Detroit Transmission

[ItalianTranslator]

Hello everyone,

my name is Stefano and I'm an Italian 24-year-old. I study Translation at the university of Bologna and my main language is English. I'm currently working on some poems by Detroit poet Philip Levine. In the poem "The Suit" he is naming the "Detroit Transmission", any clue on what that is/was?

This is the excerpt:

"[...] and so I wore it
on the night shift at Detroit Transmission [...]"

Thanks for your help!

Stefano

[Mikeg]

Hello everyone,

my name is Stefano and I'm an Italian 24-year-old. I study Translation at the university of Bologna and my main language is English. I'm currently working on some poems by Detroit poet Philip Levine. In the poem "The Suit" he is naming the "Detroit Transmission", any clue on what that is/was?

This is the excerpt:

"[...] and so I wore it
on the night shift at Detroit Transmission [...]"

Thanks for your help!

Stefano

In the context of the story, it means that he wore the suit while he worked on the assembly line at a factory [[plant) known as "Detroit Transmission". Presumably, they produced automobile transmissions, which convert the rotary motion of the engine into the rotary motion of the driveshaft and tires.

Prior to 1921, there actually was a "Detroit Transmission" manufacturing plant that was located on Lycaste Street in Detroit, Michigan [source].

However, since this poem was published in 1984 and it appears to describe a 1940s time frame [["zoot suit"), I doubt that it is a reference to that plant on Lycaste.

Here in Detroit, we have a way of calling a factory by something other than it's official name. Usually it is just a shortened name that often omits the company name and substitutes the street or city name where the factory is located. For example, if you said that you worked at "McGraw Glass", most people in Detroit would know that you worked at the Chrysler Glass Plant that was located on McGraw Street in Detroit. If you said that you worked at "Wayne Truck", most people would know that you worked at the Ford Motor Company truck assembly plant in Wayne, Michigan, which is a suburb of Detroit.

I do not know of any transmission plant operated by Ford, GM or Chrysler that was ever informally called "Detroit Transmission". If you worked at one of the post-WWII transmission plants near Detroit, you would say that you worked at Ford's "Sterling plant" or General Motor's "Warren Hydromatic" plant.

Therefore, I would have to conclude that "Detroit Transmission" is simply a fictitious name that Levine created to authentically represent an auto parts factory using the local vernacular.

[rooms222]

The Hydramatic Transmission was the premier automatic transmission in the world starting in 1939. During World War II, production was continued for use in tanks. The official title of the GM Division making them was the Detroit Transmission Division. Some sources state that the Plant in Livonia Michigan was making them at that time. This plant was destroyed by a huge fire in 1953. http://ateupwithmotor.com/technology...1.html?start=2

This plant turns out to have been opened in 1949.


Other sources stated the the 1940s production was done in an old Fisher body plant in the City of Detroit that was converted for that use:
http://books.google.com/books?id=5C8...0plant&f=false

From GM's own history, this booklet has a full history [[and logo) of the division that states that until 1949 production was in a six story building on Riopelle:

http://www.gmheritagecenter.com/docs...elcomesYou.pdf

Here is a 1944 ad about the division:

http://books.google.com/books?id=8VA...0plant&f=false

It's pretty clear that this is "Detroit Transmission."

P.S. After the fire, they moved out to by Willow Run. See the booklet above for a full history. Also, note that it is clearly shown on the map in the booklet that the plant had City of Detroit bus service.

EDIT: Here is the Detroit Building http://www.emporis.com/building/detr...detroit-mi-usa

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=5100+...ed=0CAsQ_AUoAA

[ItalianTranslator]

Thanks to both of you, your replies are extremely detailed and incredibly helpful to me!

[Hamtragedy]

Wasn't there a Chrysler owned Detroit Transmission on Lynch Rd in the old DeSoto plant that just closed in the last five years or so?

[MikeM]

Phillip Levine worked at the Chevrolet Gear & Axle factory on Holbrook, later to become American Axle until it closed recently. It was also referred to as Detroit Axle.

[Honky Tonk]

Phillip Levine worked at the Chevrolet Gear & Axle factory on Holbrook, later to become American Axle until it closed recently. It was also referred to as Detroit Axle.

Then later became Mexican Axle.

[MikeM]

Although I see other bios say he worked at Detroit Transmission, a "division of Cadillac."

[Shollin]

Wasn't there a Chrysler owned Detroit Transmission on Lynch Rd in the old DeSoto plant that just closed in the last five years or so?

I thought that was Detroit Axle owned by Chrysler?

[Hermod]

The Hydramatic Transmission was the premier automatic transmission in the world starting in 1939. During World War II, production was continued for use in tanks. The official title of the GM Division making them was the Detroit Transmission Division. Some sources state that the Plant in Livonia Michigan was making them at that time. This plant was destroyed by a huge fire in 1953. http://ateupwithmotor.com/technology...1.html?start=2

After the fire, Cadillacs and Oldsmobiles came with Dyna-Flow transmissions [[from Buick) for quite a few months while Pontiacs were built with Power Glide transmissions [[from Chevy).

[Ltdave]

I thought that was Detroit Axle owned by Chrysler?

that is correct. it was also at one time called Eldon Axle, having been on the corner of Lynch and Eldon. plant was built prior to WWI and built truck frames for the Dodge Brothers and during the first war built recoil mechanisms for the 75mm field gun and [[so i was told when i worked there) they also swaged shell casings for one of the artillery pieces but i dont recall which. possibly the 75mm....

[AUSSIE]

Ask Sergio Marchionne, he is THE MAN!