This word seems to have had several meanings on different trolley operations, but in Cleveland it had more to do with the line than with the cars that operated on them. These were shuttles, short lines on which a car or two ran back and forth either as short connections between through lines or as extensions of through lines where ridership didn’t justify full service. Because of the nature of such service, one man double-ended cars were used, reversing at the end of each run. The cars were smaller, typically elderly, rebuilt from outdated city cars.
In some cases, dinkey operations lasted only a very short time, as when dinkey ridership justified extending the run of the larger city cars or when a run was tried as an experiment and did not attract enough riders to be viable.
However, a few Cleveland Railway dinkey runs lasted for longer periods. Some of these operations were: Abby, from W 14th to W 25th; Broadview, an extension of the W 25th line; Cedar, from Fairmont to Coventry before the through Cedar line was extended; Clark Bridge, Broadway to W 14th, providing service to many industries in the Cuyahoga Valley; Coventry, connecting the Fairmont line with the rapid transit on Shaker Blvd; Mayfield operated from Lee to Warrensville Center until it was replaced by through cars; Pearl was an extension on Ridge of the W 25th /Pearl line; Superior was a connecting line from Arlington to Euclid. Of course, being lines that did not justify full service, they were among the first to go when decreasing ridership led to bus substitution or outright closure.
Cleveland’s last dinkey operation, that on State Road, between Brookpark Road and Bean Road, ended in 1938.
Digital archives are great, but nothing beats a Saturday afternoon spent exploring real electric railway cars. Whether you’re a lifelong rail fan or looking for a unique family outing just minutes from Medina, we invite you to join us this summer. Our gates officially open for the 2026 Season on May 23rd. Check out our Rides and Tours page to see what’s waiting for you at the station!