The history of public transportation in Greater Cleveland spans two centuries. As the city developed from a trading post on Lake Erie to an industrial giant and ever-growing urban center, transportation policies and practices both promoted and reflected the dynamics of change. From the opening of the Ohio and Erie Canal to the opening of the new waterfront rapid transit, Toman and Hays trace the ever-changing contours of a metropolitan area and the modes of transportation available to its public. The scope of the book is comprehensive―canal, river, lake, and air transport―but the focus is on Cleveland’s streetcars, interurbans, trackless trolleys, buses, and rapid transit trains. It also explores the effect of the coming of the automobile and its inevitable impact on the city. Due attention is given to political, social, and technological forces that affected public transportation. The authors are unapologetically nostalgic when discussing the “golden years” of electric operations (1888-1963), a time when people seemed to enjoy the city more. The book contains maps of the changing transportation infrastructure and striking photographs, most not published until now. It will be invaluable to a wide audience―historians, collectors, transportation professionals, and those who love cities.

Horse Trails to Regional Rails: The Story of Public Transit in Greater Cleveland

History

Toman, James A.

Americas

The Kent State University Press

From the beginnings of the horse car era to the “sardine days” or World War II, Cleveland transit operators provided high quality service while introducing procedures and equipment that were widely copies elsewhere. The social and political aspects of Cleveland’s public transportation history are the subject of this companion volume to Horse Trails to Regional Rails. The focus here is on the technological aspects of the system. From the start of street railway operations in 1859 until the end of the surface electric era in 1963, the city was crisscrossed with hundreds of miles of track and overhead wire, and with thousands of poles to keep the overhead wire in place. Thousands of streetcars, and then thousands of buses, carried millions of passengers. The old Cleveland Transit System alone carried over 493 million passengers in 1946, and that total does not reflect the ridership of various suburban carriers. In this volume are described and listed both the early vehicles and the modern ones. It is not so much a nostalgic look at earlier times as it is a description of how ongoing developments in the industry changed the way the public transportation system carried out its mission. In Cleveland this was accomplished with rare efficiency and with good speed. The authors confess, whoever, to one nostalgic piece. In 1965, Jack Ainsley, a Cleveland rail fan, wrote his reminiscences about taking the streetcar through the Detroit-Superior Bridge subway. His narrative is in part 3. His recollections help from the technological focus of this volume and give it a more human face.

Cleveland's Transit Vehicles: Equipment and Technology (Ohio)

Biographies & Memoirs

Hays, Blaine S.

Regional U.S.

CoolFunCollectibles Listing - 1994 Revised Edition - Paperback - Very Solid Covers

Cleveland Stadium: 60 Years of Memories

Sports & Outdoors

Cleveland Landmarks Pr

The book takes Cleveland sports fans back to the era when Cleveland Municipal Stadium was the main sports venue in Cleveland. The book traces the history of the Indians and Browns at the stadium, and recalls the many other events that were held there, including religious events, rock concerts, and carnivals. The book also includes chapters on construction and demolition, and has a 16-page center color photograph spread.

Cleveland Stadium: The Last Chapter

Deegan, Gregory G.

Arts & Photography

This book explores the reasons behind the move of the Cleveland Browns to Baltimore, Maryland in 1996.

Fumble : The Browns, Modell, & the Move

Poplar, Michael G.

Football (American)

The book takes the reader on a century's journey through downtown Cleveland's most important gathering space, Public Square. It highlights the many architectural and structural changes that occurred in and around the Public Square environs and recalls the many events that drew Clevelanders to the Square throughout the century. It argues that the trajectory of the Square has mirrored that of the city. When the city's fortunes have flourished, so did those of the Square. When the city fell on hard times, these were echoed in the Square. Public Square has been a microcosm of Cleveland's promise and a reflection of what Clevelanders value.

The Heart of Cleveland: Public Square in the 20th Century

A photographic essay of the history of the Detroit-Superior (now Veterans Memorial) Bridge subway, When Cleveland Had a Subway recalls the short era when streetcars traveled below ground in Cleveland. Between 1918 and 1954, Cleveland did have a subway of sorts. The lower deck of the Detroit-Superior Bridge witnessed the constant squeal of streetcars upon their rails. The line that ran from Public Square West at its height brought thousands of West-siders and others to and from Clevelands downtown area. The short time period is a period of nostalgia for many who experienced it, and the book brings back those memories.

When Cleveland Had a Subway

Young, Bruce E.

Spangler, James R.

The book is a photographic essay describing the trends in Cleveland's public transportation in the 20th century. It details, with ample photographs, the many vehicles that were used through the years in and around the streets of the Greater Cleveland area. The book takes readers back to past eras when different streetcars, trackless trolleys, buses and rapids graced the many Cleveland venues.

Cleveland Transit Through the Years

Cleveland Landmarks Press

Cleveland's Towering Treasure celebrates the diamond anniversary of the city's most famous landmark, the Terminal Tower Complex. Amply illustrated with 176 photos and drawings, the book starts with the planning for the landmark, covers construction, and details its subsequent history to the present time, including the major renovations and new construction which converted the old railroad station into The Avenue shopping mall of Tower City Center. 
The book should be of interest to students of architecture, railroad history, and retail merchandising.

Cleveland's Towering Treasure: A Landmark Turns 75

Cook, Daniel J.

Cleveland Landmarks Press, Inc.

Cleveland and Its Streetcars takes the reader back to when railway cars dominated the local street scene. The book focuses on the era of 1910-1954, from the time that Cleveland Railway Company took over operation of the consolidated streetcar lines to the day that the last streetcar rumbled over the city's streets. Cleveland's trailer trains, articulated cars, and its Peter Witt car model were widely admired by the nation, and the streetcar reigned supreme through the end of World War II. In 1942, the Cleveland Transit System (CTS) took over the streetcar lines, and eager to "modernize" its fleet, it decided to replace the streetcars with buses, trackless trolleys, and a crosstown rapid transit line. After the end of the war, in May 1945, the first post-war conversion took place. Then the pace of replacing the streetcars with rubber-tired vehicles quickened. By 1954, the task was complete. This book, with over 200 photographs, documents this changing Cleveland scene--when a wonderful era in transportation flourished and then, sadly, disappeared.

Cleveland and It's Streetcars

Arcadia Publishing Library Editions

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