Dodge Hamtramck Plant Test Track Description and Photos
The Test Building was built in two parts and for many years consisted of two distinct single story steel-framed buildings. The eastern building (1915) measured 55 feet by 379 feet, while the western building (1920) measured 55 feet by 211 feet. The two remained separated through the 1920s, but by the early 1950s, they were connected, producing a single building 631 feet long. The west segment was constructed between the old test track, located immediately north of the Forge, Blacksmith, and Heat Treat Shops, was removed in 1920 and located south of the major manufacturing buildings to allow expansion on the northern boundaries. The oval track consisting of 3 x 8 inch pine planks was 1,204 feet long and included a 40 foot high hill in the middle. After it was relocated, the track went around this building and the hill climb was placed just north of it. The track survived into the early 1950s, when it was removed. The Test Building was also known as Repair Building Number 2 in the 1950s and more recently was called the Quality Assurance Building. It housed testing equipment and a carwash when the plant closed in 1980.
TEST TRACK, NORTH OF FOUNDRY, VIEW WEST, 1915
TEST TRACK, NORTH OF FOUNDRY, VIEW EAST, 1915
TEST TRACK, NORTH OF FOUNDRY, VIEW EAST, 1915