Timetable: Detroit Terminal Railroad - Main Line - Conner Yard to Ford Rouge Complex

The Detroit Terminal railroad was a belt line industrial railroad owned by the Michigan Central, Lake Shore & Michigan Southern, and the Grand Trunk Western railroads. At the time it was built, it "belted" the settled area of Detroit and reached many of the automobile plants which were being built at the then-edge of town.

Key: BB=Bascule Bridge | C=Coal | CS=Car Shop | D=Open > Day | DN=Open Day and night | DS=Dispatcher | DT=Double Main Track | EH=Engine house | HI=Half Interlocker | I=Interlocker | J=Junction | LB=Lift bridge | N=Open at night | P=Passing Track w/40' car capacity | Q=Quarry | RH=Roundhouse # stalls | RT=Railroad Resort | S=Scales | SB=Swing bridge | T=Turntable | TC=Telegraph call | W=Water | X=Crossing | Y=Wye | Yard=Yard

References:

Notes

The Detroit Terminal Railroad was built from the Detroit River northeast to Davison Yard (near MC's North Yard), and then west and southwest through Highland Park, Springwells Township (later Detroit) and Dearborn to the Ford Rouge Plant.

Bonaparte Yard was west of Livernois Avenue between Joy and West Chicago Avenues.

The MCRR interchange yard was east of Wyoming Avenue on the curve.

The Michigan Central Crossing was at the west end of their Junction Yard near what is now Miller Road.

The Livernois PRR crossing was an automatic interlocking. There were 3 tracks on the DT (two main tracks and a passing track) and one PRR track. There was never a tower here.

The Ford Motor Company had electrical and telephone lines along the DT between their Rouge Plant (in Dearborn) and their Highland Park plant. Electricity was apparently sent between the power plants at both plants.

Time Table

1915. Patrolman Raymond Hunt of the Chene station resigned from the police force after lying about being beaten and left for dead in an alley. After a thorough investigation by the police inspector, it was determined that Hunt, while on duty, went for a joy ride with three friends. The four proceeded to a roadhouse and were hastening back so that Hunt could "pull the [police call] box" when they crashed into a Detroit Terminal freight train at Gratiot Avenue. Hunt was thrown through the windshield and was badly battered. [DFP-1915-0816]

1924. D&I Connection to Aid Detroit Service. Bridge and approaches to be Finished in August. The track connecting the northern extremity of the Flat Rock-Rouge cut-off line with the Detroit Terminal Railroad should be in operation in August. The northern approach fill is being built by the Detroit Terminal System. The project includes a bridge and extensive approaches to each end. the steel and concrete work, including a 1,650-foot retaining wall at one side of the southern approach, are completed and the fills are about 72 percent complete. Work was begun in March.

The bridge is of the through-plate girder type. It has three spans, the middle one of which is over the Michigan Central right-of-way, with the two outer spans over Southern Avenue and three proposed Michigan Central yard tracks, respectively. The center piers are steel bents incased in concrete. Abutments and piers are supported by 40-foot piles.

To build the bridge, 278 tons of steel was used. The amount of concrete totaled 1,129 cubic yards for abutments and piers and 6,286 cubic yards for the supporting wall. The height of this wall varies from 13 ft. on its lower end to 22 feet 9 inches. The grade of the southern approach tracks is .65 per cent. Work tracks have been ext4nded to the bridge and are being aligned permanently.

The new transfer facility will afford the DT&I Railroad direct connection with the Detroit shipping points through the Detroit Terminal Railroad, which is a belt line. Heretofore this connection with the terminal road was made through an intermediary switching agent.

Charles Geletzke Jr. added: "This was how freight from the GTW was delivered to the DT&I. The GTW took it to Davison Yard and the Terminal delivered it to the DT&I."

Editors Note: Referring to the DTRR time table above, this new line was between "Michigan Central Crossing" and "Fordson Yard". Ultimately, the Detroit Terminal Railroad split into three routes at Michigan Central Crossing. The original main line headed south and downhill to a wye connection with the MC Main Line at southern Avenue. The  branch described above crossed over the MC and into the Ford Rouge works Fordson Yard. This was parallel to the Pere Marquette main line. This bridge is extant but is no longer used. The third route was a connection with the Pere Marquette main line into Rougemere Yard.