I like to poke through local history archives at this time of year. Here are a few fun pics I found in the Cleveland Memory Project Cleveland State University collection.

Train ride at Parmatown Mall 1979. The mall was torn down in recent years and restructured into separated stores.
Higbee's indoor train ride:

"Chesapeake and Ohio Railway's 'Can-Do Special', a full-size replica of a 490 engine cab. Throttle starts activator under seat and moves along C&O right-of-way screen outside window make for perfect illusion of a train ride. Besides the youngsters blow a real train whistle and ring the locamotive's bell."--photo verso.

The 2 above photos are dated 1948. Higbee's of course was the department store attached to the Cleveland Union Terminal owned by the VanSweringen brothers who in turn owned the C&O.

This has always been one of my favorites. I wonder if that little guy got a train for Christmas?

Higbee's 1934. The top 3 stores were Halle's, Higbees and The May Co.
Higbee's of course was made even more famous by a little 1983 film:



Ralphie's obsession! 

Public Square 1949 with real streetcars.
Halle's had an attraction all their own:

This jolly fellow in green is Mr. Jingeling, Santa's "Keeper of the Keys".

I'd like to add one of those "Wish Books" to my collection!
That's just a commercial but he had a short holiday segment on the "Captain Penny" cartoon show during the season.

Cartoons, Stooges and Our Gang, a well balanced show! 
This isn't Cleveland, Ohio, but it came up when I did a Google search of "Cleveland Christmas Windows" and is pretty neat.

It's on the Tennessee Valley Authority's website so I guess it's Cleveland, Tennessee. https://www.tva.gov/About-TVA/Our-History/heritage/Merry-and-Bright
Ever wonder about that Lionel Reefer?

In Cleveland the U.S. rights to the formula were first put to use in the old Peerless Auto factory in 1933:

By Martin Linsey - This image is available from the United States Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs divisionunder the digital ID hhh.oh1857.This tag does not indicate the copyright status of the attached work. A normal copyright tag is still required. See Commons:Licensing for more information., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4118898
One of these days I need to add one of those cars to my collection.
One more item. Is this the hottest GG1 in the world?

Radium Limited, only special train of its type, today began handling “hot cargo” in the radiation laboratory at Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Otto Glasser, famed Clinic medical physicist, installed the toy train to protect technicians handling radium compounds needed for treatment of cancer patients and for research work. The model equipment operating over a 21-foot right-of-way is identical to that sold for home railroads through-out the nation. It has been trimmed, however, to only the electric locomotive and a flat car for its special job. The flat car carries a lead-lined container. The “hot cargo” is radon, a radioactive gas produced by the basic supply of radium in the Clinic laboratory. Physicist draw off the gas from the radium, seal it in tiny glass tubes, place these tubes in brass or gold containers, and then measure the strength of the radiation thrown off. Unlike long-life radium, radon gas loses half of its power in less than four days. The radon “seeds” are not very active when the gas is first sealed, but hit their peak strength four hours later. That is why Dr. Glasser introduced the miniature train operated by remote control to transfer the radon gas to the measuring unit. Up until now, Bernard Tautkins, Clinic technician, and three associates have been placing the radon gas in thick, lead-lined containers, and carrying them by hand.The miniature train carrying its own lead-lined container will further eliminate the radiation danger for the technicians.Dr. Glasser said the model train installation was only in its pioneering stage . the locomotive is a small-scale model of the Pennsylvania Railroad’s GG-1 used on its electrified routs. Additional protection for workers handling all types of radioactive element may be provided later, he predicted, through automatic loading and unloading device for the flat car, and by a pneumatic tube to deliver the radon “sees “ to the hospital surgery." by Walter Lerch. -- from photo verso.+
I wonder if it's still there or has found it's way into some toxic waste dump? 