Forney coupler

[peppe]

Recently purchased 2 Forneys and numerous freight cars to run on EZ track with #4 switches.   When negotiating the switches in forward motion, the first car behind the locomotive will tip over derailing trailing cars. It appears the rear engine coupler does not sway far enough to operate through the switch.  Do I need to replace the rear coupler and with what?

[Anubis]

Hi peppe,

I do not own any of the newer Forneys, but my old (DC Non Sound) one had the same problem on sharp radii. (#4 turnouts are pretty tight...)

The problem is that the rear overhang on the Forney is quite large, and this results in a bum-swing that is HUGE. This is what tends to sweep the following cars off the tracks.

I found out that there are only two ways of avoiding this:

Run the loco in reverse through your sharp curves, (the front overhang is slightly less) or,

Convert your beloved Forney to a 2-4-0 with a separate tender. This is what I did, and now there are zero problems with the overhang...


John

[NarrowMinded]

I also converted my Forney to a 2-4-0, but before that I had the same issue, to overcome that I coupled the first car behind the forney with a drawbar that I fabricated.

NM-Jeff

[railtwister]

Hi Pepe,

Converting a Forney to a 2-4-0 is a pretty drastic fix, a better solution would be to use wider curves, if you possibly can. My modules use a 22" minimum radius, and so far, my Forneys haven't knocked any cars off the rails yet (freight or passenger), although coupler swing is just about at it's limit. And be careful to avoid any "S" curves, they are a definite no-no. Vertical changes in the track between sections are also critical, and can result in unwanted uncoupling or trip pins snagging the ties. An On2 Forney needs 30-36" radius curves to operate reliably, so Bachmann getting their On30 to run on 22" radius is pretty good, actually better than the prototype.

Bill in FtL

[railexpert]

Hi,

there are made alredy many topics for the Forney rear coupler. Go to "search" on top of this page an search for "Forney rear coupler" or "Forney derail". You will find a lot of answers for a solution of this problem.

See also http://www.freerails.com/view_topic.php?id=985&forum_id=6

Railexpert

[Tomcat]

Hi there,

I did a very similar conversion as Kalle did describe in freerails.com and this solved the problem. The point is, that the used coupler box is a German product which won´t be easy to get. It does i fact give the rear coupler more free sway, which solves the problem.

Using wider curves is the easier solution. Modifying the Forney into a nice 2-4-0 is something totally different. Backwoods Models does have a nice conversion I still want to do. Not to solve the coupler issue which I had sorted out already, more to enjoy building this kit.

www.backwoodsminiatures.com

Cheers, Tom

[railexpert]

Hello,
I have meanwhile asked at Kadee for solve this problem. Sam Clarke from Kadee wrote:

,,Hello again,

Thanks for the photos they do help with knowing what to try.

First I'd try the long shank #146 in the locomotive only then try the #146 in the car and the loco. If that doesn't get the couplers together without derailment I'd look at using the #451 on the locomotive.

The NEM couplers would not look very good compared to standard coupler mounting.

Sam Clarke
Kadee Quality Products"

I´ll try it  

Railexpert

[glennk28]

Kadee has some long-swing coupler mounts--does Sam have a sample of the Forney to work with"  LGB solved the problem in G Scale by lnly cazlling the loco a "Forney", when in factg the eay they built theirs was as a "Fairlie"  (with the chassis swinging under the boiler like a truck--Also known as a Mason Bogie") when Mason built them.  gj

[#94]

The Forney is what it is and in real life it did not do what we are trying to do in our little world. Many spent their life going back and forth. Some never went through a switch in their life. A #4 turnout that goes off somewhere is a lot more doable than a #4 that creates a passing track which also creates an "S" curve in a short space. Maybe your RR needs to make a rule for where the Forney can not go. Just as the UP had track they never took a BIG BOY. Use it where it works best and looks it's best.
I am trying to choose between the Forney and an inside frame 4-4-0 to pull a combine and a passenger car. This short train will not do any switching so I just need something fun.