# Accucraft Forneys have arrived in the US



## Jeff Williams (Jan 8, 2008)

Dennis at The Train Shop in Santa Clara called this (Thursday) afternoon and said that he had one of the two Accucraft Forneys I'd ordered in his shop. Dennis said that he had Ann's green one (0-4-2) but not my black one (2-4-2). He said that the black ones in the current shipment were spoken for before I'd ordered mine so that I'd have to wait another 3 weeks for the next shipment, according to Accucraft.

In Accucraft, time, three weeks equals six weeks or more in real time, as many of you know.


The Train Shop is the closest dealer to Accucraft HQ, as many of you know, so the rest of you folks should see your locos in a week or so.


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## Larry Green (Jan 2, 2008)

"In Accucraft time, ------", I love it! Just kidding, folks. 

Larry


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## Anthony Duarte (Dec 27, 2007)

I love The Train Shop... 
Just wanted to say that... 
Anyone in California should really try to visit there some time!


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## Steve Shyvers (Jan 2, 2008)

Jeff, 

Please ask Ann to give us a report on the Forney's running characteristics and on the boiler size relative to a Ruby. I sent you an email a couple of weeks ago regarding what I knew about the boiler size. Not sure whether you saw it. 

Steve


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## gwscheil (Aug 6, 2008)

Just finished the first run of Engine #1, the green Sugar Co. version. On a cold windy day she ran unloaded for just under 14 minutes. Slow speed operation is good, no Ruby gallops. She handled my 4.5ft radius loop fine, when I went to the 2.5ft radius loop, she was unhappy - binding and derails, although it will walk through a 2ft radius curve by hand. The problem seems to be that she needs a little more weight forward - the lead driver tends to lift off the rail going through tight switches.

She holds 20 ml more water than my Ida, 40% more fuel. Still had water in the glass at the end of run. It comes loaded - pressure gauge, sight glass, drain cock on the oiler, but no adjustment on the oiler rate. The cab is pretty tight with everything in there. She borrows a lot from the Mogul and American engines - similar type valve gears, same hinged cab roof. The rear pin coupler is pivoted, but you may still need a long link on tight curves.

The Johnson reverser works normally - forward for forward with the valve admission running correctly, and you can see the larger size cylinders. 


I have the black version coming Monday. More test runs when the weather improves. Adjusting valves, etc. in tight quarters with gloves on is not fun.


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## Shay Gear Head (Jan 3, 2008)

How about some photos of the production models?


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## gwscheil (Aug 6, 2008)

Anyone have any hints about keeping the front driver on the track on the Forney? Add weight forward? Run in reverse? Or is there a hidden spring that should be pushing the rear truck down?

And the weight on this critter is a full 3 kg - pound for pound possibly the best deal in the Ruby series.


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## Steamboil (May 12, 2009)

Hi everyone,

I fired up my new Forney this morning (2-4-4 version,) and wow, what an improvement over the original Rubys. The main thing that I noticed that could be corrected in future versions is the exhaust pipe does not line up perfect like the old Rubys with the stack, but this can be fixed by moving the boiler forword a bit. She ran very well, and didn't have any loose nuts or bolts from the factory, as I've had with a few of there other models have issues with in the past. They even fixed the timing to inside admission from the factory, so I did not have to use my time to change it. I wish they would have added a water filler valve bushing on the backplate of the boiler, but since they didn't, I needed to use a goodall type valve in the cab's water cap hole in order to keep it under steam for longer periods of time. I'm very happy, for overall, Accucraft seems to have really improved on there quality. Great job Accucraft!

Hi, gwscheil,
As for keeping the wheels down, I did not have any issues with mine yet, but I've had to ream out the holes a little on their earlyier Rubys to keep there lead truck wheels down. If you have the 0-4-4 version, then I would install a stronger spring under the rear trucks to help giude the front wheels around the track continuisly throughout the run. 

Happy steaming,
Tom


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## StevenJ (Apr 24, 2009)

Will it run in outside admission? My Ruby will not run while set to outside admission, only inside. Well I hope you have fun with it.


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## Steamboil (May 12, 2009)

Posted By StevenJ on 30 Oct 2009 03:48 PM 
Will it run in outside admission? My Ruby will not run while set to outside admission, only inside. Well I hope you have fun with it. 

Sure, it seems to be the same valve block as the old Ruby, so it should run it outside addmission too, but I do not know why you would want to have it set up that way. For, that will make it run better in reverse.

Some of the main differences are that it has larger cylinders, wider drivers and a few others that are much more scale. They fixed the Johnson's bar too, so its pointing in the direction of travel when its in inside addmission. 

