Eastern Railroad Discussion > A couple from my hometown

After we left Kentucky I took Brother Dave (Trainnut51) home to De-Troit. We got in there on Friday evening and I had all day Saturday to visit my old stomping grounds. I left Detroit at around 11:00 Saturday night and rolled into Lost Wages around 3:00 in the afternoon on Tuesday.
1. The old Michigan Central Depot where Mom and Dad first met.

2. & 3. From the tip of Belle Isle.

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I did manage to catch a CN/GTW train in downtown Royal Oak (Hometown).

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That MC depot sure is in a sad state of affairs, but man what a magnificent building! I'd love to see it up close sometime (was as far as Dearborn as a youngster but that's the closest I've ever been), but really, is there any hope of restoration? I'd almost rather see it torn down than to be in the state that it is now with all that graffiti and broken out windows. Almost enough to make a man cry.....

Andy Brown

AndyBrown Wrote:
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> That MC depot sure is in a sad state of affairs,
> but man what a magnificent building! I'd love to
> see it up close sometime (was as far as Dearborn
> as a youngster but that's the closest I've ever
> been), but really, is there any hope of
> restoration? I'd almost rather see it torn down
> than to be in the state that it is now with all
> that graffiti and broken out windows. Almost
> enough to make a man cry.....
>
> Andy Brown

With the economic disaster that Michigan (and ESPECIALLY Detroit) has become I don't see much hope for restoration.

Bob

Sad to note that it has also been 20 years since "Roger & Me" too. 20 years and I don't know if they've ever really turned the mess around from that time. I will probably never own a GM or Chrysler/Dodge if they keep putting out crappy vehicles.

My '93 Chrysler LeBaron is still going strong! Nice leather seats, too!

"1. The old Michigan Central Depot where Mom and Dad first met."

Possible candidate for conversion into condos?

Great photos. Thanks for posting.

Did you have armed guards for the two shots from Belle Isle, especially the shot at dusk? Took a little guided tour around the island in July and was told by a former resident who has since passed, that it was "just sad" how it all (Detroit) deteriorated.

KC - missed a similar shot of the GTW/CN around 12-mile road by 1 minute

Nice pictures Robert... I like the different angle of Downtown Detroit... I have lots of pictures of the Detroit Skyline from the Windsor side of the river, from the old Rail yards turned into Parks... I know I am still a young person, it would have nice to have seen both the MC Station & downtown Detroit & Windsor in there hay days with all the rail traffic...

Ian
Windsor, Ontario
http://www.trainweb.org/swontariotrain/index.html
http://www.trainweb.org/wmrc/index.html

I thought there was talk about the Detroit Police to be headquartered in the MC Station.

BB Wrote:
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> I thought there was talk about the Detroit Police
> to be headquartered in the MC Station.

There was, but that rust bucket hellhole will never come up enough money to do the restoration. Even if Brother Barack gives them a pile of infrastructure "stimulus" money, the slimeball politicians will divert it to line their own pockets. Best thing they could do with the city is start 2 blocks from the river and bulldoze it out to the city limits. Just herd all of the residents and the Detroit Lions into the river (no sense burdening the rest of the country with them).

Ya, I'm REALLY bitter about what they have done to my once dynamic hometown!!!

Bob