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, Fuel oil, oil or, rarely, Wood fuel, wood) to heat ...

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 New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

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 railway locomotives from 1825 to 1951. Originally located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, it moved to nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania, Eddystone in the early 20th century. The com ...

has been restored for daily operations on the

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, 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 oldest railroads in North America, oldest railroad in the United States and the first steam engine, steam-operated common carrier. Construction of the line began in 1828, and it operated as B&O from 1830 ...

(B&O) as a

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in 1855. He left the B&O in 1858, then worked for the

Illinois Central Railroad The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the Central United States. Its primary routes connected Chicago, Illinois, with New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama, and thus, ...

from about 1861 to 1864. In that position, he patented an 0-4-4T locomotive that was the first of the "Forney" types of locomotives, characterized by the

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(US) or

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(UK) under the coal bunker/water tank. In 1865 Forney changed employers again, this time to the

Hinkley Locomotive Works Hinkley Locomotive Works was a steam locomotive manufacturer based in Boston, Massachusetts in the 19th century. History The company that was to become known as Hinkley Locomotive Works got its start in Boston in 1831. Holmes Hinkley and his part ...

, 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 publish ...

''. He merged the two titles as '' The Railroad and Engineering Journal'', describing himself as "Editor and Proprietor". He renamed the publication '' American Engineer and Railroad Journal'' in 1893. Forney was a founding member of the

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, and he participated heavily in other engineering organizations such as the Master Car Builders Association. He died on January 14, 1908, in

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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 Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

, 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

*
Forney, Matthias Nace
' at steamindex.com * 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 Locomotive builders and designers American railroad mechanical engineers Forney locomotives Engineers from Pennsylvania 19th-century American engineers