Happy steaming,
Tom S.


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## StevenJ (Apr 24, 2009)

I should have clarified my question a bit better. I have my Ruby setup for forward in inside admission but, it won't run in reverse while setup like that. However will the Forney run okay in reverse while setup in inside admission for forward? That's the problem I have with my loco.


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## gwscheil (Aug 6, 2008)

The 0-4-4 Forney is running better but still some tracking issues. First off, it runs as well in reverse as forward, perhaps even better. Slow speed operation is far better than my Ida and improving further with break-in. Studying the tracking problem further showed that balancing the engine on a single roller under the rear driver, which is the pivot point, shows she is about 4 oz back heavy - so the rear truck springs must be strong enough to keep weight on the front driver. Adding a little PTFE grease to the rear truck pivots and slides helps and she shows less binding as break-in continues. However, when running at more than than minimal speed, passing any bump in the rails - rough edges at joints, and especially the drop at the wide frog gap on my Aristo Wide switches makes her bounce and eventually she reaches a speed where the bounce is enough to get front driver lift-off. Running her without the 5 oz cab roof helps shift weight forward and running in reverse may also improve tracking as the rear truck then functions as a pilot truck. Still filing down a few rough edges at joints. The killer is an S-curve at one of the switches. With the switch set to the side branch the switch becomes half of a 5ft radius S-curve - derails more than half the time. Will be studying that situation more today. Also ran into trouble on the first try pulling freight. You cannot use the pretty red links or pins that come with the Accucraft Iron Mtn or shorty flat cars. The pins are too fat and the Ruby style coupler pocket is too shallow for the thick metal on the links. The link will couple but binds on a curve causing a derail. I also notice that, like most of the Accucraft engines, the coupler pockets do not match the height of their own narrow gauge cars.

If I had a big enough yard for long straightaways and wide sweeping curves, the Forney would run beautifully. But I have a tightly bound dogbone with one end loop at 4.5ft radius, the other at 2.5ft radius. She runs well on the large end loop, and even runs decently on the tight loop - initial binding is improving rapidly. But setting the switches for the Grand Tour (65 ft total track = one quarter mile) creates the S-curve on one end, the other has an intervening straight section breaking up the S. But not enough physical space for insertion of a straight section on the other end.

As she continues to polish the rear truck slider bar, the curve tracking should improve further - haven't broken through the painted surface yet. I have also re-positioned the pressure gauge slightly to the right and facing diagonally across the cab for better visibility. Rotating it 90 degrees to face out a side window appears to be a bad idea - that would require positioning the gauge at or below the boiler tap which may cause siphon tube trouble.

Monday the 2-4-4 version should arrive for comparison. Probably better tracking with more weight forward, better access to controls with the shallower cab, but the greenie is prettier and she knows it.


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## Dwight Ennis (Jan 2, 2008)

I should have clarified my question a bit better. I have my Ruby setup for forward in inside admission but, it won't run in reverse while setup like that. However will the Forney run okay in reverse while setup in inside admission for forward? That's the problem I have with my loco.Steven - if your Ruby won't run at all in reverse, though it did before you changed to inside admission, that indicates that you still need to mess with the valve timing. I've seen Dave Hottmann give his clinic on this subject a couple of times at the NSS, and I've also watched him reverse the eccentrics on other people's locos, including Rubies. Bottom line, you should be able to set it up to run in both directions, though there's usually a small trade-off in forward performance to achieve running in reverse also. Keep messing with it - you'll get it eventually.


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

the rear truck springs must be strong enough to keep weight on the front driver 
George, 
All that does is takes weight off the rear drivers. You would probably be better off adding lead weights under the front pilot or between the frames to balance the load on the drivers.


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## gwscheil (Aug 6, 2008)

The 0-4-4 Forney finally ran great this afternoon! Temperatures near 70. Ran this time with the cab roof off. That shift in weight forward was enough to run through each loop as well as the Grand Tour with S-curve with zero derails. After the fuel ran out, I got 15ml of water out of the boiler. Run time on the second session pulling an Iron Mtn and a shorty flat car was up to 17.5 minutes. One time she managed to bounce the temporary wide staple link/pin combo loose, but she barely sped up after the sudden load drop. Now making my own links from 3/64" brass for the next trial. Bend loops in each end, straighten as necessary and done. She does need at least a 1 inch long link to clear the 2.5 ft radius curves - nearly that for the 4.5 ft. There is an occasional bump on the engine buffer when the engine slows but the cars do not, but no derail, the link just swings wide briefly and then back to center.

So it looks like just leave the cab roof off. Now I know why I was saving those popsicle sticks - cheap lightweight cab roof material for tail-heavy engines.


