DSR Busses

Back when we were living in the Parkside Projects I used to have to catch a bus on Conner to go to Hutchinson Elementary School for Kindergarten and 1st Grade. This was in 1954-1956. I remember the busses were attached to electric cables but they had rubber tires and did not run on tracks.

Does anyone remember these busses and does anyone have any pictures? I also remember a very large garage where we would sometimes have to go to change busses if there was a mechanical problem. I think it was on Shoemaker. They still had busses that ran on tracks because we used to ride the Conner bus down to Jefferson and take the bus that ran on tracks to Belle Isle. I remember the garage was a maze of tracks and overhead lines.

I would love to see some pictures of these busses and the garage and yard if anyone has any.

Detroit Transit History website

http://www.detroittransithistory.info/index.html

http://www.detroittransithistory.inf...tos1950sB.html

Electric busses weren't as popular and didn't last long, so that's a cool memory!

I remember riding those with my Dad as a little Tonker.

dtown:

What a great website! Thanks so much. It is now on my favorites list. I especially like the site devoted to the Shoemaker Buildings. It brought back a lot of fond memories. Some of my coworkers don't believe there were street cars during my lifetime. Now I can prove it to them.
Thanks again.

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Originally Posted by dtowncitylover

Detroit Transit History website

http://www.detroittransithistory.info/index.html

http://www.detroittransithistory.inf...tos1950sB.html

Electric busses weren't as popular and didn't last long, so that's a cool memory!

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Unfortunately, I wasn't around when the DSR was, but I was around when DDOT still ran some ex-DSR fishbowls!

At the risk of a thread hijack, I've gotten nutsy over watching Russian car/truck/motorcycle wrecks on Utube [[seems most Russian cars have cameras). In such watching, I notice that they have the electric trolley busses all over the place. Interesting, although the wrecks are somewhat spectacular.

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Originally Posted by mtburb

Unfortunately, I wasn't around when the DSR was, but I was around when DDOT still ran some ex-DSR fishbowls!

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DSR busses ran under that name long after the tracks were paved over. Well into the 80s as I recall; don't remember when the name changed.

Though DSR began to mean diesel, smelly rattletraps.

My Dad drove the Warren Crosstown street car for many years. He worked out of the Shoemaker Terminal. After the demise of the streetcars he drove the Conner, Jefferson, and Mack bus line. His last job was operating the trolley that went up and down Washington Blvd. He worked for the DSR for 35 years. That was the only job he had after he returned to Detroit from WWII. He was retired as long as he worked. He loved that job. One of my favorite things was riding on the street car with him and turning it around at the end of the line.

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Originally Posted by Meddle

DSR busses ran under that name long after the tracks were paved over. Well into the 80s as I recall; don't remember when the name changed.

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It became DDOT in 1974.

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Originally Posted by dtowncitylover

Detroit Transit History website

http://www.detroittransithistory.info/index.html

http://www.detroittransithistory.inf...tos1950sB.html

Electric busses weren't as popular and didn't last long, so that's a cool memory!

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Would love to see, but unfortunately the links don't work for me.

Few people remember Detroit's trolley buses. Several other cities had them, notably Chicago. I think the last users of this system were Dayton, Ohio; Hamilton, Ontario; and I believe San Francisco still uses them. They are somewhat common in Europe. I never rode them as a kid, but I remember seeing a few DSR electric buses in a junkyard near I-75 in Lincoln Park or Allen Park as late as 1969 or so.

Incidentally, the preferred plural of bus is buses. "Busses" usually means kisses, so here's a few for all trolley-bus fans everywhere!

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Originally Posted by Cincinnati_Kid

Would love to see, but unfortunately the links don't work for me.

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Google "Detroit Transit History" and it should be the first link.

I used to have to take the Gratiot bus to the end of the line on Farmer behind Hudsons, cross Woodward to State and Griswold to catch the Grand River bus to go to Wilbur Wright. What I remember back then, [[Mid 60's) was how dependable the buses were back then. I don't think I was late more than a half dozen times in the two years I attended Wilbur Wright. From what I hear, they have a lot of issues with dependability now and that is so sad as so many people depend on the bus to get where they need to be.