Ookpik's Old Photos

[Ookpik]

Yep. It’s me!

Some of the “old timers” on this site might remember me for posting old photos of the metro-Detroit area about 10 years ago or so.

Well once again I require your expertise.

Can anyone identify where the photos below were taken?

I hope everyone is having a happy and healthy new year!

Ookpik

[detroitbob]

Look like views of long gone interurban lines.

[Zacha341]

Hmmm, I did a bit of sleuthing to see what the Detroit interurban lines where about....

Map of Detroit Interurban Lines 1915. This link shows maps indicating areas of use:
https://detroitography.com/2014/12/1...an-lines-1915/

The Metro Times did an article in 2015:
https://www.metrotimes.com/the-scene...system-in-1915

Then there's a bit on Wiki...... [[Detroit United Railway):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detroit_United_Railway

[EastsideAl]

Those are definitely interurban cars, and they look like old Niles cars, which the DUR had a lot of. [[Pointless personal family trivia: one of these killed my great-grandfather in 1919, when it hit his car in a snowstorm at 9 Mile and Gratiot - I hold no lasting grudge against the DUR though, since he was very likely a little tipsy, or worse, from some pre-Christmas cheer). If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say the top photo is from Royal Oak, or maybe some suburb downriver. Somewhere where they rolled through residential neighborhoods.

One thing that has me baffled though is the age of the cars in that top photo. They seem far too new to be in the same picture as an interurban line, all of which ceased service in the early '30s as far as I know. Perhaps some sort of special historic run? Did they do things like that back then? I know the Royal Oak portion of the interurban line remained open for use by DSR streetcars into the late '40s, so it probably could still be used by the old interurban cars.

[MikeM]

Ookpik! Glad to see you're still alive!

To me, none of those pictures have a Detroit feel to them. Wish I could help.

[Ookpik]

Hi MikeM! Yep – I’m still around!

Thanks to you and everyone else for looking at the pictures.

[EstateSale]

They may be in Canada, possibly on the London & Port Stanley. I have some L&PS pix in my collection, but they're currently stored away. Going from memory, the number font looks about right for L&PS.

EDIT: I googled up some L&PS pix, and I'm almost certain that's where these were taken...

[Ookpik]

Estate Sale – thanks for the information. You are correct! The cars were indeed part of the London & Port Stanley Railway. The railway operated in and around London, Ontario from 1914 until 1957. Car number # 14 – shown in the third photo – still exists and is now is part of the Elgin County Railway Museum located in St. Thomas, Ontario.

http://ecrm5700.org/london-and-port-...interurban-14/

Car # 4:

http://donsdepot.donrossgroup.net/lps4.jpg

Car # 9:

http://donsdepot.donrossgroup.net/dr0100/lps9a.jpg

Car # 10:

http://donsdepot.donrossgroup.net/lps10.jpg

The second photo, which shows car # 14 approaching a small depot, was most likely taken in Yarmouth, Ontario.

http://trainweb.org/elso/lps14.htm

Thanks again Estate Sale!

And MikeM – you were right – the pix were not from Detroit!

[Smirnoff]

Last time the admin checked, this site was about Detroit, not another country.....

[Zacha341]

^^^ Well yes, but initially the locale of the photos were not clear, and we ended up in Canada, ala the discovery!! AYE!