Trains, Planes, and automobiles.... [Livernois Yard]

**Detroit Stylin** · February-06-13, 12:58 PM

Anyone here on the forum know the exact location of the Livernois Yard Train Depot?

**Honky Tonk** · February-06-13, 01:29 PM

Originally Posted by Detroit Stylin

Anyone here on the forum know the exact location of the Livernois Yard Train Depot?

If you're talking about the old roundhouse, it used to be between John Kronk and MI Ave., on the West side of the street. I believe that's all gone now.

**DetroitPlanner** · February-06-13, 01:38 PM

I don't ever recall there being a depot there. Yes there are switching facilities and intermodal connections, but no single building. There are several RR's that operate separate facilities.

**Honky Tonk** · February-06-13, 01:40 PM

Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner

I don't ever recall there being a depot there. Yes there are switching facilities and intermodal connections, but no single building. There are several RR's that operate separate facilities.

I thought it was a maintenance facility. I could be wrong. I remember, [[well sorta), being excited as a kid @ seeing a real roundhouse.

**Detroitnerd** · February-06-13, 01:52 PM

If I remember right, on Google Maps aerial view you can see the round pattern left by the old roundhouse.

**Detroit Stylin** · February-06-13, 01:55 PM

But there are several tracks and accompanying rail infrastructure that would make for good photography correct?

**Honky Tonk** · February-06-13, 01:57 PM

Originally Posted by Detroit Stylin

But there are several tracks and accompanying rail infrastructure that would make for good photography correct?

I guess it depends on what kind of background you're looking for. I wish you'd posted earlier, I was just out there an hour ago.

**One Shot** · February-06-13, 02:01 PM

Originally Posted by Detroitnerd

If I remember right, on Google Maps aerial view you can see the round pattern left by the old roundhouse.

Exact location to look for that?

**Detroitnerd** · February-06-13, 02:44 PM

Originally Posted by One Shot

Exact location to look for that?

I was just looking around on there and couldn't find it. Maybe it's grown over? But it was kind of cool and eerie to be able to see the outline when somebody on DYES pointed it out. Maybe it's in the archives.

**Honky Tonk** · February-06-13, 02:48 PM

Originally Posted by Detroitnerd

I was just looking around on there and couldn't find it. Maybe it's grown over? But it was kind of cool and eerie to be able to see the outline when somebody on DYES pointed it out. Maybe it's in the archives.

Crop circles?

**Jimaz** · February-06-13, 02:55 PM

Is this your card?

**EastsideAl** · February-06-13, 03:39 PM

In addition to the roundhouses [[there were once actually 2 of them), and the car shops, that railyard was also the location of the large Michigan Central Stockyards, the main entry point for meat animals into the city, for many decades.

**EastsideAl** · February-06-13, 05:22 PM

Originally Posted by Jimaz

Is this your card?

Nah, that's just the remnant of a short-lived truck depot back behind the old Rickenbacker factory. It looks like it my be used by local kids to race bikes or something.

The remnants of the northern roundhouse in the Livernois yard were pretty visible up until a couple of years ago. But they've now been obliterated. It looks like they built some sort of truck road and security complex over them.

**Detroitnerd** · February-06-13, 05:33 PM

Thanks, Al. I was sure I remembered that.

**Wheels** · February-06-13, 07:55 PM

Here is a DTE aerial of the area from 1956.

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**Detroit Stylin** · February-07-13, 09:40 AM

What are the boundaries of it?

**Downriviera** · February-07-13, 10:46 AM

Originally Posted by Detroit Stylin

But there are several tracks and accompanying rail infrastructure that would make for good photography correct?

Make sure you stay off railroad property for your photos. That area has a heavy railroad police presence and since 9/11 trespassing on railroad property is a felony. Not sure if there are good public spots there for good shots. There are some good online forums about best places in Michigan for railroad photography and train watching.

**Homer** · February-07-13, 12:03 PM

This photo shows John Kronk and Livernois intersection in the upper right corner.

**MikeM** · February-07-13, 12:22 PM

Here's a link to the layout of the yard from 1988. Not sure how much has changed.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/62686102/LYs.jpg

**Detroitnerd** · February-07-13, 12:45 PM

Originally Posted by MikeM

Here's a link to the layout of the yard from 1988. Not sure how much has changed.

I sometimes find it remarkable how certain patterns repeat themselves in design and engineering. Looking over that layout is one of those times.

**downtownguy** · February-07-13, 01:39 PM

Google Earth now has historical image data going back more than a decade. I took two screenshots of the area. You can clearly see the outline of the old roundhouse in the 12/31/01 pic, and it's totally obliterated by what appears to be shipping containers on the site in the 1/2/04 pic.

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**Detroitnerd** · February-07-13, 02:09 PM

Awesome find, downtownguy!

**Downriviera** · February-07-13, 02:15 PM

Imagine building your own roundhouse. This guy did.

http://www.ageofsteamroundhouse.com/

**downtownguy** · February-07-13, 08:49 PM

Originally Posted by Detroitnerd

Awesome find, downtownguy!

Thanks, nerd

**Rocko** · February-07-13, 11:05 PM

The yard scheme MikeM linked from 1988 is a fantastic and yet very depressing resource. By that time, pretty much anything west of Lonyo Street [[the Westbound Class Yard) was out of service, and removed not all that long later. This was as a result of Conrail's big shift in the early 1980s to rationalize their routings. Whereas prior to about 1981 traffic going west from Detroit [[to Grand Rapids, Elkhart Indiana and Chicago) actually went west, beginning around 1982 most traffic began going on a Toledo routing, switched at Toledo, and then toward its destination. Around the same time, Conrail began abandoning the former Michigan Central [[CASO) route across Ontario, diminishing their need for the Eastbound Class Yard as shown in the '88 diagram. Again, traffic going east on Conrail from Detroit went to Toledo and thenceward east over the old NYC Water Level Route mainline. In the span of about a decade, Livernois/Junction Yard went from being a major classification yard to becoming a much more localized facility, with an intermodal component. The yard was further diminshed beginning around 2000 when Conrail became the Shared Assets of CSX/NS, not just one of several local yards around the Detroit area for handling local traffic, building and breaking up a few trains, laying over locomotives and and storing cars.

That intermodal component continues to drive much of the use of the east end of the yard - as clearly visible from the aerial imagery. The two roundhouse sites - among the few yards in Michigan to have two roundhouses - are now under blacktop for expanded container transloading. The old coal tower remains as one of the last vestiges of the yard's prior life as one of Michigan's largest and busiest. West of Lonyo, only the two main tracks, a running track or two, and a yard lead remain. The humps are still obvious and a few have tracks leading west, but don't see much if any use. One of the roundhouses suffered a fire in the late 70s - a bunch of diesels inside got rather toasty.

Due to the yard's proximity to the Detroit River Tunnel and the large number of intermodal shipments handled through here, security is tight and the railroad police have a regular presence. The crossings at Lonyo and Central, and views from John Kronk are all public right of way...but much of the yard is hard to see from these angles.

Try www.michiganrailroads.com or www.railroadfan.com to get you started on Michigan railroading!