to the rolling farmlands of North Carolina and Ohio. It largely supplants the old U.S... ). |
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July 31, 1948 | Fairmount | ? | Bus | August 1, 1948 | Present | — | Became Bus # 32C Now Bus # 42 |
June 30, 1948 | Buckeye | 13 | Trackless trolley | September 8, 1948 | October 19, 1962 | Bus | |
April 30, 1948 | St. Clair (East 140th Euclid Beach branch) |
1 | Bus | May 1, 1948 | Became Bus # 44 Now part of Bus # 30 |
||
April 30, 1948 | Fulton | 24 | Trackless trolley | June 22, 1950 | November 14, 1958 | Bus | Now part of Bus # 79 |
April 15, 1948 | Euclid (Windermere to Ivanhoe) |
6 | Bus | April 16, 1948 | Present | — | Became Bus # 28 |
March 20, 1948 | Euclid (Ivanhoe to East 212th) |
6 | Bus | March 21, 1948 | Present | — | Became Bus # 28 |
March 15, 1948 | Woodland | 12 | Trackless trolley | February 16, 1949 | October 19, 1962 | Bus | |
March 6, 1948 | Harvard–Dennison | 18 | Bus | March 7, 1948 | ? | — | Now replaced by several bus routes |
January 31, 1948 | East 105th | 10 | Trackless trolley | February 1, 1948 | June 14, 1963 | Bus | |
November 15, 1947 | Clifton | 27 | Trackless trolley | July 5, 1949 | November 14, 1958 | Bus | Also used by the Lake Shore Electric Railway Now replaced by several bus routes |
September 2, 1947 | Union | 15 | Trackless trolley | May 1, 1948 | June 14, 1963 | Bus | |
August 15, 1947 | Broadway | 19 | Trackless trolley | December 1, 1947 | June 14, 1963 | Bus | Also used by the Northern Ohio Traction and Light Company (Akron, Bedford and Cleveland Railroad Akron, Bedford and Cleveland Railroad The Akron, Bedford and Cleveland Railroad began service between Akron and Cleveland, Ohio on November 9, 1895. At the time of its completion, it was the longest electrified rail line in the world. For 50 cents riders could travel from Akron to Cleveland's Public Square in about 2½ hours... ) |
July 31, 1947 | West 25th (Pearl Road branch) |
20 | Bus | August 1, 1947 | Became Bus # 51 | ||
June 15, 1948 | Cedar (Downtown to Cedar Glen) |
8 | Trackless trolley | June 16, 1948 | April 12, 1963 | Bus | |
May 6, 1946 | Scovill | 11 | Bus | May 7, 1946 | ? | — | Now no bus service |
March 15, 1945 | Cedar (Cedar Glen to Taylor) |
8 | Bus | March 16, 1945 | Present | — | Became Bus # 32 |
November 15, 1940 | East 79th | 2 | Bus | November 16, 1940 | Present | — | |
November 15, 1940 | East 30th | 17 | Bus | November 16, 1940 | ? | — | Now no bus service |
April 15, 1939 | Wade Park | 4 | Trackless trolley | December 16, 1945 | April 12, 1963 | Bus | |
June 15, 1938 | Central | 33 | Bus | June 16, 1938 | Present | — | |
October 31, 1935 | Payne–Hough | 38 | Trackless trolley | March 1, 1939 | April 12, 1963 | Bus | |
April 3, 1935 | Fairfield | 74 | Bus | April 4, 1935 | Present | Streetcar service ended when Central Viaduct closed Now part of Bus # 81 |
See also
- Greater Cleveland Regional Transit AuthorityGreater Cleveland Regional Transit AuthorityThe Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority is the public transit agency for Cleveland, Ohio, United States, and the surrounding suburbs of Cuyahoga County. RTA is the largest transit agency in Ohio, providing over 44 million trips to residents and visitors of the Cleveland area in 2010...
- Northern Ohio Railway MuseumNorthern Ohio Railway MuseumNorthern Ohio Railway Museum is a railroad museum located in Chippewa Lake, Ohio. The Museum is a non-profit, educational organization. It was established in 1965, granted 501 status by the Internal Revenue Service in 1966 and incorporated under the laws of the State of Ohio in 1976...
- Tom's North American Trolleybus Pix Cleveland Page