[PRCo] Cleveland_--_Shaker

[Jim Holland]

Shaker Heights Not At All Unlike PRCo Shannon, Library, and Drake 
except  Shaker  Total__PRW  And  Completely double track.
.
Shaker uses underground terminal in downtown Cleveland, leaves downtown 
on prw in former canal bed and travels to Shaker Square  (Please correct 
where appropriate, Herb)  WithOut Grade Crossings.       Here there is a 
Loop  (Castle Shannon)  and just beyond the loop the line splits  
(Washington Junction!)  into Shaker  (Library)  and Van Aken  
(Drake!)       Grade crossings exists on these two routes but 
TrolleyCars have wide center of the highway prw and can really roll.     
Yard inside loop at Van Aken;  yard and shops between Shaker Square and 
downtown  (South Hills Yard & Shops!!)
.
All the PCCs are MU and equipped with Retrievers, not catchers, like 
PRCo PCC Interurbans.       I prefer individual TrolleyCar operation  
(part of the reason I lack interest in mainline RR  'Trains!')  but it 
is neat to see a train of PCCs and after all, they are serving their 
purpose of moving large crowds of people at very high speeds.       
Inbound of Shaker Square in the canal bed without grade crossings the 
Ops seems to keep the Pedal To The Metal and you really roll through 
there.       Would like to know the average speed of the Shaker lines in 
PCC days  --  might easily be over 20-mph!!       Charleroi and 
Washington worked out to about 16-18-mph average speed  --  Not Bad At 
All considering the street running encountered  --  downtown Pgh for 
both and much along the Charleroi line  --  less on Washington.
.
Definition of Light Rail defines the  'System'  and is Mostly  PRW  with 
little street running  --  boiling the def down to its very 
essence.       Shaker has    ALWAYS    fit this def so anything that has 
run on Shaker might be consider an  lrv!!!       People don't seem to 
like this but an item does not have to be confined to one category  --  
it can easily fit the definitions of multiple categories.
.
The first photo shows a 3-car train of two Pullmans  (50-foot long 
cars)  and one St.Louis second hand from Minneapolis outbound at Shaker 
heading to the right on the Van Aken line.       Note the second car has 
its trolley pole hooked down and peebles say the advantage of pantograph 
is it can suck up more current  --  seems like 2 trolley poles are 
adequate for current needs in this 3-car train!!!
.
The second photo shows a 4-car train inbound of Shaker and heading 
toward downtown Cleveland  --  3-St.Louis PCCs with one Pullman as the 
second car.
.
.
.
Jim___Holland

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