Research Guide: Detroit, Toledo, & Ironton Railroad
Answer
The Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad
The Detroit, Toledo & Ironton (DT&I) Railroad started out in 1849 as the Iron Railway, becoming the DT&I in 1903, functioning mainly as a coal hauling line.
In 1920, after negotiations to help fund a bridge, Henry Ford bought a controlling interest in the almost defunct railroad. Ford was named president of the company in 1921, and chose E.G. Liebold as vice president, F.L. Rockelman as vice president and operations manager, Stanley Ruddiman as vice president and chief engineer, and W.C. Cowling as director of traffic.
The railroad Ford purchased included 456 miles of track, 41 railroad stations, 75 steam locomotives, 2800 freight cars, and 27 passenger cars, all in rather poor condition as the road was mortgaged heavily at the time. Ford soon invested $15 million in an improvement plan which included revitalizing the property by reblasting roadbed, replacing lightweight rail with heavy 80lb rail imported from Belgium, installing new fences and bridges, renovating stations and tollhouses, and refitting and restoring 73 of the locomotives. Ford also built a new locomotive repair building at the Rouge which employed 475 men.
In addition to this work, he also restructured the administration of the railroad, increasing efficiency and profits, which he used to further improve the railroad. Employees wages were increased (the minimum was Ford's $6 per day) and their working hours reduced. Employees were held to Ford's high standards, they were to be clean shaven, wear clean overalls, caps, and goggles. When not running a train, crews were to clean and polish cars and locomotives, and engines were cleaned at the end of each run. Crossing guards were also expected to maintain a vegetable or flower garden in their spare time.
The railroad generally ran 4 freight trains per day from the Rouge to Ironton and kept to a strict schedule maintained by Ford's electronic clock system (assisted by loaning many employees watches to keep to the schedules). By 1922, the railroad was close to being profitable and received a 20% reduction in freight rates.
In 1922, Ford started a large project to further improve the railroad by adding a 13.5 mile double track line from the Rouge to Flat Rock, MI. This line was electrified and huge concrete trolley supports were used to electrify the system. Ford also designed and built two large electric locomotives which were completed at Highland Park in 1925 and 1926.
In 1927, Ford added 1000 boxcars, 400 gondolas, 50 flat cars, and 40 cabooses to the line, but soon began to lose interest in his railroad endeavor due to government regulations. He made Stanley Ruddiman president of DT&I in 1927, and sold the company to the Pennsylvania Railroad (under the name Pennroad Corporation) in 1929 for $36 million. In 1968, the Pennsylvania Railroad merged with the New York Central Railroad forming Penn-Central which took control of DT&I. In 1980, the DT&I was sold to Grand Trunk Western and in 1983 was completely assimilated into GTW.
[Images: 88.240.1 "Illustrated and Annotated Map of the Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad, 1955-1959; 84.1.1660.P.189.1719 "Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Locomotive No. 309, 1922; 64.167.548.P.833.47903 "Railroad Fireman Shoveling Coal inside Steam Locomotive, Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad, November 1926; 84.1.1660.P.833.49832 "Tracks Used by Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Electric Locomotives, 1927]
Bibliography
Archival
- Acc. 217 W.H. Graham Records
- Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Finance records, includes payroll, balance sheets, reports and mortgage documents, 1913-1931
- Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Finance records, includes payroll, balance sheets, reports and mortgage documents, 1913-1931
- Acc. 94 Dearborn Engineering Laboratory Records
- box 10
- D.T.& I. – Communications, 1923
- D.T.& I., 1923
- box 63
- D.T. & I Co – communications, 1924
- RAILROAD NEWS - communications
- Letters re: RR exchanges
- box 126
- D.T.&I Railroad News – Communications, 1925
- D.T.&I Communications, 1925
- box 10
- Acc. 680 Building Construction and Maintenance Records
- box 1 D.T.& I Blueprints: Property plat of land deeded to Dearborn Realty & Construction Co. in Wayne County, Mich, 1926; Toledo Railroad yard of D.T. & I; Flat Rock Rail Road yard, 1924
- box 2 Flax Track costs (for D.T.& I & Ford), 1926
