Rouge: Pictured in Its Prime

8. Railroads

8 RAILROADS From the very beginning of work at the River Rouge site, hauling of soil from place to place was done by rail car. In the very beginning, on narrowgauge tracks, a few small cars were pulled by horses. As needed, heavier rails, much larger hopper cars, and steam locomotives were put into service. Although well-established railroads such as the Michigan Central and the Pere Marquette were adjacent to the Rouge Plant, Ford Motor Company needed to have its own railroad system to move materials within the plant itself. Supplies of iron ore and limestone were to come by boat from Great Lakes ports, but coal from Kentucky and West Virginia had to be moved by rail, and Ford Motor Company had earlier experienced difficulty in depending on the railroads. In 1920, the same year the company was building boats to haul ore and limestone to the Rouge, Henry Ford personally bought the Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad (DT&I) to provide an independent route in the direction of his sources of coal. It was not legal for Ford Motor Company itself to own an interstate railroad. Within the Rouge Plant, however, Ford built a mammoth locomotive repair shop that began operation in June 1921. Employing as many as 475 men, the shop is said to have restored four long-neglected DT&I locomotives a month until 1926. Responsibilities of the shop included repair and maintenance not only of Rouge locomotives but also of other heavy plant equipment such as steam cranes, bulldozers, shovels, and coal unloaders. Along with their normal Rouge repair work, workers were assigned general DT&I maintenance , as well as the restoration of a number of antique engines for the Henry Ford Museum. Ford loved steam locomotives and insisted that each of them in his sight be elaborately nickel trimmed, be highly polished, and sport white tires. Despite his love of steam, by 1940, steam locomotives had been displaced by diesels. 62 Opposite, top:The locomotive repair shop under construction at the Rouge Plant as photographed the day before Christmas, 1920. Henry Ford purchased the Detroit, Toledo & Ironton in July of that year. This is to be a major repair shop for both the Rouge and DT&I rolling stock. (833.31732) Opposite, bottom:The interior of the locomotive repair shop in operation on August 10, 1922. Huge traveling cranes can lift locomotives off the floor so that wheels, axles, and other mechanical components can be removed and repaired in the machine shops at the opposite end of this large building. (833.32624) 64 Men restore a vintage steam locomotive. Workers in the shop are kept busy repairing not only locomotives but also cranes, bulldozers, and railroad cars of every type. As shown in this 1937 photograph, Henry Ford continues to have his favorite steam locomotives overhauled while, for routine work at the Rouge, diesels are fast replacing steam locomotives. (833.68145-H) 65 Above: One of Henry Ford’s favorite steam engines, No. 33, undergoes reconditioning, as late as the 1940s. (833.79051-B) Left: Ford steam locomotive No. 31 pulls a trainload of coke from the Rouge Plant in November 1933. (833.58082-1) For hauling small loads, this “fireless” locomotive in the “donkey engine” class is charged with high-pressure steam and able to work for eight hours before losing power. These engines often worked inside buildings with no fear of fire, smoke, or fumes. This photograph is dated April 8, 1937. (833.68145-E) Right: One of a series of new diesel locomotives purchased for use as switch engines within the Rouge in 1937. (833.69302) Below: Diesel switching engines move cars in the north yards of the Rouge Plant in March 1938. The Ford administration building is visible at the upper right. Acres and acres of Ford land extend westward beyond Rouge Plant boundaries. (833.69951-C) ...