Detroit Citizens Railway, Michigan 1977

Car 247 headed south on Washington Blvd near the intersection of Michigan Ave.

The Citizens Railway in Detroit opened in 1976 and ran for about a mile through the downtown area from Washington Blvd (near Grand Circus), down Washington to Jefferson where it turned left and ended by the Renaissance Center.

It was designed purely as a tourist attraction and was operated by nine vintage trams from Europe. By the 1990s it was carrying less than 5,000 people a year. Six of the trams were taken away for “refurbishment” and were never seen again. It all closed in 2003. In 2014 the City of Detroit held a huge bankruptcy sale which included 115 garbage trucks, 79 buses and 3 of the old trolley cars.

Cars 247 and 6, both originally from Portugal, were sold to local buyers. Car 14 was acquired by the Statfold Barn Railway and shipped back to England where it was restored to running order.

.In the background, the city’s mid-century architecture is on full display, with storefronts for “Detroit Edison,” “Detroit Camera Shop,” and “Charlie Chicken” lining the street. A National Bank sign featuring the “the saturday bank” slogan towers over the intersection, while the statue of Alexander Macomb stands at the right. This high-resolution scan provides a detailed look at the short-lived tourist trolley system. This digital download is an incredible piece of local history, perfect to print for yourself as vintage Detroit wall art.