Sandy River Railroad Forney locomotive 1.
(Unknown photographer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
0-4-4 FORNEY WHEEL ARRANGEMENT
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-4-4 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and four trailing wheels on two axles. This type was only used for tank locomotives.
In the UK 0-4-4 tanks were mainly used for suburban or rural passenger duties. In America, the wheel arrangement became known as the Forney, after a specific design of 0-4-4s, the Forney locomotive, became heavily used on the narrow curves of elevated railways and other rapid transit lines.
Schematic of 0-4-4 steam locomotive wheel arrangement. Front of locomotive on left.
(Gwernol, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
Equivalent classifications
Other equivalent classifications are:
- UIC classification: B2 (also known as German classification and Italian classification)
- French classification: 022
- Turkish classification: 24
- Swiss classification: 2/4
- Russian classification: 0-2-2
Forney locomotive with number 108, at Forney Transportation Museum, Denver, CO, summer 2012.
(myself (User:Piotrus), CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)
United States
The 0-4-4 configuration appears to have been introduced in the US, with the Forney locomotive, was patented by Matthias N. Forney between 1861 and 1864. These were characterized by a single frame under the boiler and fuel/water tank, which is supported at the rear by the truck under the coal bunker/water tank. The locomotives were designed to run cab (or bunker) first and were built for commuter lines in cities such as New York, Chicago and Boston.