- Acc. 284 Henry Ford Office Papers
- box 3 Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad
- January – June, 1920
- Employment applications
- box 3 Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad
- Acc. 285 Henry Ford Office Papers
- box 1 BI (includes Herman Bernstein, Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad gasoline driven coach)
- box 5 Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Company
- Adjustment bonds
- Application for authority to issue first mortgage bonds
- box 6 Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Company
- Applications
- By-laws
- Common and preferred stock
- Right-of-way
- Right-of-way reports
- Scrip certificates for adjustment bonds
- Scrip for adjustment mortgage bonds
- Stock
- Stock, bonds and script
- Stockholders
- box 7 Ford, Henry Finance (includes re: Detroit & Ironton Railroad Company; Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Company)
- box 23 Detroit & Ironton Railroad Company
- General
- Right of way
- Stock
- box 24 Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Company
- box 51 Detroit & Ironton Railroad Company
- box 53 Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Company
- General (2 folders; includes list of stockholders as of March 20, 1922)
- Accidents
- Adjustment mortgage bonds
- Scrip certificates fox adjustment mortgage bonds
- Agreements
- Applications
- Balance sheet, 1921
- Blue prints, 1922
- box 54 Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Company
- Dudley & Straub (includes John T. Cochrane, president of Alabama, Tennessee & Northern Railroad Corporation)
- J. A. Gallagher (discharged employee)
- Highway crossing signs
- Laboratory reports
- F. L. Rockelman
- Stock
- Stock, common and preferred
- Scrip for above
- box 57 Dearborn, Michigan - B.R, Brown, engineer (includes communication re: commuter service between Detroit and Flat Rock on Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad)
- box 70 Lucking, Helfman, Lucking & Hanlon (includes re: application of Detroit & Ironton Railroad Company to lease property)
- box 77 Henry Schwartz re: Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad Company real estate matter)
- box 86 Chicago Bascule Bridge Company (Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad Bridge over Short Cut Canal)
- box 90
- Dravo Contracting Company (Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Bridge over Short Cut Canal)
- Dravo Contracting Company - progress reports
- box 91 Detroit & Ironton Railroad Company re: Michigan Public Utilities
- Commission approval of map
- General
- Real estate opinions
- box 92 Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Company
- Adjustment mortgage bonds
- Applications
- G.R. Brubaker
- box 93 Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Company
- Cash balances
- Coal car reports
- Common stock
- W.C. Cowling
- John A. Crowley company lease
- Derailments, accidents, etc.
- Detroit grade crossings
- Entertaining physicians
- box 94 Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Company
- Gallup, Ohio - Michael Hayes
- Investment plan
- Portsmouth, Ohio
- F.L. Rockelman
- Scrip for adjustment mortgage bonds
- C.C. Straub
- box 98 Dearborn, Michigan (includes re: establishment of radio stations at branches and on Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Company)
- box 114 Short Cut Canal (Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Company Bridge
- box 115 United Fuel & Supply Company (re: Short Cut Canal - Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad)
- box 122 Chicago Bascule Bridge Company (Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Short Cut Canal Bridge)
- box 123
- H.G. Christman Company (Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Short Cut Canal Bridge)
- C30 J-K 36 (includes re: Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Company Wage, Scale)
- box 25 Detroit & Ironton Railroad Company
- box 127 Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Company
- G.R. Brubaker
- Coal car reports
- box 128 Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Company
- Derailments, accidents, etc.
- F.L. Rockelman
- C.C. Straub
- box 136 H80 N-S (includes report of Roy B. Hough on Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad personnel. Hooven, Owens, Rentschler Company, re: machinery contract, Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Company Short Cut Canal Bridge, Robert W. Hunt Company, Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Company Short Cut Canal Bridge.)
