Detroit United Railway

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The Detroit United Railway or abbreviated as "DUR" is a former interurban railway headquartered in southeastern Michigan. Services radiated from the city of Detroit with services extending into Ohio (through the Detroit, Monroe & Toledo Shore Line Railway) and Ontario (through the Sandwich, Windsor and Amherstburg Railway Company). The company was formed on December 31, 1900[1] and started out with solely interurban railway operations and eventually began operating bus routes. At one point, with 902 miles of tracks, it was the largest interurban operator in the United States.[2] The DUR filed for and went bankrupt in 1928.[3]

History

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Streetcar service was taken over by the Detroit Street Railway in 1922 who later phased it out in favor of bus service, which in turn became the Detroit Department of Transportation in 1974. The DUR's Ontario operations were also eventually phased out for buses as well, and they later became Transit Windsor in 1977. Suburban service, which was later converted to buses, became part of Eastern Michigan Motorbuses in 1928 and ultimately various systems before being acquired by the Southeastern Michigan Transportation Authority in the early 1970's, in turn, they became the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation in 1989. The Detroit, Monroe & Toledo Shore Line Railway continued as a steam freight railroad over a different right-of-way and was later acquired by the Grand Trunk Western Railroad, in turn now part of the Canadian National Railway.

Interurban routes

Detroit United Railway

As of 1913.[4]

  • Wyandotte Division - Served stops at Detroit and Wyandotte.
  • Detroit, Plymouth & Northville - Served stops at Wayne, Plymouth, Northville, Farmington and Farmington Junction.
  • Orchard Lake Division - Served stops at Detroit, Greenfield, Sand Hill, Clarenceville, Farmington Junction, North Farmington, Oak Grove, Orchard Lake, Cass Lake, Sylvan Lake and Pontiac.
  • Pontiac Division - Served stops at Detroit, Royal Oak, Birmingham, Circle City and Pontiac.
  • Flint Division - Branch of the Pontiac Division, served stops at Royal Oak, Clawson, Big Beaver, Troy, West Utica, Hamlins, Rochester, Goodison, Rudd's Mills, Lake Orion, Oxford, Oakwood, Wades, Ortonville, Sunnyside, Goodrich, Atlas, Myers, Morris, Howard's and Flint. Followed present-day Rochester Road between Royal Oak and Rochester.
  • Romeo - Branch of the Flint Division, served stops at Rochester, Stony Creek, Washington, Knights and Romeo.
  • Warren - Served stops at Detroit and Warren.
  • Detroit-Port Huron -
  • West branch (via present-day Gratiot Avenue) served stops at Detroit, Grotto, Hund, Halfway, Roseville and Ingleside.
  • East branch (via present-day Jefferson Avenue) served stops at Detroit, Grosse Pointe, Clairview, Milk River, L'anse Creuse, Jefferson Beach, Maple Club and Lakeside.
  • Both West and East branches merged at Mount Clemens and served stops at Chesterfield, Orrs, Bay Court, New Baltimore and Anchorville. There, the route split again. North branch (via present-day Short Cut Road) served stops at Meyers, David, Starrville, Bammel and Smith.
  • South branch (via present-day M-29) served stops at Fairhaven, Mills, Pearl Beach, Point Tremble, Algonac, Oak Grove, Roberts Landing and Cherry Beach. Both merged again at Marine City and served stops at River Road, Rector, Saint Clair, Somerville, Idlewild, Carlton, Marysville and Port Huron. Operated by the Detroit & Port Huron Shore Line Railway (Rapid Railway System).

Detroit, Jackson & Chicago Railway

  • Detroit-Jackson - Served stops at Detroit, Dearborn, Inkster, Wayne, Sheldon, Denton, Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor, Lima and Jackson. Operated by the Detroit, Jackson & Chicago Railway.
  • Saline - Branch of Detroit-Jackson line, served stops at Ypsilanti and Saline.

Detroit, Monroe & Toledo Shore Line Railway

  • Detroit-Monroe-Toledo - Served stops at Detroit, River Rouge, Ecorse, Wyandotte, Trenton, Slocum's Junction (northeast of present-day Fort Street and Van Horn Road), Gibraltar, Rockwood, Newport, Stony Creek, Monroe, LaSalle; Alexis Junction (near present-day Alexis Road and Stickney Avenue), OH; and Toledo, OH. Followed present-day Electric Street between the Rouge River and present-day Riverview. Operated by the Detroit, Monroe & Toledo Shore Line Railway.

