New member: Canton Ohio trolley/light rail information?

Greetings: I am attempting to gather historical information of the extent of trolley and rail service in Canton OH early in the last century. I remember as a child that some abandoned tracks still existed in an alley near my house. Any tips on where to locate maps of service in Canton at its height or even some suggestions on how to approach this issue would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

For maps check the Canton library. For other info there's a trolley museum near Cleveland but I don't know their internet address. Just run a search for it.

Try to get your hands on "The NOT&L Story," by James M. Blower and Robert S. Korach, published in 1966 as Central Electric Railfans' Association Bulletin 109. This should tell you all you want to know about the various interurban and city lines in Canton, including the Northern Ohio Traction & Light (Canton-Akron & city lines), Inter-City Rapid Transit (Canton-Massillon), and Stark Electric (Canton-Alliance-Salem). It includes detailed maps and equipment rosters.

Although it's obviously long out of print, it does show up in the used book market and also should be available at local libraries.

The book by James M. Blower and Robert S. Korach is THE book to have. Jim Blower also published a supplement to this book titled "Northern Ohio Traction Revisited". He had more information on the line than could fit into the CERA Publication. This book is about a 180 page soft cover book. A third publication with info on the line is "New Northern Ohio's Interurbans" by Harry Christiansen, published in 1983. This book comes soft and hard cover and has several chapters on the line. It also covers all of the interurban lines in northeastern Ohio.

The 1960's vintage books usually retail in the $70.00 range while the Christiansen book goes for about $20 to $30 depending on binding. Last I knew the museum store at Northern Ohio Railway Museum had the books in stock and for sale. web address is: www.northernohio.railway.museum

The Museum also has the only surviving passenger interurban cars from the Northern Ohio Interurban. Formal public tours have stopped for the season, but you are welcome to stop by the museum and a volunteer will show you around. This time of year I can't guarantee when staff will be there. Public tours resume in May on Saturdays. Check the web site for hours and start date.

Steve Heister
Northern Ohio Railway Museum