- box 143 The New York Trust Company re: Transfer Correspondence (Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Company securities)
- box 147 Short Cut Canal Reports (Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad bridge)
- box 155 AA10 N-S (includes American Railway Association, re: Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad observance of car service rules)
- box 163 Chicago Bascule Bridge Company, 1923 (Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Short Cut Canal)
- box 166 Detroit & Ironton Railroad Company
- Durban to Wauscon
- Reports on Interlockers
- Flat Rock to Rouge Cut Off
- box 168 Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Company
- Accident reports
- box 169 Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Company
- G.R. Brubaker
- Coal car reports
- Common and preferred stock
- Right of way, Monguagon Township
- Passes
- F.L. Rockelman
- C.C. Straub
- box 183 The Fred R. Jones Company, Inc. (Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad River Rouge Bridge)
- box 85 Lima, Ohio (Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Company)
- box 190 Miller-York Inc. (re: Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Short Cut Canal Bridge)
- box 194 RA430 A-B (includes Roy V. Wright, managing editor of "Railway Age" re: Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Company Investment Plan.)
- box 196 Short Cut Canal Reports (Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Company)
- box 198
- Springfield, Ohio - Belmont Avenue Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Company Crossing
- Springfield, Ohio - East Main Street Bridge (Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Company)
- box 219
- Detroit & Ironton Railroad Company
- Detroit & Ironton Railroad Company - Columbus Grove
- box 221 Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Company, 1924
- box 222-225 Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Company
- box 274 Springfield, Ohio Snyder-Domer Road (Detroit Toledo & Ironton Railroad Crossing)
- box 283 Whitehead & Kales Company (re: Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Bridge)
- box 351 Central Union Trust Company of New York (Detroit Toledo & Ironton Railroad Company)
- box 352 Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railway Company re: Agreement Radio Tower - Springfield, Ohio, Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Company
- box 361-369 Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Company
- box 382
- Secretary's Office (includes agreement between Henry Ford, Edsel B. Ford and Clara J. Ford, and Detroit & Ironton Railroad Company in connection with Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Company securities.)
- Traffic Department (includes Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad discontinuing receiving or issuing passes for free transportation ad employees or representations)
- box 395 Interstate Commerce Commissions, re: application of Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad to construct and issue bonds - Durban to Malinta
- box 429
- T520 J-K 526 (includes J. W. Thompson re: surety Bond for payment of freight charges - Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Company)
- T520 L-M 527 (includes Merle Thorpe, Editor of The Nation's Business re: freight rates - Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Company)
- box 468
- Detroit & Ironton Railroad
- Detroit & Ironton Grade Separations
- box 472-477 Detroit Toledo & Ironton Railroad Company
- box 607-608 Detroit & Ironton Railroad Company
- box 611-617 Detroit Toledo & Ironton Railroad Company
- box 633 F. W. Kasten (Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad)
- box 703 Re: purchase of land on Zug and Brady Island (Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad)
- box 711 Toledo & Western Railway Company (Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad)
- box 712 United States Government (includes Clayton Act in connection with Ford Motor Company - Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Company transactions)
- box 772 Detroit & Ironton Railroad Company - West Road Grade Separation
- box 775 Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Company
- Mr. Brubaker and Mr. Hayman
- Mr. Liebhar
- Mr. Ruddiman and Mr. Anderson
- Mr. Stradling and Mr. Lemley
- Mr. Straub
- Accident Reports
- Communications re: the "FairLane"
- box 776 Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Company
- Encroachments
- Locomotive Reports
- box 777 Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Company, watches
- box 950 Detroit & Ironton Railroad Regarding property purchased
