Matthias Nace Forney (March 28, 1835 – January 14, 1908) was an American

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...

designer and builder. He is most well known for the design of the Forney type locomotive. Locomotives that he designed served the elevated railroads of New York City for many years before that system converted to electric power. One example of a Forney 0-4-4T locomotive built in 1902 by

Baldwin Locomotive Works The Baldwin Locomotive Works (BLW) was an American manufacturer of railroad locomotives from 1825 to 1951. Originally located in Philadelphia, it moved to nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania, in the early 20th century. The company was for decades t ...

has been restored for daily operations on the Disneyland Railroad in Anaheim, California, as the railroad's number 5, ''Ward Kimball''. Forney was born March 28, 1835, in Hanover, Pennsylvania. He apprenticed with another prominent locomotive builder, Ross Winans, before joining the

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the first common carrier railroad and the oldest railroad in the United States, with its first section opening in 1830. Merchants from Baltimore, which had benefited to some extent from the construction of ...

(B&O) as a draftsman in 1855. He left the B&O in 1858, then worked for the Illinois Central Railroad from about 1861 to 1864. In that position, he patented an

0-4-4 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-4-4 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and four trailing wheels on two axles. This type was only used ...

T locomotive that was the first of the "Forney" types of locomotives, characterized by the truck (US) or

bogie A bogie ( ) (in some senses called a truck in North American English) is a chassis or framework that carries a wheelset, attached to a vehicle—a modular subassembly of wheels and axles. Bogies take various forms in various modes of transp ...

(UK) under the coal bunker/water tank. In 1865 Forney changed employers again, this time to the Hinkley Locomotive Works, where he stayed until 1870. At that time, he started working as an associate editor for '' Railroad Gazette'' and quickly earned a reputation as an expert in steam locomotive theory. In late 1886, he bought the rival publication '' American Railroad Journal'', as well as ''

Van Nostrand's Engineering Magazine David Van Nostrand (December 5, 1811 – June 14, 1886) was a New York City publisher. Biography David Van Nostrand was born in New York City on December 5, 1811. He was educated at Union Hall, Jamaica, New York, and in 1826 entered the publi ...

''. He merged the two titles as ''

The Railroad and Engineering Journal ''Railway Age'' is an American trade magazine for the rail transport industry. It was founded in 1856 in Chicago (the United States' major railroad hub) and is published monthly by Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation. History The magazine's ...

'', describing himself as "Editor and Proprietor". He renamed the publication ''

American Engineer and Railroad Journal ''Railway Age'' is an American trade magazine for the rail transport industry. It was founded in 1856 in Chicago (the United States' major railroad hub) and is published monthly by Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation. History The magazine's ...

'' in 1893. Forney was a founding member of the

American Society of Mechanical Engineers The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) is an American professional association that, in its own words, "promotes the art, science, and practice of multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences around the globe" via "continuing ...

, and he participated heavily in other engineering organizations such as the

Master Car Builders Association Master or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles * Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans *Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...

. He died on January 14, 1908, in

New York, New York New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Uni ...

Legacy

Forney was the author of the book ''Catechism of the Locomotive'', first published in 1873. This work is recognized as the seminal authority on steam locomotive construction in the late 19th century.CPRR Discussion Group – Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum
at cprr.org He was an editor for ''The Railroad Gazette,'' an influential weekly newspaper, for many years, including 1880 (with S. Wright Dunning). The Forney Transportation Museum in Denver, Colorado, has a Forney Locomotive 040-T on display. The museum was founded by Matthais Forney's second cousin J.D. Forney, founder of Forney Industries.

References

* (May 3, 2005),
Brief Biographies of Major Mechanical Engineers
'. Retrieved June 29, 2005. * Wyatt, Kyle K., Curator of History & Technology, California State Railroad Museum (March 28, 2005),

'. Retrieved June 29, 2005. * *

External links

Forney Transportation Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forney, Matthias N. 1835 births 1908 deaths People from Hanover, Pennsylvania American people in rail transportation Locomotive builders and designers American railroad mechanical engineers Forney locomotives Engineers from Pennsylvania