Penn Central 4297, pulling Amtrak westbound passenger train No. 363, at Town Line on March 25, 1973  [Mark Dobronski]  Below, a 2003 view of Town Line interlocking, looking east.  [Dale Berry]

Town Line continues to be a junction on the old Michigan Central Railroad main line at the very west end of the Detroit yard.  The operator controlled trains entering the Michigan Division from the east, and protected the yard by controlling eastbound trains.  The junction also routed trains southbound on the Old and New Wyes, which met up with the Junction Yard (DD&D) branch just north of Schaefer Tower.

Town Line, also called "J" earlier in its life, was a one story grey shanty.  The model board in the tower controlled two signal masts, and electric locks on two crossovers and the junction switch to the yard and wyes.  All switches were hand thrown, though the west crossover was thrown by one device which worked switches on both ends.

Unlike many other towers in the Detroit yard, Town Line was an operator-run tower, meaning that the operator distributed train orders.  Town Line was probably named because it was on the town line between Springwells and Fordson.  Greenfield Road may have also been named Town Line Road at one time.

Today, Town Line is remotely controlled by the Norfolk Southern Michigan Line dispatcher which happens to be located about one mile west of Town Line on Michigan Avenue, across from the Ford Motor Company world headquarters.

Historical Information:

Mark Dobronski provided the following information which was compiled by Jim Harlow. 

"Tower J" was located right along John Kronk (Southern Avenue) mid-way between Wyoming and Central.  Interestingly, TownLine acquired the telegraph call "J".

Q.  WHEN WAS TOWNLINE BUILT? 

• A 1914 blueprint shows a Tower "J", which was mid-way between Wyoming and Central Avenue in Detroit.  (Note:  At somepoint Town Line, which was at Greenfield Road, acquired the telegraph call "J".  This would suggest that the towerman/operator at the original Tower "J" was moved to Greenfield Road at some point).  The 1914 blueprints also show buildings at what is later known as Town Line.

• A 1919 valuation photo shows Town Line in its Greenfield Road location, with a "genuine MCRR" station sign reading "TOWNLINE".

• There are references footnoted in the 1897 and 1911 MCRR employee timetables to a location which is called "Dearborn east" [sic] without a milepost reference, which he is suspicious later became "Town Line", but an early telegrapher's agreement dated in the 1910's shows only block operators stationed at Tower "J" but not Town Line.

• The 1914 blueprints indicate that the "old and new" wyes between what is now Rotunda Drive and Town Line were in place at that time.

• Therefore, it appears that Town Line was built prior to 1919.