- box 952 Detroit Toledo & Ironton Railroad
- Mr. M. E. Liebhar
- Mr. Stanley Ruddiman and Mr. C. D. Anderson
- Mr. D. W. Stradling and Mr. Lesley
- Mr. C. C. Straub
- Accident Reports
- Communications Regarding Fairlane
- General
- Securities Data
- Stocks and Bonds
- box 953 Detroit Toledo & Ironton Railroad, watches
- box 1128 Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Company
- Communications re: Fair Lane
- Watches
- box 1295 Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad
- box 1428
- Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad (general)
- Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad re: time spent on Fair lane
- Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad re: watches - distribution of time
- box 1665 PARL-PARR (includes Frances L. Parmelee, re: History of Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad)
- box 1744 Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Company
- Time spent on the Fairlane
- box 1878
- Detroit & Ironton Railroad Company
- Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Company
- Time spent on car "Fairlane”
- box 2002 Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Company
- General
- re: Time spent on Fairlane
- box 2125 Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad
- General
- Fairlane Charges
- box 2264 Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Company - General Folder
- box 2469 Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Company
- box 2816 Detroit City Departments (includes re: Surety Bond given by E. G. Liebold to City of Detroit re: Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Company and Mackie Street Spur)
- box 3066 (OS) Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Rail Road blueprint - poles and power lines, 1923
- Acc. 1 Fair Lane Papers
- box 186 Detroit, Toledo, and Ironton Railroad
- General correspondence regarding railroads, 1909-1917
- Detroit, Toledo, and Ironton Railroad
- General correspondence, 1915-1939
- Personnel and operations, 1921-1926, and undated
- "Dimensions and Class of Locomotives on the D.T. & I.," booklet, 1919
- "Timetable," schedule, March 21, 1921
- box 186 Detroit, Toledo, and Ironton Railroad
- Acc. 23 Henry Ford Office. General Personal Records
- box 2 Detroit, Toledo, and Ironton railway properties: deep test wells, 1924
- box 2 Detroit, Toledo, and Ironton railway properties: deep test wells, 1924
- Acc. 587 Office of Henry Ford and Clara Ford Estate Records
- box 98
- 16X Lease; Henry and Clara Ford to Detroit Toledo and Ironton, 2.28.1923
- 26X Agreement; Henry Ford / Detroit Toledo and Ironton, 1.20.1925
- 27X Agreement; Henry Ford / Detroit Toledo and Ironton, 3.14.1921
- 28X Agreement; Henry Ford / Detroit Toledo and Ironton, Loan of bonds, 3.20.1925
- box 99 60X Lease; Ford Transportation Co to Detroit Toledo and Ironton, 1923-1928
- box 100 37F Agreement; Ford Motor Company / Detroit Toledo and Ironton, 1.1.1927
- box 102
- F32X Agreement; Detroit Toledo and Ironton / Ford Motor Company / Pere Marquette Railway Co. / Pennsylvania Railroad Company / Wabash Railway Company / Union Belt of Detroit, 6.10.1927
- F41X Contract; Ford Motor Company / Detroit and Ironton Railroad Company, Dearborn property, 7.24.1929
- Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Company, Copies of warranty deeds
- box 98
- Acc. 289 Real Estate Records
- box 4 Detroit Toledo and Ironton Railroad - General
- box 4 Detroit Toledo and Ironton Railroad - General
- Acc. 6 Edsel B. Ford Office Papers
- box 199 Detroit Toledo and Ironton Railroad
- Revenue and Expense Reports, 1920-1938 (2 folders
- Support Data of Journal Entries – in Edsel B. Ford Books, 1920-1929
- box 199 Detroit Toledo and Ironton Railroad
- Acc. 38 Charles Sorensen Papers
- box 28 Detroit, Toledo, and Ironton Railroad (2 folders), 1923-1924
- box 52 Detroit, Toledo, and Ironton Railroad, 1926 (Statement of billing and freight statistics)
- box 59 Detroit, Toledo, and Ironton Railroad, 1929
- box 28 Detroit, Toledo, and Ironton Railroad (2 folders), 1923-1924
- Acc. 64 Ernest G. Liebold Papers
- box 1 Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad
- Copy of E. G. Liebold letter to A. P. Hickox, 6/24/27 (re investigation to determine cause of "hickey marks" on steel)
- Letter from H. S. Johnson to Liebold, 5/29/34 re "Hickey marks" on sheet steel
- box 1 Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad
- Acc. 620 Power Plant Engineering Records
- box 1 Detroit, Toledo & Ironton R.R.
- Electrification 1924-1927
- Enginemen's Instruction Book
- Photographs - Henry Ford, Edsel Ford, Executives
- Trains
- Railroad News 1924-1926
- Dynamos 1893; 1899 (books)
- box 1 Detroit, Toledo & Ironton R.R.
