Remembering Historic Railways

Remembering Historic Railways. on the West Bloomfield Trail. The West Bloomfield Trail was once a railbed of the Grand Trunk Railroad, built through the region in the 1880s to serve far-flung agriculture and industry. The light rail electric trolley track that was built in 1899 is noticeable at Cass Lake Road. It served communities from Pontiac through Farmington to Detroit, and later became part of the larger Detroit United Railway (DUR). Your journey through history on the trail follows the route of the trolley track and the Grand Trunk rail, running side-by-side, as far as Orchard Lake Road., You Auto Know , Where trains once rolled, you may now walk, bicycle or cross-country ski through woodlands and communities. , , Far left top image caption: , The first trolley system in the region was the Pontiac and Sylvan Lake Rail Co., built in 1895 to carry visitors and investors from Pontiac to the Sylvan Lake Inn and newly-built subdivisions. Unless noted otherwise, all photos are courtesy of the Greater West Bloomfield Historical Society. , , Far left bottom image caption: , In this 1909 DUR map showing trolley lines throughout southeast Michigan, the lines between Detroit, Orchard Lake and Pontiac are highlighted in yellow. Map courtesy of Brian Golden. , , Near left image caption: , 1940 aerial photo showing the Grand Trunk Railroad line that became the West Bloomfield Trail. It curves south past the Pine Lake Country Club golf course (upper right) and down between Pine Lake and Orchard Lake. The faint trace beside it is the DUR trolley line that was removed in 1929. , , Near right image caption: , Drawing of the electrical components of a trolley car. The vehicle's name is from the overhead "trolley" arm that carried electric power from the cable to the trolley car. Image courtesy of Brian Golden. , , Far right top image caption: , The West Bloomfield Trail is a linear park about seven miles long that follows former train tracks from West Bloomfield to Sylvan Lake. This railroad mile marker is near the spot at Cass Lake Road where the DUR trolley line swung in beside the Grand Trunk Railroad line. , , Far right middle image caption: , A family camps among the lakes of Oakland County, about 1910. In the early 1900s, trolleys and automobiles brought many visitors from Pontiac and Detroit. , , Far right bottom image caption: , Apple Branch was a weekend boarding house, one of many tourist facilities that grew with the flow of visitors arriving in the early 1900s in trolleys and automobiles.