[PRCo] Re: "West Pittsburgh" Question

[Herb Brannon]

The Green Road line was originally planned to run further east past Shaker
Heights. When the extension was made from Warrensville Loop to Green Road
and the loop and spur was installed,  the line was graded and overhead wire
poles installed as far as Sulgrave Road at the Shaker Heights/Beechwood
border. Sulgrave Road would have been the next logical place for a car
stop. This was in 1936.
The grading and installation of poles gave the illusion, to  prospective
home buyers, that the "rapid" would soon be coming further east. Grading of
the line continued even further east. At this time the rapid had been taken
over by three Cleveland banks after the collapse of the Van Sweringen
holding during the Great Depression #1.

Quoting from "The Shaker Heights Rapid Transit" by James A. Toman,
Interurbans Special 115, Cleveland Landmarks Press, First Printing 1990:

*Only The Vans Knew*
*The exact plans which the Van Sweringens had for their Shaker Rapid are far
from crystal clear............Later, had not the events of the Crash and
Depression brought their entire enterprise to a standstill, it seems likely
that the lines might have developed differently.*

*When Shaker Blvd, east of Warrensville Center Road was being laid out by
the Van Sweringen engineers, a broad median strip was included, designed to
be able to carry four rapid transit tracks as well as four additional
express highway lanes. In the design, a rapid transit right of way was
included along Shaker Blvd east to Brainard Road and then across a traffic
circle, northeast along Gates Mills Blvd almost to Mayfield Road. Gates
Mills Blvd ended in a large loop, the median of which would have served
admirably as an end of the line streetcar yard. The extension to Green Road
offered the suggestion--if not the promise--that these plans were still
within reach.*

The banks, in control in 1936, had no reason to provide rapid transit
service and were only interested in making sure their investment in the
rapid did not cause them to fail even further than they had. That of course
meant that there would be no further extensions........something that
American "business" seems to do to us on a regular basis.

I can provide you with more information if you desire. Read what is here and
ask me more questions and I'll see what I can provide in the way of
answers.






On Mon, May 16, 2011 at 02:52, Ken and Tracie <ktjosephson at embarqmail.com>wrote:

> Please look at the attached SHRT image.
> What was story of this never completed extension?
>
> Thanks in advance for any replies.
>
> K.
>
> -- Attached file removed by Ecartis and put at URL below --
> -- Type: image/jpeg
> -- Size: 109k (112143 bytes)
> -- URL : http://lists.dementia.org/files/pittsburgh-railways/ohio007.jpg
>
>
>
>


-- 
Herb Brannon
In Cuyahoga Valley National Park