During the steam era the New York Central maintained a small fleet of electrics to pull its trains through the tunnel under the Detroit River connecting with the Canada Southern Division across Ontario. The 650-volt D.C. operation was a separate corporation, the Detroit River Tunnel Company. Included in a line of retired motors in the Detroit terminal area in March 1954 is No. 163, a member of class R-1 built by ALCo in 1910.