Believe it or not, Cleveland had a large network of streetcars during the first half of the twentieth century. The Cleveland Railway operated the streetcars, which began running in 1910. The lines were numerous, running on Madison, Clark, West 25th, Superior, Lorain, Euclid, St. Clair, Detroit, Mayfield, Kinsman and many others. The Cleveland Transit System took over from the Cleveland Railway system in 1942 and only 12 years later the streetcars shut down.

Photos via The Cleveland Memory Project.

Cleveland Railway Car 565 at Central Ave. and East 83rd Street, 1905 Credit: Cleveland Memory Project
Trolley Cars at Public Square, 1912 Credit: Cleveland Memory Project
Superior Viaduct, 1912 Credit: Cleveland Memory Project
Trolley cars at Euclid and East 9th St., Hanna Building visible, 1921 Credit: Cleveland Memory Project
Cleveland Railway Double Decker Buses, 1926 Credit: Cleveland Memory Project
View of East 9th and Euclid looking east. Work is being done on the rails on Euclid Avenue, 1929 Credit: Cleveland Memory Project
Cleveland Railway Car 907 at East 79th Street and Euclid Avenue, 1930 Credit: Cleveland Memory Project
Streetcars at Broadway and Harvard, 1930 Credit: Cleveland Memory Project
Cleveland Railway Co. doing repairs at 2600 Euclid Ave., 1933 Credit: Cleveland Memory Project
Cleveland Railway Car 1372 at East 9th St. and Pier, 1938 Credit: Cleveland Memory Project
Cleveland Railway Car 1359 in front of Fenn College, 1939 Credit: Cleveland Memory Project
Cleveland Railway Car 4077 at Euclid Ave. and E. 107th St., 1939 Credit: Cleveland Memory Project
Cleveland Railway Car 4054 at the intersection of Euclid and E. 79th, 1940 Credit: Cleveland Memory Project
Cleveland Railway Car 4077 on Euclid Ave. at Public Square, 1940 Credit: Cleveland Memory Project
Cleveland Railway Car 4061 on Fairmount Blvd., 1940 Credit: Cleveland Memory Project
Cleveland Railway car 480 at the Catalpa Way [i.e., junction] on the Euclid Avenue, 1940 Credit: Cleveland Memory Project
Cleveland Railways Car 4137 at E. 34th St. and Pittsburgh, 1940 Credit: Cleveland Memory Project
Cleveland Transit Car 4213 stopped at the Brookpark Loop, 1946 Credit: Cleveland Memory Project
Cleveland Transit Car 163 by the Corlett Loop, 1946 Credit: Cleveland Memory Project
Cleveland Transit Car 4208 at Euclid Beach Park, 1946 Credit: Cleveland Memory Project
Trolley link-up on West Superior Avenue, 1947 Credit: Cleveland Memory Project
Trackless Trolley 1117 and Car 4235 at St. Clair and East 30th St. on their last day, 1951 Credit: Cleveland Memory Project
Cleveland Railway Car 1028 on Lakeshore Blvd., 1930-1959 Credit: Cleveland Memory Project
Cleveland Railway Car 1107 at East 79th St. and Superior Ave., 1930-1959 Credit: Cleveland Memory Project
Streetcars at the Mall, 1930-1959 Credit: Cleveland Memory Project
Cleveland Railway car 1293 at East 14th St. and Prospect Ave., 1930-1959 Credit: Cleveland Memory Project
Cleveland Railway Car 1336 on the Edgewater Park Loop, 1930-1959 Credit: Cleveland Memory Project
Cleveland Railway Car 213 at Woodland Ave. and East 30th Street, 1930-1959 Credit: Cleveland Memory Project
Cleveland Railway car 371 at Lexington Ave. and East 66th Street by League Park, 1930-1959 Credit: Cleveland Memory Project
Cleveland Railway cars lined up in front of Luna Park near Woodhill Road and Quincy Avenue, 1930-1959 Credit: Cleveland Memory Project
Cleveland Railway Streetcars on Superior Viaduct, 1930-1959 Credit: Cleveland Memory Project
Cleveland Railway’s Harvard Shops. Harvard Ave. and East 49th St., 1930-1959 Credit: Cleveland Memory Project
Cleveland Transit 4000 series on Cedar Road, 1930-1959 Credit: Cleveland Memory Project
Cleveland Transit Car 153 on East 116th St., 1930-1959 Credit: Cleveland Memory Project
Cleveland Transit Car 260 at Quincy Ave. and East 105th St., 1930-1959 Credit: Cleveland Memory Project
Cleveland Transit Car 399 driving past League Park, 1930-1959 Credit: Cleveland Memory Project
Cleveland Transit Car 327 on the Luna Park Loop, 1930-1959 Credit: Cleveland Memory Project
Cleveland Transit Car 4008 and Trackless Trolley 1137 at the St. Clair Station, 1930-1959 Credit: Cleveland Memory Project
Cleveland Transit Car 4015 and Trackless Trolley 1051 on West 25th St. and Bridge Ave., 1930-1959 Credit: Cleveland Memory Project
Cleveland Transit System Car 4017 southbound on W. 25th St. at Lorain Ave. being changed from St. Clair yards to W. 25th., 1930-1959 Credit: Cleveland Memory Project
Cleveland Transit Car 4033 at West 25th St. and Bridge Ave., 1930-1959 Credit: Cleveland Memory Project
Cleveland Transit Car 4223 at the Madison Station, 1930-1959 Credit: Cleveland Memory Project
Cleveland Transit Trackless Trolley 1010 at Broadway Ave. and Pershing Ave., 1930-1959 Credit: Cleveland Memory Project
Cleveland Transit Trackless Trolley 1033 at Prospect Avenue and Huron Road, 1930-1959 Credit: Cleveland Memory Project
Cleveland Transit Trackless Trolley 1046 on Prospect Avenue, 1930-1959 Credit: Cleveland Memory Project
A view of Euclid Avenue east from in front of the May Company on Public Square with visible Street Cars, 1930-1959 Credit: Cleveland Memory Project
Streetcar at Lansing Avenue and South Broadway, 1930-1959 Credit: Cleveland Memory Project
Streetcars lined up outside of Cleveland Public Auditorium for the A.E.R.A. Convention, 1930-1959 Credit: Cleveland Memory Project
Streetcars on the Superior Viaduct, 1930-1959 Credit: Cleveland Memory Project
Trolley cars at East 9th Street and Euclid Avenue, 1930-1959 Credit: Cleveland Memory Project

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