Rollsigns from Norwood, OH
Prior to the organization of any local public transportation in the area of Norwood, passenger commuter trains held down fast and reliable
service. The Kerper's Cable Railway, also known as the "Walnut Hills Cable Road", ran from the downtown Cincinnati Post Office to
Montgomery Pike. Travellers would commonly walk from Norwood along Montgomery Pike to ride the trains. In 1888 an omnibus
operator provided connecting service along Montgomery Pike from Norwood to the cable car depot, but the service only lasted about a
week because there wasn't enough patronage to cover the costs of the Montgomery Pike tolls. Area residents did want more, and organized
efforts to extend the railway service or provide a connecting service to the existing Kerper's Cable Railway.  Through discussions, the
interest was settled on the use of "modern" streetcars. Norwood residents, property owners and county commissioners met to discuss
building a streetcar line on Montgomery Pike from Norwood to the Kerper's Railway line. Legal disputes over the ownership of the
Montgomery Pike right of way delayed the implementation of service, but finally on July 4, 1891 the new service on the Norwood streetcar
line began. The service operated between Walnut Hills and Eden park to the Sanker's Inn in Norwood. Soon after, the State of Ohio passed
a law permitting the Hamilton County commissioners the right to purchase all or part of the Cincinnati and Montgomery turnpike, thus
making it a toll free public route. By 1898, the system had expanded to three area routes. They used the unique double wire overhead,
rather than a single wire like most streetcars used. By the 1920s, several more lines running to or through Norwood were added to the
network. By 1949 and 1950, the electric streetcars were replaced with electric trolley buses. Although the rails were no longer used, the
trolley buses continued to use the double overhead left over from the streetcars. In 1965 the trolley buses were replaced, and the city
commenced operations using two diesel buses. Service was two feeder routes to the Cincinnati lines. In 1972 they purchased two new buses
and shortly after a new transit garage was built. Operations continued until 2004, when local service was abandoned and other routes were
cut back. Today, only a few select routes serve the area of Norwood, operated as part of Cincinnati's (Queen City) Metro Transit network.
This mylar rollsign set was retrieved from former City of
Norwood Transit's 1980 built Chance RT-50 bus #529.

The front rollsign (left) is dated June 20, 1980 and the side
rollsign (right) is dated July 10, 1980, making it highly
likely these signs were the only ones to occupy this bus.

Each sign has nine exposures. Their respective sign tags
are shown below.
City of Norwood Transit #529, a June 1980 built Chance
RT-50 bus (serial #80-7096) and still displaying the signs
on this page, is seen at a scrap yard in Cincinnati, Ohio on
March 2, 2015. The system discontinued service in 2004.
CHANCE MFG. - NORWOOD, OHIO
P.O. 02567
270-21443
6/20/80 TRANSIGN
CHANCE MFG.-NORWOOD ,OHIO
PO 02567
270-21444
7/10/80 TRANSIGN