Lake Shore Electric Railway (museum)

Last updated
Lake Shore Electric Railway
19660807 03 Trolleyville USA.jpg
A streetcar at Trollyville USA in 1966
Lake Shore Electric Railway (museum)
Former names
Gerald E. Brookins Museum of Electric Railways, Trolleyville USA
Location Cleveland, Ohio
Type Railway museum

The Lake Shore Electric Railway was an attempt to start an electric railway museum in Cleveland, Ohio.

The former Trolleyville USA museum [1] (formally known as the Gerald E. Brookins Museum of Electric Railways) in Olmsted Township closed down in 2005. At that time, organizers sought to relocate the museum's collection of 31 trolley cars. In 2006, the collection was moved to Dock 32 of the Port of Cleveland, which is owned by the city and is located just north of Cleveland Browns Stadium and the Great Lakes Science Center as well as northwest of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at 41°30′32.65″N81°41′59.53″W / 41.5090694°N 81.6998694°W / 41.5090694; -81.6998694 (Lake Shore Electric Railway) . [2] The museum was renamed the Lake Shore Electric Railway to honor the interurban company from the early 20th century. In 2007, work towards constructing a new carbarn was started at the new location. [2]

The plans for a new museum never materialized, and in May 2009 it was announced that the railcars would be auctioned off. [3] [4] On October 2, 2009, it was announced that auction resulted in the collection being dispersed to a consortium of 10 railway museums. There was no open bidding. [5] The sale price was not disclosed. One trolley, a 1914 Kuhlman streetcar that operated on Euclid Avenue, was slated to be restored and put on display in Cleveland's University Circle neighborhood. [6] However, it was donated to the Illinois Railway Museum in 2013. [7] The Gerald E. Brookins Collection of images was donated to the special collections of the Cleveland State University library. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cleveland</span> City and county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States

Cleveland, officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in Northeast Ohio along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the U.S. maritime border with Canada and lies approximately 60 miles (97 km) west of Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Euclid, Ohio</span> City in Ohio, United States

Euclid is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. It is an inner ring suburb of Cleveland. The population was 49,692 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth largest city in Cuyahoga County, behind Cleveland, Parma and Lakewood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trolley park</span> Amusement park prototype

In the United States, trolley parks, which started in the 19th century, were picnic and recreation areas along or at the ends of streetcar lines in most of the larger cities. These were precursors to amusement parks. Trolley parks were often created by the streetcar companies to give people a reason to use their services on weekends.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willamette Shore Trolley</span>

The Willamette Shore Trolley is a heritage railroad or heritage streetcar that operates along the west bank of the Willamette River between Portland and Lake Oswego in the U.S. state of Oregon. The right-of-way is owned by a group of local-area governments who purchased it in 1988 in order to preserve it for potential future rail transit. Streetcar excursion service began operating on a trial basis in 1987, lasting about three months, and regular operation on a long-term basis began in 1990. The Oregon Electric Railway Historical Society has been the line's operator since 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Euclid Avenue (Cleveland)</span> Main thoroughfare in Cleveland, Ohio

Euclid Avenue is a major street in Cleveland, Ohio. It runs northeasterly from Public Square in Downtown Cleveland, passing Playhouse Square and Cleveland State University, to University Circle, the Cleveland Clinic, Severance Hall, Case Western Reserve University's Maltz Performing Arts Center, Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals Case Medical Center. The street runs through the suburbs of East Cleveland, Euclid, and Wickliffe, to Willoughby as a part of U.S. Route 20 and U.S. Route 6. The HealthLine bus rapid transit line runs in designated bus lanes in the median of Euclid Avenue from Public Square to Louis Stokes Station at Windermere in East Cleveland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University Circle</span> Neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio, United States

University Circle is a district in the neighborhood of University on the East Side of Cleveland, Ohio. It is home to the Cleveland Museum of Art, Severance Hall, the Cleveland Institute of Art, Case Western Reserve University, the Cleveland Institute of Music, the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland; the Cleveland Botanical Garden; historic Lake View Cemetery; the Cleveland Museum of Natural History; and University Hospitals/Case Medical Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Connecticut Trolley Museum</span> Railroad museum in East Windsor, Connecticut

The Connecticut Trolley Museum, founded in October 1940, is the oldest incorporated museum dedicated to electric railroading in the United States. The museum is located in East Windsor, Connecticut and is open to the public April through December. The museum features static and moving displays, and self-guided tours of the state's trolley history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oregon Electric Railway Historical Society</span>

The Oregon Electric Railway Historical Society (OERHS) is a non-profit organization in the U.S. state of Oregon, founded in 1957. It owns and operates a railroad museum for electric railroad and streetcar enthusiasts, and also operates a separate heritage streetcar line, the Willamette Shore Trolley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green Line (RTA Rapid Transit)</span>

