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DETROIT TRANSIT VIDEO CLIP: THE LAST DAY OF STREETCAR OPERATION IN DETROIT
THE APRIL 8, 1956 "END OF THE LINE" PCC PARADE
This two-minute "silent" black-&-white film clip was taken on Sunday, April 8, 1956 — the last
day of streetcar operation along the streets of Detroit. Check out this nostalgic look back in time!
On Sunday, April 8, 1956, the last regularly scheduled streetcar completed its final run in Detroit when PCC car #233 pulled into the
DSR Woodward Carhouse in Highland Park at 5:56 A.M. Later that afternoon, an unknown cameraman filmed a 24-car procession of
PCC cars during a DSR sponsored "End of the Line" grand parade and final excursion along Woodward Avenue. That final parade is
the focus of our video clip, courtesy of the Prelinger Archives Collection.

Take a look back, as the last of Detroit's PCC cars enter and leave the Fairgrounds Loop (the northern terminus of the Woodward line)  
on that last day, while the replacement GM diesel buses can be seen looming in the background throughout the video. Also included
are scenes at Woodward and Six Mile (at the Detroit / Highland Park border), where the cars stop for a photo taking session. There's
also a view at Woodward at Fort Street in downtown Detroit, where the cars looped for the return trip. Other vehicles participating in the
parade, including a Model-T fire engine and turn-of-the-century automobiles, are also visible in this April 8, 1956 film clip.
(Video should download momentarily)
This film clip was actually an excerpt from a 12-minute silent film done on the Highland Park Ford Motor Company Plant, from the Prelinger Archives
Collection on the Internet Archive web-site.  The film primarily focuses on the 1959 demolition of the five smokestacks from atop the former Ford Plant
Powerhouse Building. To view the entire video clip click-on "Ford HP Plant"
Click here to return to "THE PCC ERA IN DETROIT" Main Page.
..
Preserving the History of Public Transportation in and around the City of Detroit,
...from "Steel Wheels to Rubber Tires."