Cleveland Rapid Transit

No way would I let RTA equipment near my layout....sorry.

Berkshire President posted:

No way would I let RTA equipment near my layout....sorry.

I did not say anything about RTA.  I actually had in mind the original pre-RTA Cleveland Rapid Transit.  The photo is of the paint scheme of the 1950-1960 era, although in this pic it is a survivor set into RTA 1980s.  I did not have a color photo of pre RTA blue equipment.  This photo demonstrates the paint scheme colors of the first "rapid transit" trains of Cleveland.

I remember riding these as a child back in the 60's with my father.   We lived close to the West Park Station where we would board the train to go "Down Town".  Very fond memories indeed!

Chief Bob (Retired)

PUFFRBELLY posted:

I remember riding these as a child back in the 60's with my father.   We lived close to the West Park Station where we would board the train to go "Down Town".  Very fond memories indeed!

Chief Bob (Retired)

I have those memories as well.  My older Sister took me from Hopkins Airport to downtown in the early 1970's.  I was very young but remember the blue cars and some things about the route.  Arriving into Terminal Tower where we went to Higbees Department Store for lunch at the Silver Grill restaurant.

Lets take it all the way back to the Lakeshore Electric Railway - lots of single car/trolley choices - not sure how they were painted, since all the photos are black and white. I think they even did some freight toward the end.

VistaDomeScott posted:

Berkshire President posted:

No way would I let RTA equipment near my layout....sorry.

I did not say anything about RTA.  I actually had in mind the original pre-RTA Cleveland Rapid Transit.  The photo is of the paint scheme of the 1950-1960 era, although in this pic it is a survivor set into RTA 1980s.  I did not have a color photo of pre RTA blue equipment.  This photo demonstrates the paint scheme colors of the first "rapid transit" trains of Cleveland.

Fair enough, Scott.  I just saw the "RTA" script.....and cringed.

Are we talking about the line that would have taken rail passengers from the mainline to Terminal Tower (around present day Dead Man's Curve) b/c the City didn't want the smoke and ash?

And here is a  shot I took back in the late 1950s.Note the rush hour express service on a two track line.

Lew Schneider

Berkshire President posted:

VistaDomeScott posted:

Berkshire President posted:

No way would I let RTA equipment near my layout....sorry.

I did not say anything about RTA.  I actually had in mind the original pre-RTA Cleveland Rapid Transit.  The photo is of the paint scheme of the 1950-1960 era, although in this pic it is a survivor set into RTA 1980s.  I did not have a color photo of pre RTA blue equipment.  This photo demonstrates the paint scheme colors of the first "rapid transit" trains of Cleveland.

Fair enough, Scott.  I just saw the "RTA" script.....and cringed.

Are we talking about the line that would have taken rail passengers from the mainline to Terminal Tower (around present day Dead Man's Curve) b/c the City didn't want the smoke and ash?

The smoke avoidance was the NYC passenger trains switching to electrics at Collinwood and Linndale for the trip into terminal tower.  The blue rapid transit cars ran from the Airport to downtown and east to Windermere.  Current day RTA red line service.

lewrail posted:

And here is a  shot I took back in the late 1950s.Note the rush hour express service on a two track line.

Lew Schneider

Great pic Lew!

Roving Sign posted:

Lets take it all the way back to the Lakeshore Electric Railway - lots of single car/trolley choices - not sure how they were painted, since all the photos are black and white. I think they even did some freight toward the end.

Interurban cars are another product entirely that could be made.  I am just seeking some Cleveland painted subway cars here.  

Lew,

  Trisket station today looks like this

Scott

Scott:   Isn't that remodel only a few years old?

And for those keeping score at home, Trisket Station is actually on West 140th/Bunts, IIRC.  You can see it off of I-90 on the south side of the freeway.

Berkshire President posted:

Scott:   Isn't that remodel only a few years old?

And for those keeping score at home, Trisket Station is actually on West 140th/Bunts, IIRC.  You can see it off of I-90 on the south side of the freeway.

Yes, very newly rebuilt.  

OK so you guys opened yourselves up. What is wrong with present day RTA for Cleveland?