- Acc. 398 Ford Motor Company Income Tax Records
- box 1
- Detroit & Ironton R. R. 1922-1926
- Detroit, Toledo & Ironton R. R. 1922-1926
- box 13 Detroit Toledo & Ironton R.R.; Officers & Directors 1923, Registration Dates
- box 1
- Acc. 75 Legal Department (Ford Motor Company) Records
- box 1 Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad correspondence, January 1921-December 1925
- box 1 Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad correspondence, January 1921-December 1925
- Acc. 572 Nevins and Hill Research Series
- box 24 No.11.27 Subsidiaries (includes Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Company)
- box 25 No.11.29.1 Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad
- Acc. 1117 David Lewis Papers
- box 1 Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad, 1972
- box 1 Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad, 1972
- RC.30 Research Center Museum Vertical File
- box 66 Detroit, Toledo, & Ironton (2 folders)
- box 66 Detroit, Toledo, & Ironton (2 folders)
- RC.50 Research Center General Advertisement Collection
- box 5 Railroads-Companies-Detroit, Toledo & Ironton
- box 5 Railroads-Companies-Detroit, Toledo & Ironton
- Acc. 721 Plant Engineering Construction Photographs Series
- box 15 Detroit, Michigan - D T and I passenger station construction, 1924, 1926
- box 15 Detroit, Michigan - D T and I passenger station construction, 1924, 1926
- Acc. 548 Detroit Toledo Ironton Railroad Photographs Subseries
- Contains photographs of railroad operations, locomotives, factory operations, and construction and repair project, among many others.
- Contains photographs of railroad operations, locomotives, factory operations, and construction and repair project, among many others.
- Acc. 189 Photographs for the Company Series
- neg. 1551-1571 D.T. & I. RAILROAD, 9-1-1921
- neg. 1719-1721 D.T. & I. RAILROAD, 7-22-1922
- Acc. 833 General Photographs Series
- box 157 Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad (360a)
- box 157 Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad (360a)
- Acc. 1660 Photographic Vertical File
- box 149 Detroit, Toledo & Ironton R.R.
- box 172 (OS) Detroit, Toledo & Ironton RR - Cars and Locomotives
- box 174 (OS) Detroit, Toledo & Ironton R.R.
- Map "Illustrated and Annotated Map of the Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad, 1955-1959" (88.240.1) Digital collections: https://www.thehenryford.org/collections-and-research/digital-collections/artifact/163667
Trade Catalogs
- Supplement no. 9 to local, joint and proportional tariff no. 1244-B. Detroit, Toledo, and Ironton Railroad; Ford Motor Company. P.B. 1923
- Rules for the Government of the Operating Department: Effective November 1, 1938. Detroit, Toledo, and Ironton Railroad. P.B. 1938
Periodicals
- D., T., & I. Railroad News. Detroit, Toledo, and Ironton Railroad., 1923-1927
Ford News
- See: Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad
Audio-Visual (materials may be restricted due to format, please contact reference staff in advance for access)
- The DT&I, the Detroit Toledo and Ironton Railroad. Gulash, Emery.; Neff, Steve; Frick, Bob; Trostel, Scott D.; Ford Motor Company Video ; 385 D811 1988
- Henry Ford Running Train. Henry Ford (Organization); Ford Motor Company; Ford Motor Company Film Collection. You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSGneVqIEUw
Oral Histories
- 64.167.65.115 E.G. Liebold, Part1
- 64.167.65.212 Robert A. Shaw
- 64.167.65.208 Theodore F. Gehle
- 64.167.65.162 Joseph C. Beh Sr.
Vertical File
- Detroit Toledo & Ironton (3 folders)
Books
- The Detroit, Toledo, and Ironton Railroad: Henry Ford's Railroad. Trostel, Scott D. (includes locomotive roster)
- 385.0977 T857 1988 (OS)
- 385.0977 T857 1988 (OS)
- Henry Ford, When I Ran the Railroads: A Chronicle of Henry Ford's Operation of the Detroit, Toledo, and Ironton Railroad (1920-1929). Trostel, Scott D.
- 385.0977 T857h 1989 (OS)
- 385.0977 T857h 1989 (OS)
- Beyond the Model T: The Other Ventures of Henry Ford. Bryan, Ford R.
- 338.76292 F699 B915b 1990 (REF)