Foden

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Foden steam wagon reg. FN 9060 at Bromyard show 2008

Foden was a United Kingdom truck and bus manufacturing company which has its origins in Sandbach, Cheshire in 1856. American Truck builder PACCAR acquired the company in 1980, and ceased to use the brand name in 2006.

[edit] History

A Foden tractor unit used to pull a showmans wagon at Wymswold Steam Rally in 2008

Foden steam tractor GC 5832 No.13196 at Wymswold show 2008

Foden Lorry s/n 13764 of 1930 reg no. TF 3106 at Belvoir Castle show 2008

Foden steam tractor RY 9259 of 1930 s/n 13536

In 1856 Edwin Foden became apprenticed to the Agricultural machinery manufacturing company of Plant & Hancock. He left the company for an apprenticeship at Crewe Railway Works but returned to Plant & Hancock at the age of 19. Shortly afterwards he became a partner in the company. On the retirement of George Hancock in 1887 the company was renamed Edwin Foden Sons & Co. Ltd. The company produced massive industrial engines, as well as small stationary steam engines and agricultural traction engines.

Edwin Foden's great innovation was the development of a practical and highly efficient compound steam unit. From this time on the majority of steam power units produced by the firm benefited from the use of this design. Experimental steam lorries were first produced shortly after the turn of the 20th century. This work led to the design of the successful vehicle that was entered into the 1901 War Office trials. The Foden vehicle came second to a Thornycroft wagon but was nevertheless regarded by most commentators as a clear winner (the result was questioned in Parliament). This model was the basis for a highly successful line of vehicles which were produced over the next 30 years.

Edwin's son, E.R., saw the future lay in diesel power. In 1931, he was removed from the board of directors for advocating diesel over steam, and subsequently retired. However, his son Dennis, George Faulkener, and Ernest Sherratt (all Foden employees) decided to design a new diesel wagon. To help finance the venture, Edwin Richard Foden was persuaded to come out of retirement and head a new company of lorry manufacturer. This company became known as ERF.

In 1980, Foden was acquired by the American firm PACCAR, and is now a division of that company. After the takeover of Leyland Trucks by PACCAR in 1998, independent Foden production ceased, and was replaced by models of DAF Trucks rebadged as Fodens (DAF Trucks having been acquired by PACCAR in 1996). These vehicles have had the option of either CAT, PACCAR or Cummins engines.

[edit] Brand retirement

In 2005, it was announced by PACCAR that Foden production was likely to cease in 2006.

The final vehicle to roll off the production line at the factory in Leyland, United Kingdom was an 8x4 rigid, which was delivered to the nearby British Commercial Vehicle Museum.

[edit] Preserved Traction Engines and Lorries

A number of Foden built traction engines and wagons (lorries) are in preservation, and they are a regular sight at steam shows, and other events for historic vehicles.

• Please add any known engines details to the tables below.

[edit] Steam Lorries

A number of their steam lorries have been preserved, and they are a regular sight at steam shows, and other events for historic vehicles.