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## Dave Sykes (Jan 3, 2008)

Forneys not only have arrived,they run great right out of the 
box. My son and I both got ours 2 days apart. The same story for 
both. Oil the running gear,put in some steam oil (Lucas oil of course), 
Some tap water, a little butane,and lite it off. Pops back nicely,clear 
the cylinders and away it goes. Runs equally forward or backward. 
It appears that accu got it right on the oiler for the engine did 
get covered in oil. 
Kudos to Accucraft on this engine.


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## Jeff Williams (Jan 8, 2008)

Ann got her first couple of boilers full run on her new 0-4-4 this afternoon (Sunday). Very quick to get up to pop-off pressure. No Ruby whistle from the burner but a very audible roar. The hysteresis in the fuel control valve is a problem - probably needs a spring or something to keep it in place. Accucraft seemed to have licked this problem on my recently acquired Southern Pacific 2-10-2 so perhaps they can adapt that solution to the rest of their product line. The Forney has the usual problems with getting the condensation out of the cylinders as with the Ruby, in spite of the changed inside/outside admission valves. First two runs were very smooth for break-in runs. Much more controllable than a Ruby, but then it weighs a lot more as well and perhaps the larger cylinders help. Ann's Forney pulled four two-axle flats weighted with rocks with no problem. Should readily pull twice that number.


The Forney boiler has about one inch longer pressurized (water) section and the same length diameter as a Ruby. The added water capacity allowed for satisfyingly long runs with the water and fuel running out at the same time. The fuel tank on the Forney is larger than on the Ruby.


An earlier poster noted the discrepancy between the loco coupler pin diameters and height of the Accucraft freight car link and pin couplers. Two minutes of work with a drill chucked in a pin vise solved the pin diameter clearance problem and the height variation didn't seem to affect tracking of the cars behind the loco. We didn't note any tracking problems as reported by an earlier poster, but then the minimum radius of my track is 10 feet.


One future mod will be to add about 1/2 inch extension on the Johnson Bar as it is very close to very hot components. 


Overall a very satisfactory debut and for $579 plus tax at the Train Shop is a real bargain, considering the much higher level of detail, backhead controls and sophistication over the $449 list Ruby.


The Forney will be a great loco to transport to steam ups and the burner roar will actually be a plus in the noisy environment of the National Summer Steamup!


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## Steamboil (May 12, 2009)

Posted By StevenJ on 30 Oct 2009 07:18 PM 
I should have clarified my question a bit better. I have my Ruby setup for forward in inside admission but, it won't run in reverse while setup like that. However will the Forney run okay in reverse while setup in inside admission for forward? That's the problem I have with my loco. 

Hi, Sorry the reply took so long, for I was at a steam up today, and yes, the engine should run in reverse and forward in inside admission. The timing just needs to be correct. 

Happy steaming, 
Tom S.


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## shaysteam05 (Jul 19, 2008)

Uinta_mallett is offering two Forneys on Ebay for $649.99 each. One is an 0-4-4, and the other is a 2-4-4. Is that a good price? 
Alex


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## Steamboil (May 12, 2009)

Posted By shaysteam05 on 03 Nov 2009 02:18 PM 
Uinta_mallett is offering two Forneys on Ebay for $649.99 each. One is an 0-4-4, and the other is a 2-4-4. Is that a good price? 
Alex 

It seems to be about the right price range to me. However, they are still very new, so if you want to wait a few more months, then the price may go a bit lower.

Happy steaming,
Tom S.


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## Kurt Sykes (Feb 28, 2008)

It pays to shop around for the Forney. 
I got mine way cheaper with the shipping. 
And by the way,My 2-4-4 runs GREAT out of the box. 

Kurt


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## ETSRRCo (Aug 19, 2008)

Does anyone have any pics or video yet????


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## Anthony Duarte (Dec 27, 2007)

Sunset Valley Railroad has the forneys for $589. They're located in Oregon, so shipping will vary depending on where you are, but I can't imagine shipping adding up to over $649.99.

http://www.svrronline.com/Locomotives_AC_USA.html


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## Dave Sykes (Jan 3, 2008)

My 0-4-4 even ran good in the box.


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## JEFF RUNGE (Jan 2, 2008)

Dave is OBVIOUSLY drunk on the Accucraft cool-aid. I think we need pictures... of it running in the box. hehe OH OH I know he's sniffing the LUCAS oil. hehe


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## gwscheil (Aug 6, 2008)

I now have both the green and black Forneys running on my track. They will both turn a 4ft Diameter curve, but are not happy about it. 5 ft diameter is somewhat happier, 9 ft diameter little problem except for a slight squeak that I have yet to locate. Long links are a must on tight curves pulling a load. I also found that the greenie can rear back on her tail after bouncing through switch frogs. The speed is critical - faster or slower and she tracks fine. Apparently I found one of the harmonic frequencies of the complex 4 spring rear suspension.


