Re: The Forney at Knotts!

A real forney...as in one which follows the original design...is a bit different than most people think.

The concept was an 0-4-4t...run tank first which gives it a 4-wheel lead truck...like a 4-4-0. To negotiate tight curves, the #2 drivers were supposed to be blind. The tank truck pivoted only...no sliding. This was the advantage to the rigid frame.

Somewhere along the line, people got the idea to run forneys with the tank trailing. This suddenly caused tracking trouble and so 2-wheel lead trucks were added. In order to defeat the advantage of the design on tight curves, all of the drivers received flanges. If it were like McDonalds...Matthias Forney would have pulled down the Golden Arches and banned them from selling Big Macs for not following his patent...or rather, nearly completely defeating his design. These are typically the Forneys that people think of...such as the Maine engines.

A brass importer once decided to create a Mason Bogie model in the spirit of the Maine "forneys". With the rigid drivers (instead of a pivoting bogie...hence "Mason BOGIE"), it required rather impressive sweeping curves.

I would guess, based off of the pictures and it being unable to negotiate turns on other lines, that it is like the Maine engines.

I'm looking forward to seeing pictures and video of this engine rolling around at Knotts (#1 place on my list for when I visit So Cal)

Michael