Machines built by Foden Ltd known to be in Preservation in UK

view • talk • edit Engine No.	Name	Build Date	Type	Weight	Power nhp	Reg-No.	Owner	Image	Other info
Foden no. 443	Victoria	1899	TE GP	9 ton	6 nhp	DJ 1142	J. Bownes, Cheshire		Earliest known Foden in existence.[1]
Foden no. 664	Betty	1903	TE GP	?	8 nhp	BS 8042	Owner ?		At Harewood House Steam Rally 2008
Foden no. 680	-	1902	Road loco	16 ton	8 nhp	BS 8328	Owner ?		Seen at
Foden no. 763	-	1904	Wagon	5 ton	4 nhp	Reg no. ?	Owner ?		Seen at
Foden no. 848	-	1904	Wagon	5 ton	?	DD 4894	Museum of Science & Technology, Birmingham		In the collection of Birmingham museums
Foden no. 1174	Pride of Leven	1906	Road Loco	?	?	SN 1609	Science Museum		In the collection of the Science Museum London
Foden no. 1294	-	1907	Tractor	?	?	110 JLB	Owner ?		Misc info (were seen, photo taken, special features etc)
Foden no. 1308	Captain Cook	1907	TE GP	?	7 nhp	-	Owner ?
Foden no. 1423	Story Teller	1907 No.1,	Showmans	?	8 nhp	-	Owner ?		Repatriated
Foden no. 1427	"Name here"	1907	Wagon	?	?	Reg no. ?	Owner ?		Seen at
Foden no. 1742	Queen Mary	1908	Wagon	5 tons	7 nhp	M 2128	Owner ?		Seen at
Foden no. 2104	Prospector Formerly Jane	1910	Showmans RL	?	8 nhp	WR 6985	Owner ?		At Southport & Scorton 2009
Foden no. 2876	Emerald	1911	Wagon	4 ton	?	M 3631	Owner ?		Seen at
Foden no. 3261	Name	1912	TE GP No.	?	?	Reg no. ?	Owner ?
Foden no. 3384	Wattie Pollock	1912	TE GP	?	?	SN 1646	Owner ?
Foden no. 3398	-	1912	Wagon	?	?	Reg no. ?	Owner ?		Seen at
Foden no. 3510	The Icklingham Flyer	1913	Wagon	5 ton	?	M 4673	D. Marston, Suffolk		Seen at GDSF 2008 and Woolpit Steam & many more in 2009 was in Henry Ford Museum till 1980.
Foden no. 3534	Monarch	1913	RL - Colonial	? Ton	8 nhp	MA 5502	G. Peter Wyeld	photo to add	Lincolnshire Steam Rally 2008, Old Warden 2009
Foden no. 4086	-	1913	SW Type Colonial	5 ton	? hp	M 4848	Livery of S.M.Plumb & Family		at Belvoir & Lincoln Castle 2008 Repatriated in 1970s from Australia
Foden no. 4258	Irene	1914	Steam bus (conversion)	? ton	? nhp	M 5798	Owner ?		at Pickering Steam Rally 2009 (was a wagon)
Foden no. 6216	-	1916	Wagon fitted as a Tipper	?	?	M 8562	Owner ?	to add	Seen Foden no. 7768
Foden no. 6350	-	1916	Wagon	5 ton	4 nhp	M 8681	In Ireland		Seen at
Foden no. 6368	Pride of Edwin	1916	Wagon	5 ton	?	M 8118	Science Museum		In the collection of the Science Museum London (Storage)
Foden no. 7536	-	1917	Wagon	?	?	T 8750	Owner ?		Seen at
Foden no. 7768	-	1917	Wagon	5 ton	?	M 8562	Owner ?
Foden no. 8304	Cheshire Pride	1918	Wagon	5 ton	?	BY 7646	Owner ?		Seen at
Foden no. 9580	Hielam Lassie	1920	Wagon	5 ton	?	MA 2645	Owner ?		at Pickering Steam Rally 2009
Foden no. 9593	Sentinal	1920	Wagon	?	?	Reg no. ?	Owner ?		(This may be a an error and should be in Sentinal list)[Entry need details checking]
Foden no. 10136	Kenrow Princess	1920	Wagon	?	?	Reg no. ?	Owner ?		Seen at
Foden no. 10320	-	1920	Wagon	?	?	BS 9983	Owner ?	to add	Bromyard Gala 2008
Foden no. 10470	-	1921	Wagon	?	?	Reg no. ?	Owner ?
Foden no. 10694	Tiler	1923	Wagon	5 ton	?	PC 9928	Owner ?		Seen at
Foden no. 10788	-	1922	Wagon	?	?	AU 6695	Tate & Lyle (in Care of BCVM)		Now the BCVM collection at Leyland in Lancashire. (poor photo)
Foden no. 11208	Lorna Dunne	1924	Wagon	6 ton	?	YA 7952	Owner ?		Seen at
Foden no. 11340	Puffing Billy	1923	Stream Bus	?	4 nhp	M 6359	Owner ?		Conversion from wagon
Foden no. 11414	Pride of Somerset formerly "Freddie"	1924	Wagon	?	?	Reg no. ?	Owner ?		Seen at
Foden no. 11444	Hielan Laddie Formerly "Reliance"	1924	Tractor	6 ton	? nhp	VA 2519	Owner ?		at Pickering Steam Rally 2009
Foden no. 11892	-	1925	Wagon	6 ton	?	DD 7916	Levens Hall Collection		In the collection at Levens Hall (museum) Kendal
Foden No. 11962	-	1925	SW Tractor	? ton	? nhp	TU 216	? (In a plain Livery)		GDSF 2008
Foden no. 12018	Emily	date built	C type	?	?	EU 2683	Owner ?		Seen at
