Lakewood - Lake Shore Rail Maps

Although the Lake Shore Electric was famous for its Cleveland to Toledo service it never had its own right-of-way out of Cleveland. From the beginning of the Lorain & Cleveland line in 1897, cars used the Cleveland Electric Railway's trackage between Public Square and Rocky River. Despite the later possibility of a direct route to Cleveland Union Terminal that would bypass Lakewood, the Lake Shore continued on this route for the rest of its days. The original route followed Detroit Ave., over seven miles of track in the center of a busy major street. In June of 1903 the Lake Shore began using the new Clifton Blvd. route to the north. This slightly longer route was actually faster as the tracks were laid in the tree lawns on either side of the residential street, thus avoiding traffic. The Lake Shore was prohibited from making local stops along Cleveland Railway tracks between Public Square (stop A) and Rocky River (stop B.) Passengers boarded at either end and simply passed through Lakewood. However, there were freight operations within the city. Harry Christiansen points out Viking Court, near the intersection of Lake Ave. and Clifton Blvd., as "an old city trolley loop where the Lake Shore unloaded freight cars in the early days." According to Dennis Lamont there was no depot or terminal here and it was most likely just a stop for unloading less-than-carload packages "which they did at many places before they really got into the freight business." Another location was near the Cleveland Railway car barn at W. 117th and Madison Ave. This freight "house," like others, was little more than a wooden shed where outgoing packages were collected before being loaded onto LSE cars. The shed seen in the photo below may have been the original built by the Lake Shore in 1927 and later moved when the Cleveland Railway changed the track arrangement at this location, but no hard proof has been found. From downtown Cleveland the Lake Shore route followed Detroit Ave. to Lake Ave., where it veered to the north. After passing under the New York Central Railroad tracks the route turned west for a short stretch on Baltic Road (now part of Clifton) and then onto Clifton Blvd. The turn from Lake Ave. to Clifton Blvd. was the point at which the two sets of rails left the middle of the city street and ran through the tree lawns on either side of Clifton Blvd. Westbound cars used the north track, eastbound cars used the south track. It is interesting to imagine the big interurbans travelling through the lawns of a residential neighborhood, or early automobile owners having to cross railway tracks at the end of their driveways, but this is exactly how the line was built. At the west end of the city Clifton Blvd. turned south at what is now called West Clifton Blvd. After passing under the Nickel Plate Railroad tracks the interurban route turned west and followed Sloane Ave. toward Rocky River. This location is notable for a derailment that occurred in 1937 (see photos). On April 14th #179, eastbound for Cleveland, jumped from the tracks as it made the turn from Sloane Ave. to Clifton. It struck an iron pole at the side of the road, damaging the car and injuring four passengers. Today you can still drive the route through Lakewood, but nothing remains of the electric railways. Clifton Blvd was widened from four lanes to seven, and the tree lawns where the railway tracks were laid have since been paved over to create the new lanes.	An interurban heads for Cleveland along the treelawn of Clifton Blvd. (Harry Christiansen)
	#179 is westbound at Detroit and Lake Ave. in 1936. The "Cleveland" destination sign is an error. (W.A. McCaleb)
	A Cleveland streetcar passes under the New York Central tracks on Lake Ave. near Clifton. (Dennis Lamont)
	Looking north as Lake Ave. tracks turn onto Clifton. The old Viking Ct. siding is visible at the bottom. (Dennis Lamont)
	Lorain local #170 passes businesses on Clifton at W. 117th St. in the winter of 1936. (Harry Christiansen photo)
The Clifton Blvd. line as it appeared when built in 1902. (Cleveland State University Library)	An eastbound interurban on Clifton at Giel, c1930. (Cleveland State University Library)
Clifton Blvd. at Ethel Ave. as it looked in 1949 with Cleveland Railway streetcars. (Cleveland State University Library)	A two car train on Clifton Blvd., probably in the 1920's. (Cleveland State University Library)
Clifton Blvd. at Ethel Ave. in 2010. The widened road now covers the railway's path (Google Earth)	Freight motor pulling two box trailers along Clifton Blvd. on its way to the Eagle Ave. freight house. (Thomas Patton)
Looking west, Warren Road is on the left. (Cleveland State University Library)	Cleveland Railway streetcar passing under the Nickel Plate Railroad on West Clifton. (Cleveland State University Library)
#177 on Clifton Blvd. at West 103rd Street. (Dennis Lamont)	The scene at Clifton and Sloane in 1937 when #179 jumped the rails. (Cleveland State University Library)
Work motor pulling #179 back onto the rails. (Cleveland State University Library)	A wider view of the accident showing the location. (Cleveland State University Library)
Another view of the work motor doing its job. (Cleveland State University Library)	Scene of the derailment in 2010. View is north on West Clifton, Sloane Ave. at left. (Google Maps)
#172 eastbound on Sloane Ave. on May 14, 1938, the last day of operation. (Cleveland State University Library)	Westbound express #166 on Sloane Ave. followed by the Lorain local. (Cleveland State University Library)
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