Questions About SEMTA
Questions About SEMTA
I was looking at the Pic Of The Day for January 13th, I noticed one for a commuter service called SEMTA in Pontiac, Michigan. I never knew Detroit had a commuter train service that recent. When did they stop running, What lines in Detroit did they run on (Except the CN Holly Sub), and what locos did they run except for the GP9s? -Chris
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conrailmike
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trainjunkie47
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SEMTA had at least 8 locomotives in service with the first being 901. They were all GP9's.
At one time there were many stations and stops along the line. Among them were stops at:
Pontiac
Long Lake Road
Charring Cross Road
Maple Road (at the Birmingham station)
12 Mile Road
11 Mile Road (at the Royal Oak station)
10 Mile Road (way before 696 went in there)
9 Mile Road (the concrete pad 1 block north on the west side of the tracks is still there)
State Fair
? I thought there was a stop at McNichols, but not sure.
Holbrook
Milwaukee Junction (located just south of where the track used to cross the NYC, right near where the warehouse lofts are now.)
? Someplace, there was another stop prior to the water front.
Not nearly all of these stops survived the final days of SEMTA.
Here is a photo I found on Michigan's Internet Railroad History Museum
SEMTA engine 521 pulls its commuter train northbound towards the Pontiac station - c. 1970's. The photograph was taken under the southbound signal bridge near Yellow Cab Yard. Yellow Cab Yard served the General Motors Truck and Bus plant in Pontiac. It is so named because taxicabs were manufactured there years ago, as well as school buses. Like so many things on a railroad, the name has stuck long after cab production stopped. [Charlie Whipp collection].
Here is another of SEMTA at the Renaissance Center
(Greg Bober Collection) Photo Courtesy of Michigan Railfan Network
At one time there were many stations and stops along the line. Among them were stops at:
Pontiac
Long Lake Road
Charring Cross Road
Maple Road (at the Birmingham station)
12 Mile Road
11 Mile Road (at the Royal Oak station)
10 Mile Road (way before 696 went in there)
9 Mile Road (the concrete pad 1 block north on the west side of the tracks is still there)
State Fair
? I thought there was a stop at McNichols, but not sure.
Holbrook
Milwaukee Junction (located just south of where the track used to cross the NYC, right near where the warehouse lofts are now.)
? Someplace, there was another stop prior to the water front.
Not nearly all of these stops survived the final days of SEMTA.
Here is a photo I found on Michigan's Internet Railroad History Museum
SEMTA engine 521 pulls its commuter train northbound towards the Pontiac station - c. 1970's. The photograph was taken under the southbound signal bridge near Yellow Cab Yard. Yellow Cab Yard served the General Motors Truck and Bus plant in Pontiac. It is so named because taxicabs were manufactured there years ago, as well as school buses. Like so many things on a railroad, the name has stuck long after cab production stopped. [Charlie Whipp collection].
Here is another of SEMTA at the Renaissance Center
(Greg Bober Collection) Photo Courtesy of Michigan Railfan Network
