Detroit Area Railfanning

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Talk
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Detroit Area Railfanning

Unread post by Talk »

I am wondering the best locations around Detroit for both the Amount of Traffic and/or the most photogenic spots, Thanks in advance

ConrailDetr​oit
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Re: Detroit Area Railfanning

Unread post by ConrailDetr​oit »

Delray, YD, Ecorse Jct, west end of Oakwood, for amount of traffic.

Milwaukee Jct, when timed correctly.

There is always something to see in the city by being mobile and knowing the area.

GTWChris
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Re: Detroit Area Railfanning

Unread post by GTWChris »

The following are not busy but are interesting/photogenic.

CN Dearborn Subdivision - the arches on the CN (former DT&I) Dearborn Subdivision (Allen Park, MI; Taylor, MI) are worth seeing. Penford Jct. is where the CN Dearborn Subdivision crosses the Conrail Lincoln Secondary.

Michigan Central Station / CP Windsor Tunnel - From Bagely St in Mexican Town (Detroit, MI) you can get good pictures of CP passing the Michigan Central Station.

Further out of Detroit proper, Mt Clemens and New Haven on the CN Mt Clemens subdivision still have the 100+ year old GTW depots. Holly, MI, where the CN Holly crosses Lake State, also still has its GTW depot, tower, code line, and old signals.

I'll also add that Jeff Knorek's Conrail Shared Assets site provides a good overview of the area. It is out dated, a lot has changed, and any discussion of operations/trains is no longer accurate, but it at least provides some context to the locations that ConrailDetorit mention. http://knorek.com/RR/SAA/SAAIndex.htm

GP30M4216
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Re: Detroit Area Railfanning

Unread post by GP30M4216 »

Wow, Talk, your question may not be long but it is broad! :D Delray is still #1 in terms of total movement count and variety of traffic, every major railroad that serves Detroit other than Amtrak passes through. Just like anywhere, weekdays see more trains that weekends. Delray is central to several area yards for CSXT and NS (and Conrail), so if it’s quiet you can always go sightseeing nearby.

Since you’re a west sider like me, you might appreciate that the Detroit area is home to many diamond junctions, offering a bit more traffic than Fuller or Kalamazoo! In Detroit proper, other than Delray, both Milwaukee Junction and West Detroit field a wide variety of trains. You can see both at a bit of a distance and it’s helpful to know if something is coming. Milwaukee has great industrial surroundings. West Detroit can be seen from Federal Street just west of Junction, but it’s a narrow street and may not be good to linger for long. Beyond Detroit’s borders, the north-south CSXT Saginaw Subdivision fields quite a bit of traffic and crosses every line westbound out of Detroit at grade, five diamonds in all from Carleton up to Holly with fewer trains the further north you travel. Carleton has the most csx action on the Saginaw sub side and the diamond is practically on the sidewalk, but shortline Indiana And Ohio only runs a turn job up this way 3x per week on the line to Flat Rock Yard. At least it’s been in the daylight as of late. The old brick interlocking tower still stands as a nice photo prop. Romulus is the busiest of all these diamonds, where the busy NS ex Wabash mainline crosses. The diamond itself is off limits but you can get pretty close from crossings to the south and west. Wayne is home to 6 diamonds in total, more than any other junction in Michigan, and is where Amtrak and the NS cross beside the Ford Motor plant. You can see it at a distance from Annapolis St to the south. Plymouth is all csx all the time, but has nice scenery in every direction and lots of signals. It’s best seen from the south at the Farmer St crossing. Various locals keep things busier here and with eye tracks in all four corners, somethings usually moving around somewhere. Holly is the most north diamond and now LSRC, which was previously mentioned. Even further afield, Milan is where the NS ex Wabash crosses the Ann Arbor, it’s another diamond right beside a crossing with a neat old grain elevator and interchange track close at hand. I like the diamonds, and not just for the variety of traffic. The clickety clack of wheels hitting the flange gaps is a sound not found anywhere else, and is great at speed.

As for scenery, that’s totally subjective of course. The arches on the ex DT&I were mentioned and are totally unique. If you have a good zoom lens to haul out, there are some great shots to be had with the downtown Detroit skyline as a backdrop of locals on the Boat Yard Line east of Delray or at Lonyo or Central Avenues near Livernois Yard of Amtrak. If you like high tension pole lines framing your shot, the NS in Taylor, CSX from Dearborn to Livonia or the recently re double tracked Michigan Line between Dearborn Heights and Wayne are unique. For rural scenery, north or west of Plymouth offer good spots, especially to the west were there is nice topography.

Finally, south of Detroit, from Ecorse through Trenton, the NS Detroit District and the CN Shoreline and River Subs all parallel each other in a stretch I call “4 tracks.” There are some good opportunities here and lots of public crossings. Oak street, beside the Wyandotte NYC depot, is a good hangout.

Wherever you go, be sure to post back here and tell us what you saw!!

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