When the Kaufman Act banned the use of steam locomotives in New York City, the New York Central commissioned ALCO-GE to build an electric freight locomotive in 1926. The machine, known as the R-Motor, consisted of two sections, each with two two-axle bogies that had modern nose-suspended motors. Initially there was no series production, instead the P-Motors were built for passenger service.

It wasn't until 1930 that 42 class R-2 locomotives were built. They only had one longer car body and two three-axle bogies. They were now used to serve the busy freight traffic to the ports and industrial plants. As early as the 1940s, their importance fell with the introduction of the first diesel locomotives. In 1955, ten were sold to the Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad, where they remained in use until the 1970s.