Oakland County Rode the Rails

Dick O'Dow's, 160 W Maple Rd, Birmingham, MI | Get Directions »
$30.00

Travel two of the main routes of the interurban line that once served thousands of rail commuters in Oakland County.  Join rail fans, teachers, local historians, researchers and preservationists on a bus tour that will retrace routes established by the Detroit United Railway within Oakland County.  Hear from authors and railway historians about the D.U.R. and its importance to local communities. Learn about the historic buildings that served the railway and the communities that thrived along the rail routes.

This four hour bus tour via Oakland County Parks and Recreation coach bus will begin and end in Farmington at the site of the historic Botsford Inn, travel north through Royal Oak to Pontiac and back through the lakes area of central Oakland County. The tour will include information about the historical, social and commercial impact of the Detroit United Railway in Oakland County.

Brian Golden, member of the Oakland County Historical Commission and author of Farmington Junction, a Trolley History will be joined along the route by Helen Jane Peters who will talk about the Sylvan Lake Inn and Kenneth Schramm, author of Detroit’s Street Railway, who will share his extensive knowledge of the D.U.R.  Ticketholders will receive a tour booklet providing additional, supplemental information about the railway system.

Tour tickets are $30.00 per person and include lunch at Dick O’Dow’s in Birmingham. Tickets can be reserved in advance, but are limited in number.