Detroit, Monroe and Toledo Railroad

The Detroit, Monroe and Toledo Railroad (DM&T) was a shortline railroad which operated in the U.S. states of Michigan and Ohio. Opened in 1856, its main line ran from Detroit, Michigan, to Toledo, Ohio. The railroad leased itself to the Michigan Southern and Northern Indiana Railroad (MS&NI) in 1856. A 1914 merger which created the New York Central Railroad led to the DM&T's consolidation into the new road, ending its existence.

Founding and charter
On March 3, 1851, the state of Ohio granted a charter to the Michigan Southern and Northern Indiana Railroad (MS&NI), allowing it to build a rail line, in part, from Toledo, Ohio, to the Ohio-Michigan border.

The Detroit, Monroe and Toledo Railroad was incorporated in the state of Michigan on April 26, 1855, with headquarters in Detroit. The charter allowed for a line originating in Detroit, Michigan, passing roughly along the shoreline of Lake Erie to the small town of Monroe on the Ohio-Michigan border. The DM&T obtained from the MS&NI the right to continue the line from the Michigan border to Toledo.

By the end of June 1856, the DM&T had constructed 54 mi of track from Detroit south to the Michigan state line. On July 1, 1856, the DM&T leased itself in perpetuity to the MS&NI. The terms of the lease required the MS&NI to finish the line from the Michigan border into Toledo, and to assume payment on all outstanding bonds and other debt of the DM&T. Over the next five months, the MS&NI completed the final 11 mi of track, with the last rail laid on December 25, 1856. The first train ran over the line the same day. The road was standard gauge for its entire length.

On February 11, 1869, the MS&NI and the Lake Shore Railway merged to form the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway (LS&MS).

The New York Central and Hudson River Railroad acquired a controlling majority of the LS&MS in 1877. On April 29, 1914, the asset restructuring and refinancing of the New York Central led to the abolishment of all subsidiary corporations and their consolidation into the new New York Central Railroad. The DM&T merged into the New York Central effective January 1, 1915.

Current tracks
The DM&T tracks still exist. They constitute the southbound track of the Detroit Line of the Norfolk Southern Railway.