Railroad: Detroit Manufacturers Railroad Company

Detroit Transit Railroad → Detroit Manufacturers Railroad → MCRR → NYC → Penn Central → Conrail

Bought portion of the old Detroit Terminal (Detroit Transit Railroad) from near Brush Street station east to Detroit Belt Line in 1902.

Operated by: Originally, GTW operated it. Then changed to the Michigan Central. Along Atwater Street between the Grand Trunk Railroad (Brush Street) and Mt. Elliott Street (Detroit Belt Line Railroad)

Became: MCRR immediately thereafter through lease.

Abandoned: December 21, 1981

Reference: [MRRC]

Notes

According to Sanborn insurance maps, in 1884 this line mainly ran east in the middle of Guoin street. The map referred to this as the "Eastern Manufacturers railroad".

Its largest customers (from west to east) were:

• Russel Wheel and Foundry Co. (east of Walker street)
• Peninsular Car Works. (west of Walker street)
• Michigan Stove Works.
• Berry Brothers Varnish Manufactory.
• Detroit & Lake Superior Iron Company.
• Detroit Iron Furnace Company.
• Peninsular Iron Company.
  
• Detroit Stove Works.
• Morgan & Wright Rubber Plant. (later Uniroyal)

Most of these works were along the Detroit riverfront.

Time Line

1902. MCRR will operate Detroit Manufacturers' R.R. April 2. Arrangements were completed yesterday for a change in the operation of the Detroit Manufactures' Railroad, formerly the Detroit Transit Co., whose track runs through Guoin Street and reach many large manufacturing concerns. Hereafter the Michigan Central, instead of the Grand Trunk, will handle the cars on the road. Henry Russel, general attorney for the Michigan Central, said yesterday: "The change is an entirely friendly one between the Grand Trunk and the Michigan Central. Eight-nine percent of the business from the line was always turned over to the Michigan Central Belt line at Beaufait avenue, and it is more convenient for the Michigan Central to do the business than for the Grand Trunk. The road is now being rebuilt under Michigan Central supervision but there will be no change in the ownership of the road, which is held by an independent company."

The change will give the Michigan Central practically a belt line running nearly around the entire city, as the transit road started at the Grand Trunk yards (near Brush Street station) and ran through the manufacturing district along the river to the Belt line at Beaufait avenue.

1902. William Barbour, President of the Detroit Stove Works, is listed as a director of this railroad. The stove works is a major customer of this line.

1907. The city of Detroit lost its suit to collect local taxes from the Detroit Manufacturers' Railroad, the court holding that the property is properly taxable by the state board of assessors and is, therefore, exempt from local taxation. An attempt was made by the city to distinguish this railroad from others operated by steam under the general railroad laws, but the court holds there is no question on that point. The taxes assessed by the city for the years 1903 and 1904 amounted to about $4,000. [DFP-1907-1005]

1912. A special committee of the Detroit Real Estate Board is looking into the operation of the Detroit Manufacturers' Railroad, which only operates during the night. The railroad runs down the center of Atwater Street and serves many manufacturers on it's short length. "One of the interesting things we have learned is that a number of the manufacturing establishments located along the line of the railroad are not provided with railroad sidings and are accustomed to make use of the single line track of the Manufacturer's railroad (in the road). Cars containing freight consigned to these companies and cars which are to be loaded by them are left standing on the tracks in the day time to facilitate the removal of the freight to industrial plants or loading with the products of these plants.

"Under these conditions, it is to be expected some objection will be made to the operation of trains in the day time as that would prevent using the tracks for the holding of cars. It would seem that some arrangement might be made by which these factories could provide themselves with sidings.

"Day time operation would require that gates and watchmen be placed at every crossing. To do this would involve an expense so great as to impose on the railroad company a burden it could not afford to assume.

"It might be possible some arrangement could be made by which a man might be sent ahead of every train to keep the crossings clear. The trains would not be operated at high speed and would be so few in number that such a plan might prove fully as effective as to place watchmen on each crossing." [DFP-1912-0510]

1981. This short railroad, operated by the Conrail along the Detroit River as the former Detroit Transit Branch, was abandoned on 12/21/1981. [CR Detroit Terminal Map]