It was under the leadership of general manager Fred A. Nolan when the DSR first began its "steel wheels to rubber
tires"  campaign to convert its mostly street railway operation over to an all bus operation by 1953.  In 1934, the DSR
began purchasing hundreds of small-size Ford Transit coaches, many of which would be used to help carry out this rail
abandonment program. The first abandonment of the rail lines by the DSR began in 1937, only to be interrupted briefly
by World War II.  However, the conversion of streetcars over to buses would begin to accelerate after the war.

The following table lists the order DSR streetcar lines were abandoned and converted to motor buses.
THE CONVERSION OF D.S.R STREETCAR LINES TO MOTOR BUSES BETWEEN 1937 AND 1956
RAIL LINE
DATE OF BUS SUBSTITUTION
COMMENTS
MYRTLE
October 11, 1937
  
VAN DYKE
February 14, 1938
  
WEST JEFFERSON
April 23, 1938
A major sewer-related pavement collapse resulted in bus substitution
DEPOT (WOODWARD–DEPOT)
October 3, 1938
Michigan Central Depot branch of Woodward line substituted by buses
E. LAFAYETTE
March 1, 1939
Last DSR streetcar line to operate small Birney Safety cars
DAVISON (BAKER)
 March 22, 1942
 Highland Park branch of Baker line discontinued because of Davision
Expressway construction. Replaced by Davision Shuttle buses
OAKMAN
December 9, 1945
First streetcar line after WWII to be converted to buses
HAMILTON
April 28, 1947
  
GRAND RIVER
May 5, 1947
First major DSR streetcar line to be substituted with buses
CROSSTOWN
October 26, 1947
  
HARPER
October 26, 1947
North portion of line replaced by Van Dyke-Lafayette coach line
GRAND BELT
June 24, 1948
  
FOURTEENTH
July 18, 1948
Replaced by new Linwood coach line
WOODMERE
July 18, 1948
Replaced by West Jefferson and Springwells Shuttle coaches
FORT WEST
June 23, 1949
West-side portion of Fort-Kercheval line substituted by Fort coaches
CHARLEVOIX–BUCHANAN
 July 17, 1949
Esat-side portion of route replaced by E. Vernor coaches, west-side
substituted by new Buchanan coach line
KERCHEVAL
December 15, 1949
  
TRUMBULL
 June 19,1951
Trumbull Avenue portion replaced by rerouted Linwood coaches,
service along 12th Street replaced by new Fenkell coach line
OAKLAND
June 19, 1951
  
MT. ELLIOTT
June 19, 1951
  
CLAIRMOUNT
July 29, 1951
  
MACK
November 11, 1951
  
BAKER
 April 6, 1952
East-side portion of route replaced by new Chene bus line, west-side
substituted by new Baker coach line
JEFFERSON
February 7, 1954
P.C.C. OPERATION (1949–1954)
MICHIGAN
September 7, 1955
P.C.C. OPERATION (1950–1955)
GRATIOT
March 25, 1956
P.C.C. OPERATION (1949–1956)
WOODWARD
April 8, 1956
P.C.C. OPERATION (1947–1956)
(Unless otherwise noted above, rail abandonment would result in buses being substituted over the previous rail route under the same route name)
FOR RELATED TOPICS SEE:  THE P.C.C. ERA IN DETROIT
                                       VIEW D.S.R. RAIL LINE ROUTE MAP: STREETCAR LINES - 1941
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DETROIT TRANSIT HISTORY
DETROIT TRANSIT HISTORY
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