Forney in On 2 1/2 looks and sounds great

A 2-4-4T Forney with dual-mode Digital Command Control (DCC) and an optional sound system is Bachmann’s latest On2 1/2 offering. The model is available with either outside or inside main frames and with or without a Tsunami sound decoder, in decorated or painted but unlettered versions.

A unique design. The Forney is the iconic engine type of Maine’s two-foot-gauge railroads. The locomotive’s design placed the firebox aft of the drivers and supported that overhang by making the tender and its supporting truck part of the frame. The key advantage was that this allowed the firebox to be the full width of the boiler rather than being tucked inside the frame (providing much better heating capacity). The first two-foot-gauge engines in America were 0-4-4T Forneys built for the Billerica & Bedford RR and were meant to run tender first. However, most railroads ran Forneys boiler first.

A Baldwin prototype. Several builders constructed Forneys, most notably Portland Locomotive Works and Baldwin Locomotive Works. The Bachmann models are based on a group of engines that Baldwin built in 1907 and 1909 for a few narrow gauge railroads, including the Sandy River RR, which soon after receiving its Forneys became the Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes RR (no. 8, inside frame and no. 9, outside frame). The SR&RL no. 8 was built as Sandy River RR no. 16 before the merger that created the SR&RL, but the only known photo of it with this number is the builder’s photo.

The models follow the dimensions of drawings of SR&RL nos. 8 and 9 by H.T. Crittenden. The models reflect the engines in the 1930s near the end of the railroad’s existence, including such specific details as no. 9’s notched tender flare on the painted and lettered SR&RL version.

Appearance. Both inside- and outside-frame versions are available with or without air compressors. As built the engines were equipped with vacuum brakes and so had no air compressor, though for that there should be a pipe extending through the cab roof to vent the steam used to create the vacuum.

Both samples included an alternate inside-bearing pony truck, which was a feature on some of the prototype engines. All the wheels on both our samples matched an HO scale National Model Railroad Association gauge. (In O scale, 21/2 feet roughly equals HO gauge track.) Also included with each model were a simple wire mesh cinder catcher for the top of the stack, two alternate headlights, and a packet with a small amount of very fine coal, which could be added to the molded coal pile. The coal pile itself is removable after first taking off the tank, which is held in place by four screws.

The cab interior is well detailed, including painted valves and gauges. Doors and windows open and close. There are no figures in the cab; nor is it lighted.

Piping is all separately applied. The quality of cast parts, such as, the whistle, pop-off valves, bell, and air compressor is excellent.

Lettering is crisp and paint is smoothly applied throughout. The smokebox is painted a fairly dark graphite color, which is consistent with photos of the prototypes, and includes a legible builder’s plate.

Mechanism. The model comes with an exploded view drawing showing all parts but no instructions for disassembly. After removing four screws at its corners, I removed the tender shell, which exposed the decoder. The smokebox cover pops off to reveal the headlight connections, making replacing the bulb a simple process.

The mechanism consists of a can motor with flywheel that drives a worm-and-idler gearbox to power the rear axle. This leaves the area under the boiler unobstructed for a more-realistic appearance.

A cover plate over the axles facilitates lubrication of the gears. For any On2 modelers out there who wondered if they could convert these engines, the answer is not without significantly modifying the frame. The cab and boiler aren’t designed for easy removal.

Performance. Under DC power the non-sound-equipped model’s headlight comes on (somewhat dimly) before the engine starts. The engine started smoothly, and slow speed was a commendable 2 scale miles per hour. Over the loop of track on which I tested the locomotive, the speed ranged between about 1 mph and 3 mph. The change in speed was fairly smooth, and I noticed no speed variation once I was beyond this dead minimum.

On DCC, the locomotive’s minimum speed was the same but without the variation. I assume the load compensation feature of the decoder smoothed this out. It may well be that a little running time would result in more-consistent performance on straight DC.

Top speed was 37 mph on DC. Although there are some accounts of Forneys reaching much higher speeds, the model’s speed is right in line with the steam rule of thumb of approximately 1 mph per inch of driver diameter.

The sound-equipped locomotives feature a SoundTraxx Tsu-nami decoder, and the sound is great. The factory settings for the sound levels are too loud for my taste but easy to adjust. Even so, the automatic brake squeal as you slow to a stop is not overdone. A neat feature is separate controls (F2 and F3) for long and short whistles. You can make a short blast with the long whistle, but F3 produces a sharp short blast for each push, making signaling a straightforward task. A CD-ROM instruction manual covers all aspects of decoder use and programming. A simple quick-start printed pamphlet is also included.

As has wonderfully become the norm, this new engine performs well, sounds great, and is accurately detailed. My only wish would be that the variations with and without air compressor and inside and outside frame were not so oddly intertwined with whether or not the model is lettered.

Bachmann On21/2 Forney
Price: $275 (DCC-equipped, no sound); $400 (DCC-equipped, with sound)
Manufacturer
Bachmann Industries Inc.
1400 E. Erie St.
Philadelphia, PA 19124
www.bachmanntrains.com
Description: Die-cast metal and plastic steam locomotive
Road names: Sandy River & Rangely Lake outside frame – air compressor, SR&RL inside frame – no compressor, unlettered outside frame – no compressor, unlettered inside frame – air compressor

On21/2 Forney features
Die-cast metal construction
Drawbar pull: 4 ounces (equivalent to 12 free-rolling O scale freight cars on straight and level track)
Dual-mode DCC decoder
Eight-wheel electrical pickup
Five-pole skew-wound motor
Magnetic knuckle couplers (mounted at correct height)
SoundTraxx Tsunami sound decoder (sound versions only)
Weight: 141/2 ounces (no sound); 15 ounces (with sound)