Shaker Heights Rapid Transit

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The Shaker Heights Rapid Transit, (SHRT) or shortened to Shaker Rapid system was a two-line interurban rail line between Downtown Cleveland and Shaker Heights, Ohio. The service still operates, however, it is run by the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority.

The system began service as the Cleveland Interurban Railroad (CI) on April 11, 1920. The two branches were named Moreland (later Van Aken) and Shaker Blvd. Today, the services are referred to as the GCRTA Blue Rapid and Green Rapid lines.

Originally started by the van Sweringen brothers (Oris P. and Mantis J.), the system was intended to provide a rail link with fast frequent service to Cleveland's downtown commercial center, also serving their residential development.

History

This section is incomplete.

Timeline

  • 1920: Service inaugurated as Cleveland Interurban Railroad.
  • 1935: Cleveland Interurban Railroad placed into receivership. The banks operated the system for nine years.
  • 1944: SHRT begins municipal operations, after being purchased by the City of Shaker Heights.
  • 1975: Services transferred to Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority.
  • 1980: An 18-month, $100mil renovation begins, upgrading the system to today's light rail standards. Services are renamed the Blue (for Van Aken) and Green (for Shaker) lines. The new lines were inaugurated October 30, 1981.[1]

Destination signs

  • TERMINAL LOCAL (Downtown Cleveland)
  • TERMINAL EXPRESS
  • SHAKER SQUARE EXPRESS
  • VAN AKEN LOCAL
  • SHAKER LOCAL

Equipment

[2]

Livery

The livery of the St. Louis (lightweight) cars of the 1920s were of three types:

  • Grey with cream trim wrapping around the windows of the cars, and a red stripe underneath the windows. (#304)
  • "Omaha Orange" with cream trim wrapping around the windows of the cars, with gray roofs. (#303)
  • Royal blue with a robins egg blue trim wrapping around the windows of the cars with white or cream roofs. (#302)

The livery of the PCCs that operated were painted yellow, with gray roofs and narrow green horizontal stripes underneath the window sashes.

Lightweight cars

Fleet number(s) Thumbnail Year Manufacturer Model Motors Notes
60 1929 Cincinnati Job 3030 Purchased 1941.
61-65 1928 Cincinnati Job 2985 Purchased 1941.
300-302 1924 St. Louis Job 1308 Acquired in 1944 from bank holding.
303-304, 306 1924 St. Louis Job 1306 Acquired in 1944 from bank holding.

PCC cars

Fleet number(s) Thumbnail Year Manufacturer Model Motors Notes
3 1946 St. Louis PCC II

Job 1653

27 1949 St. Louis PCC II

Job 1670

40-50 1946 St. Louis PCC II

Job 1655

Eleven cars purchased in 1959.[3] All converted to MU operation upon receipt.
51-70 1947 St. Louis PCC II

Job 1660

Twenty cars purchased in 1953.[4] 56-70 converted to MU operation, upon receipt.
71-95 1947 Pullman Standard PCC II

Job W6820

Twenty-five cars, purchased new.
4630, 4648,
4651-4652,
4655-4656,
4662-4663,
4665
1946 Pullman Standard PCC II

Job W6750

4 WH 1432J Nine cars purchased in 1978 by Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority. Cars were typically restricted to rush-hour service due to width gap (narrow width car).
  • Ex-Toronto Transit Commission A-11 cars 4630, 4648, 4651-4652, 4655-4656, 4662-4663, 4665.
  • Exx-Cleveland Transit System 4200-series. CTS 4230>TTC 4655, CTS 4231>TTC 4656, CTS 4233>TTC 4663, CTS 4237>TTC 4662 and CTS 4240>TTC 4665.
  • 4662-4663 to Buckeye Lake Trolley.
  • 4648 to Illinois Railway Museum in 1982.
  • At least two cars in this series abandoned on rail siding in Hebron, Ohio prior to 2000. Removed from site in 2011, disposition unknown.[6] Although fleet numbers unknown, from photography, these cars are typical of this series car (TTC livery, since this series was not updated with CTS livery).

Maintenance cars

Fleet number(s) Thumbnail Year Manufacturer Model Motors Notes

Further reading

Print

This section is incomplete.

References

  1. Case Western University, Shaker Heights Rapid Transit, accessed April 16, 2018.
  2. The Don Ross Group - Don's Rail Photos Shaker Heights Rapid Transit, accessed April 17, 2018.
  3. Jon Bell, Cleveland Ohio - Shaker Heights Rapid Transit, accessed April 17, 2018.
  4. Jon Bell, Cleveland Ohio - Shaker Heights Rapid Transit, accessed April 17, 2018.
  5. Detroiturbex, Abandoned RTA Streetcars, accessed April 18, 2018
  6. Detroiturbex, Abandoned RTA Streetcars, accessed April 18, 2018