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From: friedman@uiucdcs.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.railroad
Subject: Re: Attention: Subway Enthusiasts - (nf)
Message-ID: <20600008@uiucdcs.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 1-Jun-84 13:39:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: uiucdcs.20600008
Posted: Fri Jun  1 13:39:00 1984
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Nf-From: uiucdcs!friedman    Jun  1 12:39:00 1984

#R:inmet:7900002:uiucdcs:20600008:000:2146
uiucdcs!friedman    Jun  1 12:39:00 1984

Most commentators on electric rail city transit don't classify systems so
much on a subway/non-subway basis, but on a light/heavy basis.  Since most
subway systems are heavy rail, they tend to assume all are.  I imagine that's
the reason the Newark system is left off of subway lists; it (and anything
running PCCs) is clearly light rail.

Another system (or pair of systems, depending on how you count them) that
could be viewed as a subway, but which is usually omitted from lists of
subway systems, is the Cleveland system.  It services its downtown terminal
from below ground, though most of the system is at or near grade level.
There is a heavy rail system running, roughly, east-west, originally built in
the 1950s by the Cleveland Transit System, now called the Red Line, operated by
pantograph from compound catenary.  And there is an older light rail system
having two branches, originally built as the Cleveland Interurban (or some-
thing like that; not sure I have that name right), later operated as the
Shaker Heights Rapid Transit, and now called the Green and Blue Lines.  Both
sytems are now operated by the Cleveland Regional Transit Authority.  They
share trackage from the downtown terminal (which is about the middle of the
Red Line, and the west terminal of the other two lines) east to about 52nd St.
The light rail system has new Italian-made cars from Breda; the heavy rail
system is being equipped with new cars, but I forget who is making them.  The
older cars on the light rail system were PCCs (and before that, ordinary city
streetcars and second-hand lightweight interurban cars), operated by ordinary
trolley pole; the new cars are pantograph equipped, as are a few rebuilt PCCs.
Before the new cars were accepted, the light rail line was completely rebuilt:
roadbed, overhead system, and everything; very nice results.  The shared
trackage has always had to support both pantagraph and trolley pole; now, the
entire light rail system does so.  By the way, the shared trackage is left-
hand operated, so that the PCCs can load passengers from a ground-level
platform between the tracks.  An interesting operation.