OK so you guys opened yourselves up. What is wrong with present day RTA for Cleveland?

prrhorseshoecurve posted:

OK so you guys opened yourselves up. What is wrong with present day RTA for Cleveland?

I don't have any problem with it.  The old blue cars are more interesting and nostalgic though.  Current RTA red-line trains are made by Tokyu and are unpainted stainless steel.  I would prefer the old cars / paint colors in O scale.

I used to ride the RTA rapid daily to work for many years until I moved to a location not as near a station.  I use it at times to get downtown for events or recently, jury duty.    99% of the time it is very reliable.  My only beef with RTA is when something did cause a failure they are really poor at taking care of customers.  Poor service recovery and communication.  Those are fairly rare but can happen. RTA has been refurbishing interiors of trains and replacing the 1950's era stations with very nice stations.  RTA does have misteps by management from time to time.  Overall, its ok, glad we have it!

Okay Scott, I think I know where you're coming from.  I started riding the rapid as a daily commuter from the East Side to St. Ignatius High School on the West Side in 1957.  Later on, I worked part time as a traffic checker for CTS while I was a college student at John Carroll.  As far as I'm concerned, there was no better transit in the nation than Cleveland in the 1950s and it achieved many firsts during that period.  You probably know why it never reached its full potential, but that's a sadder tale for another time.  As far as the aesthetics of the original St. Louis Car "Bluebirds" themselves, they were allowed to deteriorate over the decades to disgraceful hulks.  I do have some pix of the rapid in better days as well of some models i've made of representative CTS equipment over the years you might get a kick out of .  I'm afraid I must agree with the comment about RTA- what a colossal disappointment.

CTSRAPID, 

 Would enjoy seeing the pics and models of those better years!  My experiences on the "Bluebirds" was when I was 5 to 8 years old so I really only remember some aspects of those trips.  

  Please share some pics!

Scott

Scott-  Here are some Bluebirds right out of the box in the mid-fifties.  Next up- pix of actual O-scale models of CTS Bluebirds.

Very cool, pix.

Those are the ones that I remember riding with my father in the early 60's.  We lived on the west side of Cleveland near what was then called the West Park Station located off of Lorain Rd. west of W. 140Th St.

Chief Bob (Retired)

This car looks kind of interesting with its unique front:

CTS, thanks for posting the pics!!!

prrhorseshoecurve posted:

This car looks kind of interesting with its unique front:

Those are the Pullman made cars.  I liked those too

Roving Sign posted:

Lets take it all the way back to the Lakeshore Electric Railway - lots of single car/trolley choices - not sure how they were painted, since all the photos are black and white. I think they even did some freight toward the end.

There was a great deal of movement of freight by interurban/trolley. The local lines had a sort of electric "Railway Express" called Electric Package....

Scott-

In 2004, the St. Petersburg Tram Collection produced 35 unpowered O-scale Bluebirds as well as unassembled kits for same.  No additional models or kits were ever made.  Bottom two pix show a way to kitbash an existing MTH Chicago 6000-series el car into a Bluebird, although it clearly isn't blue.  Although RTA repainted the Shaker Rapid and CTS bus fleets, the Bluebirds staggered on in varying shades of blue along with other unaddressed cosmetic blemishes- except for 109.  As you can see, 109 was repainted into the new RTA livery, and although I'm not a fan, it's actually not half-bad.  I did cheat a bit on the final pic which seems to suggest 109 running in revenue service.  It never did; RTA used her as a garbage scow.  On the other hand, if need a real Bluebird fix, drive on down to the Northern Ohio Railway Museum, where 109 still runs occasionally in glorious "as-delivered" blue.  This is a pretty involved makeover, but if you want to go for it Scott, I'll be glad to send you a pantograph as well as "as-delivered" CTS rapid decals.  Pix two and three are models of the Pullman-Standard "Airporter" cars which began service in 1967, first in red, then seven years later in green and blue. 

I think they are pretty cool looking cars  Nothing MTH has out resembles them though    Here are some pics I found

Well, I stumbled on this thread via Google. I also remember those old blue cars with fondess having ridden from Windermere to W25th (also to Ignatius) from 1966-70. The joy of waiting in the snow for the train, each stop when the open doors let in the cold air and snow, etc.