Cincinnati on the Go: History of Mass Transit

Images of America: Ohio

by Allen J. Singer

Cincinnati on the Go explores the various modes of transportation that helped people get around in the first half of the 20th century, providing a unique view of the Queen City through the eyes of her everyday commuters. This volume features historic images of river transportation, street railways, city buses, steam railroads, the first automobiles, and wonderful, rare street scenes. Author Allen J. Singer expands on the transportation photographs in the previously released The Cincinnati Subway, inviting the reader up and out of the abandoned subway tunnels and on a visual tour through the historic streets of the Queen City on her riverboats, streetcars, cable cars, railroads, interurbans, and buses.

Genres: History

128 pages, Paperback

First published October 20, 2004

Reviews

[James Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book covers the history of mass transit in Cincinnati, starting with horses, then trains and streetcars and then cars and buses. There was also an attempt at a subway but it was abandoned.

There were also riverboats in large numbers and the Miami and Erie canal. The Ohio River did its best attempts to get rid of the city in 1884, 1913 and 1937 when it really flooded badly. The canal was replaced by the railroads (which had their own dining cars) but the railroads gradually faded away with the growth of the highways.

There were also inclines to get people up the steep hills but these, too, fell to advances in road construction. Trolly cars were popular but they too became historical things as they got replaced by the bus system.

The book also has many photos. Very interesting book.