The Green Line is a light rail line of the RTA Rapid Transit system in Cleveland and Shaker Heights, Ohio, running from Tower City Center downtown, then east to Green Road near Beachwood. 2.6 miles (4.2 km) of track, including two stations, are shared with the rapid transit Red Line, the stations have low platforms for the Green Line and high platforms for the Red Line. The Green Line shares the right-of-way with the Blue Line in Cleveland, and splits off after passing through Shaker Square. All RTA light rail lines use overhead lines and pantographs to draw power.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shore Line Trolley Museum</span> Trolley museum in East Haven, Connecticut

The Shore Line Trolley Museum is a trolley museum located in East Haven, Connecticut. Incorporated in 1945, it is the oldest continuously operating trolley museum in the United States. The museum includes exhibits on trolley history in the visitors' center and offers rides on restored trolleys along its 1.5 mi (2.4 km) track as the Branford Electric Railway. In addition to trolleys, the museum also operates a small number of both trolleybuses and conventional buses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Shore Electric Railway</span>

The Lake Shore Electric Railway (LSE) was an interurban electric railway that ran primarily between Cleveland and Toledo, Ohio by way of Sandusky and Fremont. Through arrangements with connecting interurban lines, it also offered service from Fremont to Fostoria and Lima, Ohio, and at Toledo to Detroit and Cincinnati.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cincinnati Street Railway</span>

Cincinnati Street Railway (CSR) was the public transit operator in Cincinnati, Ohio, from 1859 to 1952. The company ceased streetcar operations and was renamed Cincinnati Transit Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fox River Trolley Museum</span>

The Fox River Trolley Museum is a railroad museum in South Elgin, Illinois. Incorporated in 1961 as R.E.L.I.C., it opened in 1966 and became the Fox River Trolley Museum in 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Ohio Railway Museum</span> Railway museum in Chippewa Lake, Ohio

Northern Ohio Railway Museum is a railroad museum located near Chippewa Lake, Ohio, United States. The museum is a non-profit, educational organization. It was established in 1965, granted 501(c)(3) status by the Internal Revenue Service in 1966 and incorporated under the laws of the State of Ohio in 1976. The membership is approximately 180 electric railway devotees who reside throughout the United States and Canada, with the majority clustered in northeastern Ohio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Streetcars in North America</span> History of street cars

Streetcars or trolley(car)s were once the chief mode of public transit in hundreds of North American cities and towns. Most of the original urban streetcar systems were either dismantled in the mid-20th century or converted to other modes of operation, such as light rail. Today, only Toronto still operates a streetcar network essentially unchanged in layout and mode of operation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Euclid–East 120th station</span>

Euclid–East 120th was a station on the RTA Red Line in the University Circle neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio. It was located at the Euclid Avenue and Coltman Road intersection, near the western end of Lake View Cemetery. At the end of service on August 11, 2015, it became the first, and thus far only, station in the history of the RTA to permanently close.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port Authority 4000-series PCC</span>

The 4000-series PCC was a streetcar used by the Port Authority of Allegheny County. The PCC streetcar was designed by the Presidents' Conference Committee, a group of transit operators in the United States and Canada. The 4000's were a series of cars completely rebuilt from cars built in 1949 by the St. Louis Car Company for Port Authority's predecessor, Pittsburgh Railways.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cedar Glen Apartments</span> United States historic place

The Cedar Glen Apartments is a historic apartment building located in the University Circle neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio, in the United States. Designed by prominent local architect Samuel H. Weis and completed in 1927, the building originally contained luxury apartments and served as a gateway to the more exclusive neighborhood of Cleveland Heights, on whose border the building is located. Threatened with demolition in 1992, the building was purchased by new owners and converted into condominiums.

References

  1. "Trolleyville USA". The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. July 8, 2003. Retrieved August 29, 2013.
  2. 1 2 "Lake Shore Electric Railway". Archived from the original on 2008-05-21.
  3. Breckenridge, Tom (2009-05-26). "Lake Shore Electric Railway Inc. may be forced to auction 30-plus trolley car collection". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved 2009-11-21.
  4. Mezger, Roger (2009-08-18). "Cleveland trolley car collection is up for auction". The Plain Dealer . Cleveland, Ohio. Retrieved 2009-11-21.
  5. Bresse-Rodenkirk, Bob (2009-10-02). "Lake Shore Electric Railway Auction, Updated October 02, 2009" . Retrieved 2009-10-02.
  6. Farkas, Karen (2009-12-27). "University Circle will display restored 1914 streetcar that operated on Euclid Avenue". The Plain Dealer . Cleveland, Ohio. Retrieved 2009-12-28.
  7. Farkas, Karen (August 28, 2013). "Cleveland streetcar now in Illinois after plans for University Circle display fall through". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved August 29, 2013.
  8. Barrow, Bill (2010-02-22). "Gerald E. Brookins Collection now at CSU". Cleveland History Blog. Retrieved 2010-02-22.