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## voxnut (Jul 16, 2008)

How is the slow speed running and grade pulling? Is the Forney substantially better than the Ruby?

Thanks!

Dean


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## buckskin (Oct 6, 2009)

I drove over to Quisenberry Station on Saturday and picked up a black version. Only $579 and Royce gave me a big bottle of steam oil and a can of butane to get me started. He spent about an hour showing me how to steam my new engine... what a blast!

Beautiful and powerful model. This is my first live steamer, but even Royce said he was was impressed with the smothness of this new model. He said it will get even better as it breaks in. I know I am a "newbie" but so far I love this hobby! Thanks Royce for your time and patience as well.

If I can figure out how to post pictures I will post a few.

Dave


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## Scottychaos (Jan 2, 2008)

I think this thread has set a record..
2 and a half weeks, and still no pictures! 

Scot


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## gwscheil (Aug 6, 2008)

My Forneys are much easier to control than a Ruby. Both fuel and throttle approach a quarter turn at times. The 0-4-4 is nearly broken in now (10 runs) and tracks well with the roof off. Switches and curves that caused problems earlier now are smooth and slow. Inching her through a switch showed that nearly all the weight is on the rear driver. Tiny clicks going through the frog on the front driver & rear truck - big clunk from the rear driver. So continuing work on a lightweight cab roof for her and may add a couple ounces of brass behind the front buffer.

The 2-4-4 has very few runs so far. It is waiting for a replacement gauge siphon from Cliff (steam leak at a solder joint). The first replacement does not fit - A Ruby siphon has a 7mm nut going to a 6.5mm nut - the Forneys have 7mm on both ends. Tracking is better - the pilot truck sometimes mis-tracks, but then sometimes it jumps back onto the track before I can reach the engine. It is also important to run both engines through both right and left curves during break in - otherwise a nasty surprise may await when you do finally run the other direction.

On my 9ft diameter curves, ( 8 ft is the Accucraft engine spec) both engines are boring - hard to derail - but on my 4 and 5 ft diameter curves both engines turn but resistance is high and derails sometimes occur. After 10 runs, now the 0-4-4 is smooth through a 5 footer, the 2-4-4 still tight.


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## slimgauge (Jan 3, 2008)

I got the last 2-4-4 that Royce had. He still has a green 0-4-4. I wonder where I hid my camera ?


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## slimgauge (Jan 3, 2008)

Here's a pair of not very good pictures. 

http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/slimgauge/Accucraft_Forney/PICT0073.JPG
http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/slimgauge/Accucraft_Forney/PICT0072.JPG


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## Jim Schulz (Aug 10, 2009)

Just got my black Forney today. Very nice! In fact, I'm afraid to modify it like I had planned to (Russia iron boiler, different steam dome and cab), it looks so nice. Give me a couple days, though, and I'll get at it. I've posted pics in my photobucket: http://s998.photobucket.com/albums/af102/cardinalsleeping/Model railroad/Forney live steam/ 

Happy new year! 

Jim


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## Dave Sykes (Jan 3, 2008)

After about 10 hours on my green forney I decided to add some weight to the front end. I ended up with a 3/8 Th hunk of brass to simulate
the wood pilot which puts it almost balanced over the second driver. I also had to solder strip of brass accross the rear truck as the axles
appeared to be too short which caused it to derail. I love my forney.


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## ETSRRCo (Aug 19, 2008)

WOW what a looker you have there Jim!


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## tacfoley (Jan 3, 2008)

Posted By Larry Green on 23 Oct 2009 08:41 AM 
"In Accucraft time, ------", I love it! Just kidding, folks. 

Larry 
'AccuCraft time' = 'Dog years'........

Approximately.









tac
www.ovgrs.org


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## Anthony Duarte (Dec 27, 2007)

I just have to say that I LOVE my forney. It's a good puller, and has pretty good slow speed performance. Today I finally tightened up a few loose nuts n' bolts that were causing some minor leaks, which actually significantly improved performance. And for the first time I preheated the water in the microwave, which made the water and gas run out at exactly the same time (kind of nifty). Santa brought me 8 short flat cars, and 4 iron mountain coal cars to go with my forney, and it has no problem pulling them around. Best run i've gotten so far is about 18-19 minutes, not including the 4 minutes it took to steam up


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