Foden no. 12300	Talisman	1926	(rebuilt)	7 ton	4 2/2 nhp	LG 8784	D. Williamson		Rebuilt as sn 13484 Seen at Stoke Goldington Steam Rally & Old Warden 2009
Foden no. 12364	Tiny	1926	Wagon	6 ton	?	TW 4207	N. Cldow,		At Old Warden 2009
Foden no. 12370	Island Chief	1926	D Type	?	?	TT 8659	R & C Bullen, Wiltshire		At Woodcote Rally & Old Warden 2009
Foden No. 12770	-	1927	SW Tractor	? ton	? nhp	FN 9060	? (In Beck & Pollitzer Livery)		Bromyard 2008
Foden no. 12788	Sir Ector	1927	SW Tractor	? ton	? nhp	TU 7084	? (In George Knight Boot & Shoe Maker, Livery)		GDSF 2008
Foden no. 13008	Valiant	1928	K3 six wheeler (Heavy Hauler)	?	4 1/2 nhp	SS 9191	The Saunders Collection	To add	At weeting, Old Warden 2009
Foden no. 13068	Perserverance	1928	D type	? ton	? nhp	EU 3764	P. Richardson, ?	To add	Old Warden 2009
Foden no. 13090	-	1928	Tractor	? ton	4 nhp	Reg no. ?	G. Russell, West Sussex		At Woodcote Rally 2009
Foden no. 13120	Midnight Rambler	1928	TE	?	?	Reg no. ?	Owner ?
Foden no. 13138	London Pride	1928	Wagon	?	?	Reg no. ?	Owner ?
Foden no. 13156	Merlin	1928	C type tractor	6 ton	? nhp	UR 1328	William Nicol Ltd,		At Pickering Steam Rally 2009
Foden no. 13178	Patricia	1928	Wagon	6 ton	?	MT 4259	Owner ?
Foden no. 13196	Pride of Fulham	1928	SW Tractor	6 ton	4 nhp	GC 6832	?		Wymswold 2008
Foden no. 13218	Cestria	1928	SW - Ballast tractor	7 ton	4 nhp	BUP 71	I. Thompson		Lincoln 2008, Dumbcombe Park & Pickering 2009
Foden no. 13266	Pride of Sussex (Formerly Rosie)	1928	D type timber tractor	7 ton	4 nhp	VJ 1476	A. Fenson. ?	To add	A Old Warden 2009
Foden no. 13316	Sir Lionel ex Roby ?	1929	Wagon with Tanker body	?	?	UU 1283	J & D Dovey, Hampshire		At Woodcote Rally 2009
Foden no. 13358	Victor	1929	Tractor	?	?	DF 8187	G.T. Cushing (trust)	To add	In the collection at Thursford Steam Museum Norfolk
Foden no. 13444	Litle Lady	1929	Timber tractor	? ton	? nhp	VX 1440	G. Richards & family		Seen at GDSF 2008
Foden no. 13454	Samantha	1929	Timber Tractor	?	?	Reg no. ?	Owner ?		Seen at
Foden no. 13476	Lillie	1929	Wagon	6 ton	4 nhp	KX 5003	Owner ?		at Pickering Steam Rally 2009
Foden no. 13484	Talisman	1930	Tractor	7 ton	4 1/2 nhp	LG 8784	B. Williamson, Dunstable		seen at Rushden 2008 Engine was built as 1/2 track sn 12300 and then rebuilt as tractor sn 13484
Foden no. 13488	-	1929	Wagon	?	?	Reg no. ?	Owner ?		Seen at
Foden no. 13536	-	1930	SW Type J Wagon	6 Ton	? hp	RY 9259	S. Ritchie, Livery of E&N. Ritchie Haulage		at Belvoir & Lincoln 2008 & various 2009 Fitted with turntable hitch
Foden no. 13624	Margaret	1930	Wagon with Box Van body	5 ton	? nhp	WX 2682	Owner ?		Seen at
Foden no. 13708	Boadicea	1930	Wagon	6 ton	4 nhp	VF 8862	Bressingham Steam Museum		In the collection at Bressingham in Norfolk
Foden no. 13730	-	1930	SW	4 ton	? nhp	OFU 567	Robert Crawford collection		-
Foden no. 13746	Major Stanley	1931	Wagon	?	?	Reg no. ?	Owner		Seen at
Foden no. 13752	Reliance	1930	Wagon	?	?	Reg no. ?	Owner ?		Seen at
Foden no. 13762	-	1930	Tractor	?	?	Reg no. ?	Owner ?		Seen at
Foden no. 13764	n/a	1930	SW Type Tractor	6 Ton	6 hp	TF 3106	Owner ?		Seen at Belvoir Castle show 2008
Foden no. 13784	"Name here"	1932	Wagon	?	?	Reg no. ?	Owner ?		Seen at
Foden no. 13802	Santa Maria	1931	Wagon	?	4 nhp	VN 2912	Strumpshaw Hall Steam Museum	To add	At Weeting Rally 2009 In the collection of Strumpshaw Hall
Foden no. 13832	The Dorset Wander	1930	Waggon	weight	power	Reg no.	Owner		Seen at
Foden no. 13848	Lady Catherine	1931	Wagon	?	?	Reg no. ?	Owner ?		Seen at
Foden no. 14078	Mighty Atom	1932	Tractor	?	?	Reg no. ?	Owner ?		Seen at
Foden no. 14084	Duchess of Gloucester	1933 (October)	Tractor	? ton	? nhp	Reg no. AMB 300	Owner J Toulson Toulson collection		Youngest known Foden in existence (TER 2008)[2]
Foden no.	"Name here"	date built	type	?	?	Reg no. ?	Owner ?		Seen at

