I was in the Detroit area over the weekend and saw the remains of an old double-tracked ROW in the vicinity of Jefferson Avenue and St. Aubin Street. A friend in town who showed it to me also pointed out the old depot, a large structure on Jeff. Avenue, apparently long abandoned. The roadbed heads toward the Detroit River, and looks like it's been gone for at least 15 to 20 years. My friend told me it used to be a major commuter line, but doesn't know its history. Can anyone fill me in?
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Old ROW in downtown Detroit
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That would be the former Grand Trunk Western from Pontiac. There was a state-supported commuter operation called SEMTA that took over the former Trunk commuter runs. I believe that ended in the late 1980s. There are some great photos of it in Grand Trunk Western In Color Volume 2 by Jerry Pinkepank from Morning Sun Books.
mmmmm pie!