• Home
  • Flickr Albums
Michael Vadon
  • Home
  • Flickr Albums

Forney Transportation Museum in Denver

​

Collection

The museum maintains a collection of approximately 500 exhibits. Its early years were focused on antique automobiles but the focus soon expanded to other modes of transport. The museum has a slogan, "Anything on Wheels," and includes the following items:

  • An Amphicar.
  • Amelia Earhart's "Gold Bug" Kissel.
  • A Big Boy.
  • A Forney locomotive; locomotive designer Matthias N. Forney was a second cousin to the museum founder, J.D. Forney.

[edit]History

The Forney Museum of Transportation began as a private collection and has expanded into one of the finest transportation collections in the country. Mr. J.D. Forney, founder of Forney Industries in Ft. Collins, Colorado, became interested in antique and classic cars after his wife and children gave him a 1921 Kissel yellow Tourister, the same model he used to court his wife Rae.

Forney Industries has produced many products such as the Fornair airplane, a central vacuum system and portable vacuum cleaner, auto generators, and battery chargers, but the best-known products are the different models of electric welders and welding supplies.

Mr. Forney started taking in old cars and carriages as trades on some of the welder sales. In 1961 the Forney Museum incorporated in Fort Collins, Colorado. In 1964 it became recognized as a 501(3)(c) non-profit organization.

[edit]Locomotives

The Big Boy Union Pacific #4005 is one of the few remaining examples of the world's largest steam locomotives, a 4-8-8-4 type. Only 25 were ever built, and eight remain in museums. The #4005 was involved in a crash on April 27, 1953.

The Forney locomotive 0-4-4T was designed and patented by Matthias Forney, and this "Forney" tank-type of engine was built by several manufacturers. The one displayed at the Forney Museum of Transportation was built by Porter in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1897. This type of engine was commonly used on elevated railways, such as the New York Elevated Railway, the Brooklyn Elevated, and the Chicago Elevated. They were called the "Little Giants," and more than 500 were in service around 1900 hauling both freight and passengers. Steam-powered engines on the elevateds lasted only a few years, as they were replaced by the new electric engines. Forney engines were then sold off to buyers all over the world for mining, lumber, plantations, and short-haul freight and passengers. The Forney locomotives hauled both freight and passengers in the Denver area. The Denver, Lakewood and Golden Railway and the Denver Circle Railroad were the best known systems using this model.

[edit]Visiting

The museum is located in Denver, Colorado. The facility has 70,000 square feet (6,500 m2) open to the public and another 70,000 square feet (6,500 m2) available for future expansion.

img_9867.png
img_9866.png
img_9865.png
img_9864.png
img_9863.png
img_9862.png
img_9861.png
img_9860.png
img_9859.png
img_9858.png
img_9857.png
img_9856.png
img_9855.png
img_9854.png
img_9853.png
img_9852.png
img_9851.png
img_9850.png
img_9849.png
img_9848.png
img_9847.png
img_9846.png
img_9845.png
img_9844.png
img_9843.png
img_9842.png
img_9841.png
img_9840.png
img_9839.png
img_9838.png
img_9837.png
img_9836.png
img_9835.png
img_9834.png
img_9833.png
img_9832.png
img_9831.png
img_9830.png
img_9829.png
img_9828.png
img_9827.png
img_9826.png
img_9825.png
img_9824.png
img_9823.png
img_9822.png
img_9821.png
img_9820.png
img_9819.png
img_9818.png
img_9817.png
img_9816.png
img_9815.png
img_9814.png
img_9813.png
img_9812.png
img_9811.png
img_9810.png
img_9809.png
img_9808.png
img_9807.png
img_9806.png
img_9805.png
img_9804.png
img_9803.png
img_9802.png
img_9801.png
img_9800.png
img_9799.png
img_9798.png
img_9797.png
img_9796.png
img_9795.png
img_9794.png
img_9793.png
img_9792.png
img_9791.png
img_9790.png
img_9789.png
img_9788.png
img_9787.png
img_9786.png
img_9785.png
img_9784.png
img_9783.png