[edit] Lorries (Diesel Trucks)

A restored Foden S20 tractor unit at a vintage vehicle meet

The main product line other the years has been trucks for road haulage, but they also built off highway trucks used for Civil engineering works and quarry's. Later going onto build custom versions of there road haulage trucks for use by heavy haulage operators.

[edit] Early models

• 1937 wagon No.9293
• Type R

[edit] Post war Models

Foden S21 of 1966 in Youngs of Shirland livery LYO 188D, fitted with Cummins engine

A Foden 8x4 Flatbed at Sandbach Transport Festival 2008

A Foden S21 fitted with Gardner 150 engine in a flat bed 8 wheeler configuation reg 163 CLP

Early Wooden cabbed Foden reg LG 9446 in immaculately restored condition at Sandbach Festival of Transport 2008

A Foden Flatbed bodied wagon at Sandbach 2008

An early Foden converted to a breakdown truck - CL 3660 at Sandbach

A Foden Ballasted tractor, reg MLP 194L

Box on a Ballast Foden Tractor

By 1954 what proved to be a very rugged and successful design of dump truck was produced and the two-stroke engine was becoming a very desirable option for marine applications. In 1958 the first glass reinforced plastic cabs were made enabling Fodens to produce the first British tilt cab in 1962. It is difficult to list the vast number of diverse designs which Fodens produced in the fifties and sixties - single and double deck buses, including the first rear engined bus in 1950, mobile crane chassis, heavy haulage tractors, timber tractors and the innovative 'twin-load' concept.

Following Paccars take over in 1980 the firm was renamed as "Sandbach Engineering Company". Then in 1983 renamed as "Foden Trucks", with the new 2000 - light duty , 3000 - medium duty and 4000 - heavy duty ranges introduced with Caterpillar Engines as an option. The military vehicle contracts provided a steady work load for a period. In 1998 the 3000 range was updated using the DAF 85 series Cab (Paccar having also owned DAF of the Netherlands since 1996). The 4000 series was planed to get the DAF 95 cab but a restructuring in 1999 saw the factory shut and the Foden name dropped in favour of other Paccar brands.^[1]

[edit] Types numbers

A Foden tractor unit converted to drawbar showmans type unit with "living box" body added, seen at Donnington Park CV show in 2009

A Very tidy 1988 Foden 4300 reg F445 XFL fitted with a Cummins engine

• Foden FG - 1948 with S.18 cab
• Foden FE - 1952-54
• Foden S20
• Foden S21
• Foden S36
• Foden S39
• Foden S40
• Foden S41
• Foden S85
• Foden 2000 series - 1983
• Foden 3000 series
• Foden 4000 series

[edit] Off Highway Haulage

Foden site dump truck

• FL Dump Truck

[edit] Heavy Haulage

Custom built tractor units were manufactured for a variety of operators requirements.

[edit] Military trucks

Foden supplied a range of trucks adapted for Army use to the British Army.

Foden 8x4 in Army Livery at Sandbach.

Foden Army truck with piggy back load of small truck and an armoured personnel carrier at Sandbach festival of transport

[edit] References / sources

wikipedia for initial article on company history

• Steam show catalogues and the exhibits
  • (source of some serial nos and year of manufacture) http://www.steam-up.co.uk/foden/foden.htm
  • (source of most serial nos and year year of manufacture) http://www.steamrallyphotos.co.uk/index.html
• TER 2008 - verification of details/missing info for engines at shows

[edit] External links

• Official Foden website (a PACCAR website)
• The Foden Society
• The Foden Society - brief history of Foden
• Foden's Richardson band

This page uses some content from Wikipedia. The original article was at Foden trucks. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Tractor & Construction Plant Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.