GE received the contract to electrify the Howard Street Tunnel of the Baltimore Belt Line, what became the first main line electrification in the world. Operation of the system started 1895. The three locomotives used are sometimes referred to as steeple cabs, but they had a different design compared to the ordinary steeplecabs. Each locomotive consisted of two permanently coupled sections each riding on two axles. The overall silhouette was similar to a steeplecab.
