In June 1950 the Detroit Street Railway Commission approved the purchase of 80 St. Louis Car Company built trackless trolley-coaches for service on the Grand River line. The cars were ordered in July 1950 and were delivered between June and September 1951. [photo courtesy of S. Sycko]

The 80 St. Louis Car Company coaches (#9101-9180) were model job 1765. The coaches were 39-feet long and were equipped with GE 1213 motors and seated 48 passengers. Coach #9128 is seen in this photo parked at the Coolidge Terminal, where the entire fleet were housed. [photo courtesy of S. Sycko]

Limited electric trolley-coach service began on the Grand River line on July 6, 1951, with full service being phased in. On September 5, 1951, full service began from downtown (Capitol Park) to Grand River and Berg (west of Lahser). The completed line was built as far as Grand River and Garfield (north of Seven Mile), into Redford Township -- two blocks past the Detroit city limits. Complete service from Capitol Park downtown to the Redford Twp loop began on October 18, 1951 [photo courtesy of S. Sycko]

The original livery for the St. Louis trolley-coaches was cream with red trimming, as seen in this 1961 photo along Grand River. A DSR practice for many years was to display a "CITY HALL" destination sign for downtown bound coaches, although the Grand River line only went to Capitol Park -- a few blocks from City Hall.  One of the advantages of trackless trolleys over streetcars was the ability to  offer curb-side service and to maneuver over three lanes of traffic. [photo courtesy of Tom's Trolley Bus Pix-Detroit]

One of the advantages for assigning certain fleets to a specific line was selective advertising. As seen in this photo, Rund Autos, located at 3801 Grand River, had moving advertisement along Grand River. [photo courtesy of S. Sycko]