From about 1975 to 1985, Willard "Red" Forney of Carlisle PA made a line of Standard Gauge freight cars in the Tinplate tradition. Sheet steel was cut, bent into shapes, and spot welded. Although using relatively simple construction, Forney's trains were well-proportioned and ingeniously designed to be quite prototypical in appearance.

Around 1980, Forney began making a GP diesel locomotive to pull his freight cars. The engine was 22" long, and was powered with two motor trucks designed by Forney's friend Glenn Gerhard. The locomotive followed Forney's aesthetic: made of bent sheet metal parts welded together, the finished engine was a very satisfying Tinplate rendition of the big EMD 'Geep'. Forney called it a GP9, but it's simple square engine hoods more closely resembled those of the earlier GP7, and he made the cab roof with angled bends and flat top, like the GP35. 

Forney made less than 20 of his GP engines, so today they are not easy for collectors to find. For more information on Red Forney and his trains, including what we know about his GP, see Not Your Daddy's Standard Gauge: A Guide to Modern Era Standard Gauge Trains and the People Who Made Them, by Arno Baars, MESG Publishing 2022, pages 400-420.

In 2021, Classic Model Trains LLC purchased Forney Trains, and has now re-introduced the Forney GP locomotive. The frame and shell parts are still cut to the same patterns out of heavy gauge steel and welded together. We have made the cab roof curved, the way the prototype GP-7 and GP-9 were made. The engine is 22" long, 6-3/8" above the rails, and 4-5/8" wide.

In consultation with Waterman Locomotive Works, we have replicated Glenn's power truck. The open-frame motor used by Glenn is no longer made, so we have substituted a powerful, high-torque, Mabuchi RS775VF motor designed to draw relatively low amperage even under load. The gearing consists of a steel worm on the motor shaft and a brass worm gear on the axle, both from Boston Gear. The custom-made turned solid steel wheels are driven by a Pirelli toothed timing belt for zero slippage, the same way Glenn made them. The truck frames are CNC precision milled aluminum. 

Two of these drive units in each locomotive make an impressive pulling machine. The engine is of all-metal construction, runs on Standard Gauge 3-rail track, and will accommodate 42" diameter curves, although 72" curves are certainly preferred for top performance. Each engine comes equipped with a 12-amp Dallee electronic reversing device, with a lock-out switch located on the bottom of the engine between the weighted fuel tanks.

The New Forney GP7 is entirely handmade in the USA, and is available in 12 road names. CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS.