Growth, Merger & More Growth

During the 1880’s and ’90’s, new car lines continued to be built throughout the city and, as we saw last week, by the late ’80’s, electrification began. But the electrification didn’t occur all at once, and many of the new lines in the ’90’s began using the tried-and-true horse car, only to be electrified within a few years.

Another important effect of electrification was that electric cars could operate considerably faster than when pulled by horses. This increased speed, in turn, encouraged longer trips, leading to further geographical expansion of Cleveland’s streetcar system.

It also was a time of amalgamation, as the original small individual lines were combined into successively larger companies so that, in 1893, what less than a decade earlier had been nine separate companies were consolidated into only two. These were the Cleveland Electric Ry Co, popularly known as “the Big Con,” and the “Cleveland City Railway Co, “the Little Con.” Finally, in 1906, these two companies, in addition to three smaller lines begun after 1900, were combined into the “Cleveland Railway Co.”

Picture, NORM archives, shows #1022, an early Cleveland Railway car (1911). The remaining pictures, all Columbus Metropolitan Library, show 2) #116, inherited from one of the earlier systems, with trailer, 3) #170, another inherited car & 4) #870. 1900 – 24, 5) #158, yet another inherited car, and 6) a car on Euclid Ave