The vision of industrialist and auto magnate Henry Ford, the first phase of the project was completed in 1918, which was slated to build patrol boats for the U.S. Navy during World War I. When the war ended, production at the Rouge plant transitioned to tractors. It wasn't long afterwards that automobile and truck manufacturing took center stage and remained until the start of the 21st Century when the market for trucks exploded. At one point, the Rouge site consisted of 93 separate buildings.

At its peak, the Rouge operation encompassed 100 miles of track and a locomotive shop which was comprised of more than 450 skilled craftsman, builders and and general labor personnel. The shop also serviced some of subsidiary's Detroit Toledo & Ironton locomotives. Replacement diesel power for aging steam engines began arriving in earnest during the latter part of the 1930s; even though Ford had experimented with an oil-electric locomotive as early as 1930.

With the exception of four small (14/16-ton) Whitcombs, the Ford roster was the exclusive domain of locomotives that bore either a GE or Alco builder plate. It was not surprising given the friendship between Henry Ford and Thomas Edison (General Electric). By the late 1950s, the Alcos and GEs were showing their age, and Ford directed its attention to the used / rebuid locomotive market, most of which were EMDs. The automaker took another major step in 1968 with the purchase of new SW1001s from EMD.

A roster of diesel power has been added at the bottom of this webpage.