Sandwich, Windsor and Amherstburg Railway Company

Streetcar routes

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All-time roster

Streetcars and interurbans

Fleet
number(s) 		Thumbnail Order
number 		Year Manufacturer Model Motors Trucks Notes
76-79 4418 1892 Brill From Fort Wayne and Belle Isle Railway
386-391 6627 1895 Brill
780-785 6429 1895 Brill From Fort Wayne and Belle Isle Railway.
826-840

842-845

483 1911 Kuhlman Fleet number 841 refused.
841 484 1911 Kuhlman Replacement for original 841.
850-899 1730 1913 Cincinnati
900-949 962 1912 ACC
950-999 534 1913 Kuhlman / ACC 961 and 979 renumbered after refurbishment to ?express motors? X38, X39 in 1926.
1053-1102 367 1903 St. Louis 1086 to Sandwich, Windsor and Amherstburg Railway Company 104.
1103-1137 13218 1903 Brill Closed Total of fifty cars, built on American Car Company order 520.
1138-1152 520 1904 ACC Closed B 27 F1
1178-1202 489 1904 St. Louis StL 47 To Detroit Street Railway in 1922.
1203-1227 403 1900 Kuhlman Closed B 27GE1
1300-1329 655 1906 Cincinnati Closed
1330-1339 1243 1920 ACC Birney Safety Car B 79E1
1340-1351 21215 1920 Brill Birney Safety Car B 79E1
1375-1474 548 1912 Kuhlman Closed
1475-1524 526 1912 Kuhlman Closed
1525-1574 511 1911 Kuhlman Closed
1575-1609 481 1911 Kuhlman Closed
1650-1699 449 1910 Kuhlman Closed
1700-1749 795 1907 Cincinnati Closed
1750-1774 1180 1909 Cincinnati Closed
1175-1799 432 1909 Kuhlman Closed
3000-3024 608 1915 Kuhlman Closed
3025-3049 616 1916 Kuhlman Closed B 27FE1
3050-3074 637 1916 Kuhlman Closed
3075-3099 638 1916 Kuhlman Closed
3200-3229 1245 1924 St. Louis Lightweight To Eastern Michigan Railways in 1928.
3230-3249 833 1924 Kuhlman Closed B 77EX
3250-3259 931 1927 Kuhlman Closed To Eastern Michigan Railways in 1928.
3301-3310 934 1924 Kuhlman Closed To Eastern Michigan Railways in 1928.
5000-5024 609 1915 Kuhlman Trailer
5025-5049 610 1915 Kuhlman Trailer
5050-5074 614 1916 Kuhlman Trailer
5075-5099 615 1916 Kuhlman Trailer
5100-5124 619 1916 Kuhlman CE Trailer
5125-5149 620 1916 Kuhlman CE Trailer
5150-5174 639 1916 Kuhlman CE Trailer
5175-5199 640 1916 Kuhlman CE Trailer
7000-7008 1899 DSR
7051-7058 50 1899 Kuhlman Closed
7059-7062 50 1899 Kuhlman Passenger and Baggage
7063-7072 1910 Niles
7073-7076 1912 Niles
7077-7083 1912 Niles
7084-7093 1913 Niles
7094 1913 Niles
7095-7096 1916 Niles
7101-7112 1897 Kuhlman
7113-7122 800 1907 Cincinnati
7123-7126 1910 Niles
7127-7128 1912 Niles
7129-7131 1913 Niles
7132-7139 625 1916 Kuhlman Closed To Eastern Michigan Railways, same numbers.
7140-7147 626 1916 Kuhlman Closed To Eastern Michigan Railways, same numbers.
7151-7158 1900 Kuhlman
7159-7164 1901 Jewett
7250-7259 1896 Barney and Smith
7260-7273 1898 Barney and Smith
7274-7279 1899 Kuhlman
7292-7297 1903 Brill
7298-7304 1906 Cincinnati
7305-7307 1906 Cincinnati
7308 1912 Niles
7309-7310 1915 Niles
7311-7312 1916 Niles
7500 1906 Niles
7501-7507 1901 Jewett
7508-7519 1904 Stephenson
7520-7521 1916 Niles
7522-7529 1917 Jewett
7530-7539 698 1919 Kuhlman
7540-7545 699 1919 Kuhlman
7546-7555 1322 1923 St. Louis
7765-7787 Barney and Smith
7790-7794 353 1907 Kuhlman
7795-7796 1916 Niles
8000-8001 1913 Niles Ex-7084, 7087. Refurbished in-house in 1924.
8002 1906 Niles Ex-7500. Refurbished in-house in 1924.
8003 1919 Kuhlman Ex-7536. Refurbished in-house in 1924.
8021-8022 Ex-?. Refurbished in-house in 1924.

References

  1. ↑ DETROIT TRANSIT HISTORY: The DUR Years (1901--1922)
  2. ↑ 1921 newspaper ad
  3. ↑ https://www.rochesterhills.org/DocumentCenter/Home/View/1062
  4. ↑ 1913 Detroit United Railway map, University of Texas archives
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