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South Lyon Railroads

In the summer of 1871, the Detroit, Lansing and Northern was built west from Plymouth on the way to Lansing and Ionia. In 1880, the predecessor of the Ann Arbor Railroad built a line into town from Ann Arbor. The goal of this line was to continue on towards Pontiac but that did not occur under the original owners. The line was pulled up around 1890.

In 1883 the Grand Trunk built their Jackson Branch from Pontiac to Jackson, which crossed the Pere Marquette near the intersection of Lake St. (Ten Mile Rd.) and Reynolds Sweet Parkway on the east side of South Lyon. The GTW branch line continued to serve South Lyon until the early 1980's. The branch line is now a paved bicycle trail through town and Reynold Sweet Parkway follows the original route.

Today, South Lyon hosts the CSX Transportation Plymouth Division main line from Detroit to Grand Rapids.

For detailed information on the history of South Lyon's Railroads, please click here.

For detailed information on the cities and railroads highlighted, click on the name and you will be directed to "MichiganRailroads.com" for accurate historical facts.

Please note that historic photographs of trains in South Lyon are few and far between, thus the reason we have added photos of trains that passed through South Lyon over the years.

We wish to extend our thanks to the Chesapeake & Ohio Historical Society (COHS) for their permission to present several historical photos, seen below, taken in and around the South Lyon/Salem Township/Plymouth/Brighton/Detroit area on the railroad currently owned and operated by CSX Transportation. Note that all trains and specific railway equipment in these photos would have passed through South Lyon at different frequencies over the years.

We also thank the COHS for the track plans and elevations shown below (as noted).

Photos presented of the Grand Trunk Western R.R. (now the Rail Trail) are from the South Lyon Area Historical Society (SLAHS) archives.

The original Detroit, Lansing & Northern depot just north of Lake St.

A track maintenance gang with a hand-propelled handcar, often used to transport the track gang to their work site.

The DL&N depot burned to the ground, so this depot was constructed to replace it. Today it is the keystone of the South Lyon Historic Village and home to the SLAHS museum.

A Grand Trunk Western local freight train circa 1947, crossing the Chesapeake & Ohio in front of the Witch's Hat depot. The locomotive is about to cross Lake Street.

GTW #5046, a steam loco with the 4-6-2 wheel arrangement, westbound by the South Lyon depot.

The Chesapeake & Ohio "Pere Marquette" passenger train awaiting departure from the Fort Street Union Depot in Detroit in the 1960's. (COHS #59212)

The Chesapeake & Ohio passenger train No. 14 at Brighton, MI in April, 1961. The locomotive is a General Motors EMD E8. There is a baggage car with a 30 foot Railway Post Office secion behind the locomotive. Photo by J. David Ingles. (COHS #59211)

Pere Marquette locomotive GM - EMD E7 #102 with a passenger train arriving at the Brighton, MI depot in November, 1946. The Pere Marquette R.R. became part of the Chesapeake & Ohio in 1947. (COHS #CSPR-1667)

C&O Alco RSD-7 #6806 at Rougemere Yard Detroit (Dearborn) in July, 1963. This locomotive was built by American Locomotive Co. (ALCO) and was often used to pull trains through the tunnel under the Detroit River over to Windsor, ON. Freight trains through South Lyon usually originated/terminated at Rougemere Yard as well as Oak Yard in west Detroit.

Photo by J. David Ingles. (COHS #58972)

C&O GM-EMD BL2 #82 with a local freight train departing Plymouth, MI towards South Lyon in August, 1960. The BL2 was a rare diesel locomotive; Chesapeake & Ohio purchased 14 of them, most of which were based in Michigan. Photo by Gene Huddleston. (COHS #20444)

Pere Marquette steam locomotive, wheel arrangement 2-8-4 #1212, eastbound at Salem with 65 cars of freight, February 9, 1947. This locomotive was very similar to the famous Pere Marquette 2-8-4 #1225, currently operating out of Owosso, MI on excursion trains.

(COHS #35146)

C&O GM-EMD E8 approaching at track speed (60 mph) at Salem, Mi in June, 1964. Note the speed limit sign, crossbucks, black telephone box, silver relay box and station sign.

Photo by J. David Ingles. (COHS #57498)

C&O General Electric U23B #2308 with a freight train in tow at milepost 47 near Brighton, MI on July 8, 1977.

Photo by Joe DeMike. (COHS #56961)

This perfectly matched set of locomotives and passenger cars are The Pere Marquette westbound at Brighton MI in July, 1947. The Pere Marquette trains were the first new streamline passenger trains post WWII. They entered service in 1946. Because of the new trains, passenger traffic increased by over 80% within a year on the Detroit to Grand Rapids line (and they passed through South Lyon daily). (C&O Railway photo) (COHS #37538)

Chesapeake & Ohio EMD E7 #102 with a Pere Marquette passenger train passing through Salem, MI circa 1960. Photo by Gene Huddleston. (COHS #57142)

This is the Track Elevation Diagram for the Chesapeake & Ohio (CSX Transportation). South Lyon is depicted by the right third of the diagram. Mileposts (the distance from beginning of track in Detroit) are at the top in circles - 36, 37 & 38. The horizontal "squiggly" line across the diagram is the actual track profile. You'll notice it is anything but flat!

(Document provided by COHS)

This is a South Lyon Station Map - Track Diagram as prepared by the Pere Marquette Railway. The current CSX Transportation mainline is the horizontal track. The Grand Trunk Western (Rail Trail) runs from the top center to the lower right/center. An interchange track curves from the GTW southward to the PM (CSX) mainline. This track was most likely removed when the GTW tracks were abandoned and pulled up. Lake St. (Ten Mile Rd.) runs diagonally through the maze of tracks. The Wixom Feed Mill was located approximately where the North Compass symbol is on the map. (Diagram provided by COHS)

Handcar passing the Witches Hat depot on the Grand Trunk Western R.R.

Looking west on the Pere Marquette (C&O, CSX). The GTW branch crosses from right to left (now the Rail Trail); that is Lake St. in the foreground. Note the structure on the left beyond the automobile. It is the freight depot, now long since gone. The next diagram details the freight depot.

Detroit, Lansing & Northern R.R. freight house elevation/plan as prepared by the Chief Engineer of the DL&N. Note that this same structure was also built in Howell, Plymouth and Webberville. The only one still standing is in Plymouth alongside the north side of the tracks (part of the structure is gone). Unclear as to when the South Lyon structure was taken down. Note that the "Freight House" in the Historic Village was never in railroad service. It was built onsite by volunteers in 1984.

Plan provided by COHS (pmed-pd-27)

Here is an overhead view/plan of the Witches Hat Depot prior to the move to the South Lyon Historic Village. There were two agents on daily duty: Pere Marquette (C&O) in the bottom half; Grand Trunk Western in the top half. (From the SLAHS archives)

Overhead view (probably taken from the Wixom Feed Mill) looking in a northwest direction. The GTW branch, which served the feed mill, is on the lower right. The C&O mainline is on the upper left. You can just barely see the northwest corner of the C&O Freight House at the far left. The Witch's Hat depot is out of view at the lower left. (From the SLAHS Archives)

GTW #2684, a 2-8-0 "Consolidation" steam locomotive, has derailed while performing a switch at the Wixom Feed Mill.

Photo by R.R. Brangar - SLAHS Archives

Another view of #2684's derailment. (Photo by R.R. Brangar - SLAHS Archives

The Witch's Hat Depot on blocks, ready for the move to the Historic Village in 1976. (From the SLAHS Archives)

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