Detroit’s Street Railways V2 – CERA Bulletin #120 1922-1956 is the second book about the history of Detroit’s Railways.  Detroit’s Street Railways Volume I cover street railways in Detroit from their historical inception in 1863 to municipalization in 1922 was published in 1978. 

Detroit’s Street Railways V2 begins at 12:01 a.m., May 15, 1922 when the City of Detroit, commenced the municipal ownership and operation of all street railways within the city boundaries. Detroit was the first large American city to seek an alternative to privately owned mass transportation facilities. The thirty-four years streetcar service is presented chronologically in four chapters: Chapter I covers the initial eight years of ownership, a period of rehabilitation of the fixed plant and the purchase of new rolling stock. Chapters 2 through 4 follow Detroit through the Great Depression, the riding revival during World War II, and the highway-oriented post-war era.

The final conversion to bus came in 1956. The additional chapters Detroit’s Street Railways V2 or  detail the development of suburban lines, freight services, and experimental trolley coaches and finally trolley coach lines. There is a description of the extension of rail service into the Ford Motor Company's sprawling River Rouge complex.  There is special feather such as a simulated trip on the car lines which survived World War II, and Washington Boulevard trolley (new IN 1976).  The appendix covers both Volume I and II.

The publisher of Detroit’s Street Railways V2 is the Central Electric Railfan’s Association (CERA) was formed 1938.   The CERA encourages the study of the history, equipment, and operations of urban, suburban, interurban and main line electric railways.  This book Detroit Street Railways V2 – CERA Bulletin #120   is published by the organization.  A number of those publications are available on this site.  Meetings are also held monthly by the organization in Chicago, IL.  More information about the CERA is available at their website.    

Detroit’s Street Railways V2 is the second of three volumes that detail the history and operations of Detroit’s street railways.  Historians, rail enthusiasts and the general public alike, will delight in the pictures and information in these volumes.