Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad

Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad
DT&I system as of 1918
Reporting mark	DTI
Locale	Michigan and Ohio
Dates of operation	1905–1983
Successor	Grand Trunk Western
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) (standard gauge)

The Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad (reporting mark DTI) was a railroad that operated between its namesake cities of Detroit, Michigan and Ironton, Ohio via Toledo between 1905 and 1983.

Early history

The Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railway was organized in 1905 through the merger of the Detroit and Lima Northern Railway and the Ohio Southern Railway. The line went bankrupt in 1908, but remained solvent until it was purchased by Henry Ford in 1920. Ford recognized the strategic importance of the line to his automobile business as the line left Dearborn, Michigan and connected with all of the major east-west rail lines in the Midwest. This gave Ford direct control over shipments of raw materials and finished goods to and from his factories in Dearborn. The line thrived and saw numerous improvements under Ford's management. However, Ford sold the line in 1929 to the Pennsylvania Railroad after becoming disgusted with interference and over regulation from the Interstate Commerce Commission.

Ann Arbor Railroad

In 1905 the then Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railway took control of the Ann Arbor Railroad, which connected Toledo with Frankfort, Michigan, which essentially doubled the DT&I's system. It only controlled the Ann Arbor until 1908 when another bankruptcy forced the DT&I to divest its acquisition. However, in 1963 the DT&I, itself by then a subsidiary of the Pennsylvania Railroad, once again gained control of the AA. The Ann Arbor lines would later become part of the formation of Conrail in April 1976 but were still facing abandonment. They were purchased by the state of Michigan in October 1977 with the intent of preserving rail service over its tracks. Subsequently, the state divested itself of the lines and remnants of the AA are now owned and operated by several short line railroad companies (including one with the same name as the original).

Work Train, circa 1921

The Pennsylvania years

The line operated as an independent subsidiary of the Pennsylvania Railroad from 1929 until 1970. In 1955, the line replaced its steam locomotives with diesel locomotives. It did however, have a short-lived operation using heavy-electric boxcab locomotives. The catenary masts of which survived for decades after de-electrification, as it was deemed too expensive to demolish them. The DT&I relied exclusively on diesel locomotives built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division. The new diesel locomotives were painted bright orange throughout this period, though the specific design and placement of the railroad's logo varied with time.

The later years

In 1968, the DT&I's parent company, the Pennsylvania Railroad, merged with its longtime rival, the New York Central Railroad, to become the Penn Central, which declared bankruptcy two years later and sold off the DT&I to private investors. In 1980, the DT&I was acquired by the Grand Trunk Western Railroad (GTW). Under the GTW, the DT&I locomotives were painted in the red and blue livery of the GTW, but retained the DT&I logo. In December 1983, the DT&I was completely assimilated into the GTW and the track south of Washington Court House, Ohio was abandoned. In 1997, much of the remaining trackage of the DT&I was sold to Railtex who operates it under their Indiana and Ohio Railway division.

Cities and towns along the Detroit, Toledo and Ironton

The following is a list of the major cities and towns along the DT&I

Michigan

• Detroit
• Dearborn
• Allen Park
• Flat Rock
• Wyandotte

Ohio

• Toledo
• Lima
• Springfield
• Washington Court House
• Waverly
• Jackson
• Ironton

Also, DT&I trains served Cincinnati, Ohio over trackage owned by the Pennsylvania Railroad.

External links

• Detroit, Toledo & Ironton historical site
• DT&I images at George Elwood's Fallen Flags site
• The DT&I Modelers Page