Detroit Ended its Streetcar Operation 53 Years Ago Today.

[Ltdave]

the F line in San Francisco has many PCC cars running and they are included in the MUNI transit use scheme along with the buses and cable cars...

[reddog289]

Hey didn't the SF f line have one of its cars painted in DSR colors?.Two of my favorite books are Detroit Street Railways Vol 1&2.

[crawford]

Mexico City's gain? There are no trolleys nowadays in Mexico City.

I never knew they sold the rolling stock to Mexico City. Very interesting.

[Bloomfield Pills]

There still are a few spots around Detroit where you can see the old trolley tracks.

[ASR89]

Bloomfield Pills, I'm curious. Where are there still visible tracks around? Thanks in advance.

[Irvine Laird]

Thank you for the information and the photos, Rocko. I know I asked this two or three years ago here, but what do you think it would cost to restore PCC 268, build a permanent home for it downtown, and move it from Selfridge AFB?

[Rocko]

Intersection of Vernor W. and Junction next to Holy Redeemer Church. Look for the curving rails in the street. If it's still there, this is a great stretch!

You also might be able to see them at Fort and Junction - again a curving segment, but they repaved that a few years back so they might be hidden again.

Take a close look at that asphalt slab running down the middle of the brick near old Tiger Stadium...as the asphalt crumbles away, rails down the middle are appearing! I'm not sure if the rails are still in place on the "curve" from Michigan westbount to Trumbull north, but you can clearly see where they WERE in the bricks.

When they stripped off the top layer of asphalt to repave last year on Fort near Cass and downtown, rails were evident there too.

When MDOT completely rebuilt Michigan Avenue between Livernois and Wyoming, they tore out all the rails that were under the top layer of pavement.

Seems like there's a bit of rail poking through next to a big pothole as you travel northbound on Mt. Elliot at Mack....may have been "patched" over, but just as likely not!

On Dearborn along the old CP Rail tunnel yard west of Fort, in the eastbound lane, you used to be able to see a rail, until they patched it over....but it's there....always reflected the sunlight real good on an early morning commute.

Wander over to the Wayburn Loop on E. Jefferson near Alter and you can see part of the streetcar "loop" still there poking through the pavement.

Finally, on St. Jean, just north of Warren next to the old DSR Shoremaker Terminal, you can see access rails crossing St. Jean.

Wow!, at 7:50 in the morning I'm doing pretty good to remember all this stuff!

>>>Rocko, previously referred to as BusterWMU

[jgavrile]

A lot of people don't realize that GM was actually the main reason that the streetcars went out both here in Detroit and in other major cities. They were pretty evil about it. Their whole deal was to sell busses, so they put out all this bad press about streetcars and how dangerous they were and how pedestrians were getting killed waiting in the street for them, etc.
I think that Chicago actually sued GM over this?

[ASR89]

Thank you Rocko.