Known by most as “The OX“, Shaker Heights Rapid Transit (SHRT) number Zero X was built in 1924 by the G. C. Kuhlman Car Company as freight motor 202 for the Michigan Electric Railway. It was a regular visitor to Cleveland for the line and later for the Northern Ohio Traction & Light Company of Akron. The latter company purchased it in 1929 after the former ceased operations. The Northern Ohio renumbered it to 1078 and added it to their busy fleet of freight motors. It would serve in this capacity until abandonment of the interurban in 1932. The car was then acquired by the Cleveland Interurban Railroad (CIRR), commonly known as the Shaker Rapid. It became one of the line’s work cars. It was renumbered to X78. At the time the CIRR was a more closely affiliated corporately with the Cleveland Union Terminal Railroad (CUT) because of the Van Sweringen affiliation with the latter. So, when it was time to designate the CIRR’s first piece of work equipment, it was only natural they follow CUT practice and number work equipment beginning with an X.
On CIRR it was used to haul hopper cars of ballast and other construction materials to maintain the line. It also brought hopper cars of coal off the Erie Railroad interchange track to the Kingsbury Run maintenance shop. The shop was heated with a coal furnace. This was a common heating method for a 1930 vintage building, but was an anachronism by the late 1970’s. In the late 70’s the shop furnace was replaced with a natural gas-powered unit and the coal runs ceased.
In 1948 the Shaker took delivery of a set of new PCC cars numbered 71 through 95, requiring the re-numbering of X78 to 0X. By this time the now municipally owned Shaker Rapid had a closer working relationship with the Cleveland Transit System. They numbered their work equipment beginning with zero, the same as their predecessor Cleveland Railway. So, we have a curious combination of CTS and CUT numbering methodology employed. Zero X was soon corrupted into OX. In the late 1960s the Shaker retired their Line Car 101 from service and 0X was pressed into service as a replacement. The roof of the car was rebuilt with a flat section with trap door and ladder and a moveable platform section to provide better access to the overhead lines and supporting structures.
Mundane work duties, toiling in anonymity, dominated most assignments for the OX. But one day a year it was the star and most anticipated rail car on the Shaker Rapid. For many years the OX brought Santa Claus to the annual Shaker Square Holiday lighting ceremony and brought joy to many a child.
The car faithfully continued servicing the Line’s overhead system into the RTA era and acted as a locomotive when needed for heavy duty switching service. In 1984 RTA replaced the car with newer equipment and it was retired. It was acquired by Trolleyville USA in 1984 and became that museum’s line car until it closed. The car was acquired by NORM in 2009. It is operable.
| Builder | Kuhlman Car Company |
| Type | Interurban Car |
| Description | Double End Double Truck Arch Roof Wood Motor |
| Year Built | 1924 |
| Retired | 1985 |
| Acquired | 2009 |
| Seats | n/a |
| Length | 53′ |
| Width | 8′ 10″ |
| Height | 13′ 0″ |
| Weight | 90,000 |
| Trucks | Brill 27MCB |
| Motors | 4 WH562 |
| Control | 2 WH HL-337P |
| Brakes | WAB |
| Compressor | 2 WH D3F |