Railfanning Spots - GTW Detroit

[SDavey]

I am currently in the process of typing a summary of places to railfan within the city of Detroit. I will be focusing on each subdivision of the various railroads in the city (CR Shared Assets, CSX, NS, CP, GTW). So far i have finished the GTW and will be working on the rest as I go along.

There are a lot of good places in the city that are often overlooked by most so its my hope to bring those forward to everyone.

Grand Trunk Western

GTW Holly Subdivision (8 Mile Road to Milwaukee Junction)
The Holly Subdivision enters the city at 8 Mile Road near the Michigan State Fairgrounds and proceeds south paralleling Interstate 75 for most of the way from East Nevada Street to Milwaukee Junction.

The areas along the tracks north of East McNichols (6 Mile) are mainly residential with light industry located along the tracks. The East Nevada crossing offers the best photo opportunities as an overhead signal is over the tracks, and is the only grade crossing along the tracks between 8 Mile and Caniff Street in Hamtramck.

South of the Davison Expressway overpasses the tracks head into a more industrial area as the tracks pass into the city of Hamtramck. After passing Caniff Street the tracks pass over Interstate 75 and pass along side the American Axle Plant near Holbrook Street. This area of Hamtramck allows for photography in the early to late afternoon as accessibly is better from the west side of the tracks.

At Clay Avenue the Holly Subdivision will enter Milwaukee Junction, in which trains will proceed east onto the Mount Clemens Subdivision and enter the GTW East Yard in Hamtramck. Trains may also proceed west on the GTW Shore Line towards Delray Junction and Toledo. The Holly Subdivision once proceeded south of Milwaukee Junction to the Brush Street Station in Downtown Detroit but was severed some years ago. Trackage remains south of the junction and is owned by the Detroit Connecting Railway, but is sparely used.

The railroad also operated suburban commuter trains between downtown Detroit and Pontiac, Michigan from 1931 until 1974 when the now defunct Southeast Michigan Transportation Authority took over operating the commuter trains.

Number of Trains – 10 to 15 Freights, and Amtrak Wolverine Service.

GTW Mount Clemens Subdivision (Milwaukee Junction to 8 Mile Road)
The Mount Clemens Subdivision begins at Milwaukee Junction and proceeds northeast into East Yard in Hamtramck. From Milwaukee Junction to the opposite end of East Yard the subdivision parallels the Conrail North Yard Branch.

East Yard is somewhat hard to access but views can be obtained. The west end of the yard begins near the Conant Street overpass, but westbound trains can also be viewed along Hamtramck Drive between Joseph Campau in Hamtramck and East Grand Boulevard in Detroit. GTW also has a small yard on the south side of Hamtramck Drive at Joseph Campau that serves as a staging point for locomotives on trains out of East Yard, but also switches the General Motors plant at that location.

Once out of East Yard the tracks proceed in a northeast direction towards Port Huron. This area of Northeast Detroit is mostly light industrial along the tracks between Hamtramck and 8 Mile Road. Grade crossings can be found along the line as opposed to the Holly Subdivision, which has many grade separations. Crossings at Van Dyke Avenue, and Outer Drive offer the best viewing and photo possibilities for southbound trains. Photos of East Yard can also be obtained from the Mount Elliott Avenue Bridge, but it is a long approach to walk up there.

Number of Trains – Up to 10 Freights

GTW Shore Line (Milwaukee Junction to Delray Junction)
The Shore Line sub consists of tracks formally owned by the Detroit and Toledo Shore Line Railroad, which was a small rail carrier that had a multi-track mainline bridging Detroit and Toledo. The Grand Trunk and the Nickel Plate Railroad co-owned the railroad. GTW eventually took complete control of the line when the Norfolk and Western Railway sold its share of the line in the early 1980’s.

The Shore Line runs southerly from Milwaukee Junction towards Toledo passing through some important junctions along the way, and parallels the Conrail Detroit Line for the majority of its route between Detroit and Toledo. Trains enter the Shore Line off both the Holly and Mount Clemens subdivisions as they proceed.

Amtrak trains will proceed at a reduced speed as they approach the station stop at the station located at Woodward Avenue. This location is often used by dispatchers to hold trains heading eastbound for space to open up on both the Holly Subdivision and into East Yard in Hamtramck.

From Woodward Avenue the tracks head more southwest towards CP-Vinewood, which provides a connection for Amtrak trains to leave the Shore Line and proceed into the Norfolk Southern Michigan Line towards Chicago.

Southbound freights may also use the connection at CP-Vinewood to enter Conrail trackage rights from here to Pleasant Street in River Rouge where they will again enter home rails. These trackage rights were obtained by the GTW to help move trains more quickly through the junctions at West Detroit and Delray, along with the elimination of using the Norfolk Southern Bridge over the Rouge River south of Delray Junction.

The Shore Line is unique in that there are no grade crossings between Clay Avenue and Delray Junction. Each street or expressway crossing underneath the Shore Line, which makes photography a bit more challenging but can be accomplished if you think ahead.

Number of Trains –10 to 15 Freights, and Amtrak Wolverine Service north of CP-Vinewood.

[trainjunkie47]

Right next to the Nevada crossing, Oakland crosses the Holly Sub.