| Interurban railroads evolved from streetcars. Both
were self-propelled cars running off electricity supplied by an overhead
wire, or in the case of interurbans, sometimes by an electrified third rail.
While streetcars ran in the city, interurbans ran out of the city , to nearby
towns or other cities. They were built mostly to move people, but also handled
packages, boxes and crates.
In the late 1890's this type of service was much in demand.
Business was good and populations were expanding out from the major cities.
All over the country this "new technology" was booming. Detroit was leading
the country in the construction of interurban lines. There were six different
routes radiating outward from the city.
One of these routes was the Detroit, Plymouth & Northville
Railway. Their line ran out of Detroit, to Wayne, Plymouth and Northville.
One of the stops just east of Plymouth was Newburg. The line became part
of Detroit United Railway in 1907. Paved roads, maintained at public expense,
made it very easy for trucks, busses and private automobiles to "steal" all
the interurban's traffic. The line was abandoned in 1927.
The station in Newburg was divided into two rooms; a small
waiting room with benches, and a larger freight room, located up three steps
from the waiting room. The dimensions of the building are 12’ 4 1/2”
X 21’ 4”. The building was purchased by the Livonia Historical
Society in 1974 and moved by the Livonia Historical Commission to Quaker
Acres in 1975. In 1976, it was moved to Greenmead and is now part of the
Livonia Historical Village. Restoration of the building was funded by the
Livonia Historical Society. |
