Cleveland Union Terminal

Company History: This project was the brain child of the Van Sweringen brothers who would go on to control the Nickel Plate Road, Chesapeake & Ohio, Pere Marquette, and Erie. It began with a referendum passed in 1919 and after 10 years of design and construction, the first trains arrived in 1929. The terminal was used by New York Central, Big Four, Nickel Plate Road, and Baltimore & Ohio. Shaker Heights Rapid Transit also served the Terminal. The Terminal Tower, which included the headquarters of the Nickel Plate Road, was the tallest building in the world, outside of New York City until 1964. Because there were limits on the use of steam locomotives downtown, CUT and its lengthy approaches were equipped with catenary. CUT electric locomotives would pull passenger trains into the terminal and deliver them back to waiting steam locomotives. Erie Railroad had been invited to use the terminal but balked at the expense of the steam-electric transfer operation. By 1948, dieselization made it a moot point and Erie began using CUT. The electrics were retired once NYC, NKP and B&O had all dieselized their passenger service through the terminal. Passenger service to the CUT ended in 1973 and the properties were re-purposed.

Brief History: The U.S. is a country of 50 states covering a vast swath of North America, with Alaska in the northwest and Hawaii extending the nation’s presence into the Pacific Ocean. Major Atlantic Coast cities are New York, a global finance and culture center, and capital Washington, DC. Midwestern metropolis Chicago is known for influential architecture and on the west coast, Los Angeles' Hollywood is famed for filmmaking.