Railroad: Detroit Union Railroad Depot & Station Company

This is a second company, along with the Fort Street Union Depot company, which had track related to the FSUD station. Built in 1882, it was leased to the Detroit, Lansing & Northern; Flint & Pere Marquette; and Wabash in 1889. This trackage was part of the Union Belt of Detroit operation, a joint operating agreement.

This company was owned by prominent Detroit business men (Buhl, Newberry, McMillan, three Joys and others) with a goal of organizing a passenger facility for all railroads serving Detroit except the MC, the Lake Shore, and the GTW. It was chartered in 1881, not long after James Joy was ousted from the Michigan Central by the Vanderbilts. Authorized stock ws $2.5 million.

Built → Detroit Union Railroad Depot & Station Company → Union Belt of Detroit

Built: 1882 opened from Delray to 18th Street, Detroit

Operated for 7 years.

Became: Became part of the Union Belt of Detroit in 1889.

Reference: [MRRC]

Notes

This depot served the Wabash, Pere Marquette and predecessors (later C&O), and later the Pennsylvania railroads. The Canadian Pacific may have been an investor. The station was located at Fort Street and 3rd Street, a block from the Michigan Central's original station and the nearby Detroit & Cleveland steamship terminal at the foot of Third Street.

Time Line

1881. June 10. The company is organized. They purchase a tract of 40 acres on the Detroit river, with 2,540' of frontage, extending from 12th Street to the west line of the Stanton Farm near 18th Street. The company filled in the property, built docks, and erected buildings. [GTWHS-2020-Sum]

1881. The DURD&S contracts with the Wabash to provide terminal facilities on their property.

1882. The Detroit Union company condemns land for a railroad right-of-way and begins building a line to connect with the Wabash railroad at Delray. A bridge crossing was installed over the MC. [GTWHS-2020-Sum]

1882. The company builds a 1.3 million bushel grain elevator at a cost of $300,000.

1889. The DUD&S company is leased jointly to the Detroit, Lansing & Northern, the Flint & Pere Marquette and the Wabash railroad on July 1. [GTWHS-2020-Sum]

1892. September 4. The Detroit Western Transit & Junction Railroad Company begins proceedings in the Wayne circuit court for the condemnation of a piece of land on Dry Dock street, at the corner of Minnie avenue which the company desires to use in order to run a track into the new union depot. This railroad was created in 1882 to own 8 miles of track in Detroit, according to [MRRC]. Almost immediately it entered into an operating agreement with the Detroit Union Railroad Depot & Station company, which didn't build until 10 years later. This railroad was apparently a construction railroad for what would later become the Union Belt of Detroit into Fort Street depot. [DFP-1892-0904]

1903. The company notes that they own 8,373 miles of track and sidings, which their tenants use as they see fit in the movement of trains. [MCR-1904]