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 Post subject: Forneys (err Fornies?)- Who Built Them?
PostPosted: Thu Jun 24, 2010 1:49 pm 

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 7:38 am
Posts: 1001
Location: Philadelphia
Does anyone know if Forney type locos were produced by a multitude of companies or was the design limited perhaps even licensed to/by a certain few?

All the best,

Joshua


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 Post subject: Re: Forneys (err Fornies?)- Who Built Them?
PostPosted: Thu Jun 24, 2010 2:36 pm 

Joined: Tue Aug 24, 2004 8:10 pm
Posts: 75
Location: Adrian, Oregon
The Forney design was patented by Matthias N. Forney in 1864, so there must have been some sort of liscensure involved. However, a number of builders offered Forney-type locomotives. A number were built by Hinkley Locomotive works, which was M.N. Forney's employer for a time. Baldwin built some, as did Portland, Vulcan, Porter and others.

The Forney design was similar in appearance to the Mason Bogie, but used a rigid set of drivers instead of the Bogie's troublesome swiveling power truck. With the tender located over the rear wheels (actually, by design the front wheels as Forneys were originally intended to operate tender-first) the locomotives had the advantage of keeping a consistant weight on the drivers...a trait which other tank locomotives did not have.

Forney-type locomotives were used primarily on commuter and elevated railroads, and were widely used on the Maine 2-foot gauge lines.

Matthias Forney, in the 1870's became editor of the Railroad gazette, the major trade publication at the time. As such, he became the leading opponent of narrow-gauge doctrine...he felt very strongly that it represented an inferior technology. It is somewhat ironic that the locomotives he designed were so well suited to the demand of narrow gauge operators.


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 Post subject: Re: Forneys (err Fornies?)- Who Built Them?
PostPosted: Thu Jun 24, 2010 3:39 pm 

Joined: Thu Aug 26, 2004 2:50 pm
Posts: 2815
Location: Northern Illinois
Jeff A. wrote:
The Forney design was patented by Matthias N. Forney in 1864, so there must have been some sort of liscensure involved. However, a number of builders offered Forney-type locomotives. A number were built by Hinkley Locomotive works, which was M.N. Forney's employer for a time. Baldwin built some, as did Portland, Vulcan, Porter and others.


Since patents only ran for seventeen years at that time, the design would have become public domain in 1881, well before most of the Forneys that still exist were built.

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Dennis Storzek


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 Post subject: Re: Forneys (err Fornies?)- Who Built Them?
PostPosted: Thu Jun 24, 2010 8:10 pm 

Joined: Sat Aug 28, 2004 3:25 am
Posts: 1025
I'll put on my English instructor hat and advise one and all that if you have a Forney locomotive, and then acquire another one, you have two Forneys. Same applies to a common name for streetcars: Fort Collins had one trolley for many years, now they have two trolleys, and both are Birneys. Rule: if there's an e before a y just add an s, although since we're discussing the English language here, someone will probably come up with an exception. Note: if there are any zoo directors out there, and you have a mongoose, and a donor gives your zoo another one, you're on your own.

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Bob Davis
Southern California


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 Post subject: Re: Forneys (err Fornies?)- Who Built Them?
PostPosted: Thu Jun 24, 2010 9:57 pm 

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 2:46 pm
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Location: St. Louis, MO
Elevated Forneys were built by Rogers, Grant, Rhode Island, Rome, Pittsburgh, and Danforth in addition to Baldwin and Hinkley.

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Ron Goldfeder
St. Louis


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 Post subject: Re: Forneys (err Fornies?)- Who Built Them?
PostPosted: Fri Jun 25, 2010 8:51 am 

Joined: Mon Sep 15, 2008 7:59 pm
Posts: 78
Location: Springville, PA
Vulcan Iron Works of Wilkes-Barre, PA also built Forneys

Bruce Mowbray
Springville, PA

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Bruce Mowbray
Springville, PA


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 Post subject: Re: Forneys (err Fornies?)- Who Built Them?
PostPosted: Fri Jun 25, 2010 9:37 am 

Joined: Fri Aug 27, 2004 7:57 am
Posts: 2576
Location: Faulkland, Delaware
Here are some illustrations and vitals on several Forney types built by several builders. Note that the Catechism of the Locomotive was written by Matthias N. Forney.

http://books.google.com/books?id=X1viAA ... &q&f=false

The obituary for Matthias Forney published in Locomotive Fireman's Magazine.

http://books.google.com/books?id=eXMWAA ... 22&f=false

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Tom Gears
Wilmington, DE

Maybe it won't work out. But maybe seeing if it does will be the best adventure ever.


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 Post subject: Re: Forneys (err Fornies?)- Who Built Them?
PostPosted: Fri Jun 25, 2010 1:55 pm 

Joined: Mon Aug 23, 2004 1:05 am
Posts: 1140
Location: San Francisco
Guys,
My favorite Forney is the great little locomotive that they run at the WW&F Museum at Alna, Maine. Their Portland built locomotive, WW&F #9 is also a Forney.

Here is a question for you. Anybody know why the Forney Transportation Museum in Denver, Colorado is named after them? I believe that they have a Forney locomotive, but also many others including a UP Big Boy.

Ted Miles


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 Post subject: Re: Forneys (err Fornies?)- Who Built Them?
PostPosted: Fri Jun 25, 2010 3:54 pm 

Joined: Fri Jul 22, 2005 11:22 pm
Posts: 219
The Forney Museum in Denver Colorado is a different Forney.
This Forney built the very popular Forney welder that many farmers had in their shop. In addition Forney built a twin engine airplane similar to a Beech Twin.
Forney was quite an inventor in his own right and son Jack heads up the
Forney Museum of Transportation.

Ira


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 Post subject: Re: Forneys (err Fornies?)- Who Built Them?
PostPosted: Fri Jun 25, 2010 4:10 pm 

Joined: Tue Aug 24, 2004 8:10 pm
Posts: 75
Location: Adrian, Oregon
The Forney Transportation Museum was founded by Matthais Forney's second cousin J.D. Forney, founder of Forney Industries of Fort Collins CO. As Ira pointed out, Forney industries is a large wholesale supplier of hardware and industrial products.


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