Old rails unearthed in Jefferson Ave. construction

[GPCharles]

Driving downtown on Jefferson this morning, they have started work on the boulevard on Jefferson from Alter Road to Chalmers. They are digging out numerous old rails from the middle of Jefferson Avenue.

I presume these are old street car rails.

[Gpwrangler]

There are rails visible in GPP near city hall, on Wayburn off Jefferson.

[MikeM]

Can someone stop and take a look and tell me the manufacturer, date, and the weight of the rail [[or just snap a picture of the stampings on the side of the rail)? Thank you.

[SyGolden48236]

Can someone stop and take a look and tell me the manufacturer, date, and the weight of the rail [[or just snap a picture of the stampings on the side of the rail)? Thank you.

It would be quite dangerous to stand on Jefferson in the middle of traffic to try to get a picture of a stamping on the side of a rail that has been buried for over 60 years. Especially in that neighborhood.

[Scottathew]

Pictures, or it didn't happen.

[SyGolden48236]

I saw the rails myself yesterday. They are indeed there.

[Danny]

Those are DSR railway tracks. After DSR stop operating in 1955, the tracks remained. The City of Detroit don't want to pay more money to remove the tracks so they hired private contractors to pave the streets with asphalt numerous times for many decades.

[MikeM]

It would be quite dangerous to stand on Jefferson in the middle of traffic to try to get a picture of a stamping on the side of a rail that has been buried for over 60 years. Especially in that neighborhood.

Pffft, I would have no problem. Construction barrels offer a protected area from traffic. I'm just too lazy to go down there.

[Maof]

"I'm just too lazy to go down there."

.....LOL

[Bobl]

Could be DSR, as noted. I think they could also be from the old Interurban trains, which used a narrow track.

[Bobl]

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

[Hermod]

Could be DSR, as noted. I think they could also be from the old Interurban trains, which used a narrow track.

Within city limits, the interurbans shared the city streetcar tracks.

[p69rrh51]

Can someone stop and take a look and tell me the manufacturer, date, and the weight of the rail [[or just snap a picture of the stampings on the side of the rail)? Thank you.

Mike, I looked for any markings but the rails are caked with cement and the ones that were clean did not have any markings. By the way SyGolden48236 I stood all around the area and had no problems with traffic.

[Pam]

They should send one of these to the Historical Museum.

[GPCharles]

As this morning, they are all gone. A few wooden ties remain but I suspect they will be gone by the en of the day.

[EASTSIDE CAT 67-83]

Clang Clang Clang...went the Trolley!

[Scottathew]

[BOOM PICTURES]

p69rrh51, THANK YOU!

[MikeM]

Mike, I looked for any markings but the rails are caked with cement and the ones that were clean did not have any markings. By the way SyGolden48236 I stood all around the area and had no problems with traffic.

Thanks for the effort!

[downtownguy]

A friend of mine who travels East Jefferson every was talking about the construction with me. He was surprised to see all the railroad ties that were dug up. Neither of us are spring chickens, but we're not old enough either to remember much about the streetcars. We were both under the impression that streetcar rails didn't use ties like the bigger trains. For sure, anywhere I've seen old rails poking through the asphalt around town, I've never seen any ties. I'm guessing that before modern street paving that's how they did it. Can anybody more familiar with the old tracks enlighten us?

[Hermod]

Streetcar tracks were laid on ties just like regular railroad tracks. On dirt streets, the charter usually called for the streetcar company to water the street for dust control. In cities, the streetcar company charters called for paving between and to a certain distance to each side of the tracks.

[wilderness]

In the mid-80s some of the same tracks were exposed in the middle of Mt. Elliott and just past the corner of Mack

[rb336]

A friend in Brooklyn was renovating a house and pulled out a section of basement wall to fins a pair of tracks

[Hamtragedy]

My great grandfather was a motorman on the interurban to Mt. Clemens and Wyandotte in the 19teens and 20s. My grandfather would take him his lunch and ride for free.

As for the tracks, the curved tracks were pretty visible and easy to run over at Livernois and Fenkell up until the construction on Livernois about 5 years ago. Wait a few years, they might pop up again.

[run8]

This is my first post to your web site! The Detroit United Railways [[DUR) used wood tie construction for their tracks. The DSR used steel ties, which was cheaper but made for a very noisy ride! DUR roadbed was much deeper than the DSR. Any tracks constructed after 1922, the year the DSR took over all operations, will be using steelties I hpe this hlps!

[Hermod]

This is my first post to your web site! The Detroit United Railways [[DUR) used wood tie construction for their tracks. The DSR used steel ties, which was cheaper but made for a very noisy ride! DUR roadbed was much deeper than the DSR. Any tracks constructed after 1922, the year the DSR took over all operations, will be using steelties I hpe this hlps!

The Jefferson line was never rebuilt so the ties were those inherited from the DUR. The CERA bulletin on the history of the DUR/DSR has a full reprint of the economic analysis conducted to decide between three alternatives:

1. Rebuild the track bad, ties, and rails and continue trolley operations.
2. Pave over the tracks, move the overhead wire and convert the route to electric trolley buses.
3. Pave over the tracks, remove the overhead wire, and convert the route to motor buses.

Alternative 3 was chosen.