Detroit torn up track question

[Crow T Robot]

Was doing some google map searching and found a strech of torn up track from Wyoming St, Btw Intervale st and Lyndon st I think in Dearborn, to Gallagher and Jerome st in either Detroit or Highland Park. The track at either end still seems active atleast as far as can be seen on the maps. Who owns the track? Any idea why it was torn up as when going over it there were still serveral spurs on the old line. Of course they may or may not have been active. Just wondering..

[wagnew0923]

You will notice some un-used lines are torn up and some are not. It depends on scrap prices at the time. If they are to low then it costs more to take them up then they would get for scrap value. Anyway all of that track is land locked due to the crossings being taken up. Anyway, that was owned by the old DT&I. As the smaller industries along these track closed and as the tracks grew less stable it fell into disuse and was abandoned. I do not think anyone own's it.

[SW]

Was the Detroit Terminal Railroad. Some details here:
http://www.railroadfan.com/phpbb/viewto ... f=3&t=6149

[GP30M4216]

Crow, the line you reference is a portion of the old Union Belt West Detroit line and the Detroit Terminal beltline.

Quick history lesson. Both were terminal railroads which operated in and around Detroit switching primarily industrial customers. Each were co-owned by larger Class 1s which served the city.

The Union Belt was a joint effort of the PRR, the PM/C&O, and the Wabash/N&W. Their primary lines included the joint line from Delray Tower east to FSUD, and their West Detroit line which runs from P Company Jct. in east Dearborn north and then east a little ways beyond Wyoming Avenue. No equipment was lettered for the Union Belt, the three ownership roads jointly used their crews and equipment.

The line ends from the west just short of Wyoming Ave., where the last customer served is Quaker Chemical a block or two to the west.

The Detroit Terminal was jointly owned by the GTW and the NYC. They also had a west side line, branching off the MC at the west end of Junction Yard, crossing the C&O over Michigan Avenue, then continuing north until the neighborhood of Intervale and Cloverdale Streets, where it turned northeast to parallel the Union Belt. At some point in here, they must have joined. The Detroit Terminal continued northeast through Highland Park, crossing GTW north of the Davison, then arcing around toward McNichols and Mt. Elliot, where it turns due south toward the Detroit River and the Warehouse District/Conners Creek Area.

Portions of this line have been abandoned. From the west end, the connection to the NYC in Dearborn is gone. The remaining track branches off the CSX at Michigan Ave and Miller Road, and only goes for a few miles, ending just south of Warren Road. The remainder is abandoned until the east side of Detroit, east of I-75, where you noted it picks up again. Unlike the Union Belt, the Detroit Terminal did have its own motive power (mostly end-cab switchers, EMDs and Baldwins I think), and a few cabooses. I'm not sure on the crew situation.

I'm very curious to know what the track arrangement was in the Cloverdale, Intervale area where the Union Belt and the Detroit Terminal must have joined.

[Crow T Robot]

Thanks for the info..

[mutant of Flat Rock]

You need Mappage my friend....


http://www.knorek.com/RR/SAA/Maps/CRDTmap.htm

http://www.knorek.com/RR/SAA/NorthYardS ... TIndex.htm

there may be more buried in Jeff's site...we never did resize the Consolidate RR map "Detroit and ViniCity" from 1982, but this is my golden reference map of the Motor City...


Can you also find the branch that went through the neighborhoods of Dearborn?? The Oakman spur...just south of Warren and heads west from Wyoming...We checked all of this old stuff out way back when working at Joes Hobbies down there. This line when right next to houses along the street.

Urban Industrial Archeaology is fun!

[M.D.Bentley]

When I hired out the diamond was still in place (98) and the ties were still in place on the N/W corner (EB to NB). Hard place to railfan, but not impossible.

[wagnew0923]

It is fun to walk along but very Ghetto. Try to be low key and not get mugged.

[GP30M4216]

Hey M.D. are you talking about Ford Jct. over on the east side?

M.D.Bentley on Wed Jul 18, 2012 10:51 am

When I hired out the diamond was still in place (98) and the ties were still in place on the N/W corner (EB to NB). Hard place to railfan, but not impossible.

[Stinger4me]

In '67 and '68 I worked an "All Purpose" job out of the Ferndale Yard on the GTW. One of our frequent assignments was to talke a drag to the East Yard. We would deliver that and then pick up a drag for the DTRR, Davison Yard. It was a short trip from the East Yard to the Davison Yard. It was uneventful until we made the trip through the DTRR yard. That yard goat would be "rockin and rollin" moving at very slow speeds through the yard. Once the caboose was in the clear, I would pull the air. The local crew would take off the caboose and the engine would hook up and we would head back to Ferndale. I am not sure where we made the switch onto the GTW line but it was south of McNichols. From that point it was a hope, skip and a jump and much better track to get back to the Ferndale yard. Most days that would be close to an eight hour day.

[M.D.Bentley]

GP30M4216 No,not Ford jct ( that is further east ). Where the Union Belt and Detroit Terminal crossed. West of Livernois & Intervale area. The two crossed at a diamond and had a connecting track on the n/w corner.

[GP30M4216]

M.D.Bentley on Thu Jul 19, 2012 12:50 am

GP30M4216 No,not Ford jct ( that is further east ). Where the Union Belt and Detroit Terminal crossed. West of Livernois & Intervale area. The two crossed at a diamond and had a connecting track on the n/w corner.

Oh gotcha. I didn't realize it lasted that late. I figured there was a diamond but wasn't sure what kind of connection there was. Amazing to think that pretty much everywhere two tracks crossed back then there used to be a transfer track. Even two competing terminal roads! Although, come to think of it, that was probably the only place the DTRR and Union Belt actually crossed. Everywhere else it was one of their ownership roads.

In the years since you hired on, M.D., it's amazing to see how much industry and nature has taken over that area where the West Detroit Belt and DTRR crossed.....you can still sort of see the alignments but it's not very clear.

[M.D.Bentley]

Yup, from the time I hired out the railroad has been trying to drive off the customers on Terminal East . I use to love catching the NY-3 job. Had it's own transfer caboose, that the regular conductor kept in top notch condition. You could see all the former customers and industries along the way. After the work went to Livernois yard, they pulled Ford jct. and started running off the customers ( along with the economy). The wye at Fullerton was still used every week to turn cars for customers. Now whats left of the work is done a couple of days a week.

[Ben Higdon]

Any examples of the RR running off the customers M.D.? I've heard some before but its always interesting to me to hear of operational mistakes or whatnot. Was it losing cars, overly lengthly shipping time, etc?