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I'm just wondering which Railroads (especially passenger railroads) served Cleveland, Ohio in the days before Amtrak? Also which of these served the Cleveland Union Terminal (Tower City) and which served other terminals?
Also what Interurban and Trolley lines served Cleveland?
And was Cleveland ever served by Commuter Railroads?
As an Australian I'm not too familar with the American setup so any replies are appreciated. My great-grandfather was born in Cleveland. Hence my interest.
Thanks Geoffrey
ehbowen Member # 4317
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As I write this, I only have two Official Guides available (I'm away from home), one from 1938 and one from 1968 (Amtrak took over in May 1971).
In 1938 the following railroads served Cleveland: At the "New Union Terminal": Baltimore & Ohio; the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago, & St. Louis, better known as the "Big Four" (a part of the New York Central System); the New York Central itself; and the New York, Chicago, & St. Louis, better known as the "Nickel Plate". The Erie railroad served Cleveland from its own station, about 1/4 mile from the Union Terminal, and the Pennsylvania had its own "Union Station" about a half mile from the Union Terminal. Freight-only railroads serving Cleveland were the Cuyahoga Valley; the River Terminal; and the Wheeling & Lake Erie. In 1968 the only passenger railroad still serving Cleveland directly was the New York Central (which was in the process of merging into Penn Central). Erie Lackawanna served the city via bus from Youngstown. Railroads providing freight-only service to the city included the Baltimore & Ohio, the Cuyahoga Valley, the Newburgh & South Shore, the Norfolk & Western (successor to the Nickel Plate), the Pennsylvania (which was also merging into Penn Central), and the River Terminal.
If you have an interest in North American passenger railroading I can suggest no better course of action than trying to obtain your own copy of the Official Guide. They are encyclopedic in scope; even as late as 1968 they still ran to 1000 pages. While they do not fully cover commuter service, they do offer a list of all railroad stations on the continent with the railroads which served them and essentially all of the passenger timetables for through long-distance trains. Printed copies show up regularly on ebay (search for Official Guide Railway) and a few enterprising individuals offer scanned copies on CD. The latter would probably serve you better; international postage for a thousand-page book is, I am sure, a not inconsiderable sum. One source that I can recommend from personal experience is Doug's Railroad Stuff.
Now, for the ulterior motive behind my answer to your question. I'm putting together a web site devoted to historic train timetables, and I find myself short of source information for my forthcoming "Track 11". Would you by chance know any way that I could obtain copies of past timetables for some of the great Australian trains such as the Indian Pacific and the Ghan? I prefer the most detailed timetables, showing all of the stops. If you could direct me to some suitable source material, you would find me in your debt.
Anyhow--G'day, mate!
ehbowen Member # 4317
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A correction to my last: In 1968 the Erie Lackawanna was still operating a single passenger train to Cleveland (Union Terminal) from Youngstown. Going from Cleveland to Youngstown you could connect from it to EL's New York-bound Lake Cities. Coming the other direction, though, you had to take the bus (or wait until oh-dark-thirty the next morning in Youngstown).
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