Erie access to old Cleveland Depot

Can anyone explain how ERIE gained access onto the Big 4 to get to their old depot - Pre-CUT ?

Pre-CUT, ERIE passenger trains used the main tracks to the West End of the Literary St. Yard, then the connection to the Big Four's DK Tower and over to the Water St. Stn.

If you look at aerial maps, Literary St. Yard is now a builder's supply yard. The connection was under the west end of the I-90 and NKP bridges and crossed Scranton Rd. to get to the Big Four.

During the CUT construction, the W&LE also used this route as the W&LE Vinigar Hill Stn. was demolished for the CUT project.

Thanks Sheldon

For a little more Clarification ... was this a direct connection ramp down from Literary Street (HD Yard) to the Big Four ... I don't understand the elevation change. Was Scranton Road crossed with a bridge or was it a grade crossing ?

The only thing I could find on later ERIE / EL track charts appeared to be a connection at the SW quadrant from the Erie dropping down to the Big Four.

But from what you are saying there was a connection at the NE Quadrant.

I am just not understanding how the elevation change occured.

I forgot about the WLE - Vinegar Hill.

Also ... not sure how the ERIE crossed the B&O .. (C&VT?) can't recall the pre-B&O name - Cuyahoga Valley line.

Thanks again !

The ERIE / Big Four connector was an overhead bridge across Scranton Rd. The Big Four trackage is on a shelf on a hillside and is several feet above the level of Scranton Rd.

On Scranton, south to north, there were the overhead bridges for:
NKP mainline (still in use by NS)
ERIE / Big 4 connector (gone)
Big 4 Dock trackage which crossed the River on a Schertzer lift bridge (both gone)

The ERIE also had low-level trackage to the frieghthouse which was at Scranton Rd. and Eagle Ave. (also gone)

The ERIE crossed over the B&O's CT&V line on the east side of the River and the CL&W and W&LE on the west side of the River.

Ok great, I think I understand this now and looking forward to my next Cleveland trip to get "on the ground" and at least try to visualize what was ....

To really visualize what used to be, you should get one of the maps available from NOARS that shows everything c. 1930.

Okay, what is NOARS ?

Northern Ohio Assoc. of Railway Societies, which meets at Cleveland State University.