June 14, 2026

Car #3 – Pontiac & Sylvan Lake Railway Company

A Blue-Toned Historic Print Shows A Streetcar Labeled “Pontiac &Amp; Sylvan Lake Ry Co” And A Separate Technical Drawing Of Its Wheel-And-Suspension Truck Labeled “Designed Especially For High Speed.”

This vintage image shows Car No. 3 of the Pontiac & Sylvan Lake Ry. Co. — a small interurban line that helped carry Oakland County riders from Pontiac to the lake long before weekend traffic jams.

A City of Sylvan Lake history page says service on the Pontiac-to-Sylvan Lake interurban began Oct. 1, 1895, and that the line’s popularity peaked in 1912 — including a July trip that reportedly carried 200 people to the beach.

By the early 1900s, the Pontiac & Sylvan Lake line was folded into a bigger network (Detroit & Northwestern, then Detroit United Railway).

What do you remember or know about the old interurban along Garland Avenue?

#Pontiac #SylvanLake #OaklandCounty #MichiganHistory #Interurban

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Michaela Nolte

Michaela is a history buff and loves to export historical markers and old buildings and seeks stories about Michigan and Great Lakes history. When she is not writing, you can find her with a good book sipping wine on the beach.

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