4005 Has A Good Home

Classic Toy Trains Forum
1

My first visit to the Forney Transportation Museum since their recent relocation.
It is located in Denver, near the stock show complex where local GATS are held.

http://www.forneymuseum.com/

The museum boasts “Anything On Wheels,” and does a good job of it.

Lots of cars, including a number of “only known one to exist” and manufacturers I have never heard of.

It is also home to Big Boy 4005.

It is indoors, on track, and has been recently painted and polished up. Looks good. For company, there is a Rio Grande dining car, passenger cars of various vintages (and state of restoration), a steam rotary snow plow and steam engine to push it, and a crane car.

There is also a Forney 0-4-4. Bet no manufacturer has modelled it.

The walkway on one side of 4005 is raised and you can look all along its length. The other side is at track level and you can look at all the steam and drive detail, including taking pictures of wheel flanges.

The area between the engine and tender is available, but it is higher than my head and you have to climb a ladder. You can see into the engineer’s compartment. I was surprised that all the knobs looked just like those on the water line in my basement. There sure are a lot of valves.

One drawback: there is not enough room to take good pictures. Of course, a good picture of a Big Boy would need about half a football field, so I guess Forney can be excused. Note that the 4005 is painted black. Any gray is from the camera’s tendency to average light. I left the pictures alone. Correcting the shade meant losing detail.

Pictures taken with Pentax ist-D, 6 Megapixel resolution. External flash. Reduced to 600 Pixels and low jpg for here.

John

2

Great shots John, [tup]

tom

3

Is that what Elliot looks like??? [:D]

Tony

4

Great pics, thanks. I love that engine.

Dave

5

Elliot,

The powerhouse building is now a sporting goods store, REI.
I don’t know what happened to the N and HO scale layouts. I will inquire.

The new building seems purpose built, or at least purpose modified. The two tracks that the 4005 and other large train exhibits are on extend through a large (removeable ?)window area, through a parking lot, and to a turnout, and then to yard tracks.
Looks like you could fire up the 4005 and take it anywhere. (Group working on firing it up was strictly rumor.)

There is a wooden caboose in the parking lot and other tracks are along the side of the building.

The exhibits are well organized, each with a description. Whereas, in the powerhouse building, it was mostly a hogepoge.

I was a little surprised that the SYT selling tickets knew about the 4005, knew its history, knew where the other one was, and could show me all the 4005/Big boy books they had for sale. By the way, they have a 1:32 model for sale. Would look good on your mantlepiece. Only $13,250.

John Kerklo
TCA 94-38455
www.Three-Rail.com

6

John, Was 4005 in the old museum? If so how did they move it and do you know if pictures where taken during the move and if they might be viewable someplace?
Pete

7

John, I know REI well, the best man at my wedding worked at one of their local stores here, before moving to Seattle to take a job with corporate.

If I was going to buy a model of a Big Boy, it would be one for my layout. Being the diesel fan that I am, it would be used for FAN TRIPS only![swg] At about 10% of the cost of the large model, it seems like the better way to go.

John, you are my man on the ground in Denver[bow], and I’ve been living vicariously through you ever since I found out you lived there. By the way, check out my response on the superstore topic.[;)]

8

SPFan

The 4005 was outside and on track at Forney’s old location. I don’t know if the track connected to anything.

The move was an “event,” but I did not attend.

Might suggest an email or call to Forney. They are proud of 4005 and answered all my questions when I was there.

I am interested as well. Why don’t you post what you find out.

John Kerklo
TCA 94-38455
www.Three-Rail.com

9

Elliot,

I think Tony was refering to the girl.[:D] But then again maybe not. Who is that cutie, John? Your daughter?

10

Granddaughter. Shelby, 13. Not greatly interested in trains anymore, but she humors me.

Elliot,

You are right about Caboose and “trains superstore.” It comes closer than anything I have ever seen. Of course, it is not a discount place. It is hard to get out of there spending less than $100 even if you only visit the magazine rack.

And you can buy anything from multiple thousands of dollars O-Scale brass to Brio. Their selection of three rail is small, at least compared to HO, but is still more than most smaller shops.

For new and classic three rail, Mizzel’s is still the best.

John Kerklo
TCA 94-38455
www.Three-Rail.com

11

I visited the Big Boy recently on a business trip while I was in Denver. I was wondering if the white edge of the running board (where men can walk) was prototypical. I have never seen photos of a Big Boy with the edge of the running board painted white.

12

The white stripe is a minor detail. 20 years ago, the fire box was painted red, YUCK.[(-D][swg]

13

Responses to inquiries on N & HO clubs and 4005 move.

Clubs aren’t there, but my expert didn’t know where they had gone. Some suggestion of “Colorado Rail Link,” but no certainty. It is my understanding that the groups were known as Associated Railroads of Colorado. Current contact information is Ed Henderson, 303-455-3933.

4005’s move was accomplished in two parts, due to some unforeseen difficulties.

The tracks it was on at the old location were connected to some old tracks of a railroad that once went to Golden (something like Western Interurban, and some history). They were still being used for industrial service. They were , and are, also used for a trolley excursion service.

On the first move, the Big Boy couldn’t make a tight curve; it would have hit a building.
It was parked near there. Then asbestos was discovered, and it had to be covered.

Later, a track crew came, cut in a switch, and laid panel track to nearby BN lines, or to track that connected to BN lines.

The 4005 was then moved on BN track to UP track, then to its new location. It did derail at least once.

Some of the track used near the old location was later removed for apartment buildings.
The tracks at the new location are active UP, still used for industrial service.

Persons were mentioned that took a lot of pictures. My contact will inquire.

John Kerklo
TCA 94-38455
www.Three-Rail.com

14

The Associated Railroads of Colorado was just the HO club. I joined when the club still called itself the Associated Railroads of Aurora, which was where they were located before moving to the old Forney. If I remember correctly, I was there when the vote was made to change the name from Aurora to Colorado. However, the club’s printed material wasn’t changed until it needed to be reprinted.

I was going through a box of OLD stuff the other day, and ran across this:

No wonder my basement looks like it does. I never throw anything away, because you never know when you’re going to need it.[(-D][swg][:-^]