 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(August 2024) |
 | |
| Industry | Automotive |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1887 |
| Founder | Edwin Foden |
| Defunct | July 2006 |
| Successor | Leyland Trucks |
| Headquarters | , England |
| Products | Trucks |
| Parent | Paccar |
| Website | www.foden.com |
Foden Trucks was a British truck and bus manufacturing company, which had its origins in Elworth near Sandbach in 1856. Paccar acquired the company in 1980, and ceased to use the marque name in 2006.
In 1856, Edwin Foden became an apprentice at the agricultural equipment manufacturing company of Plant & Hancock. [1] 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, small stationary steam engines, and from 1880, agricultural traction engines.
In 1878, the legislation affecting agricultural use was eased, and as a result, Foden produced a successful range of agricultural traction engines. The perfecting of the compound traction engine in 1887 gave a significant marketing advantage and later proved invaluable to the development of the steam lorry.
In 1896, the restrictions affecting road transport were eased, which permitted vehicles under 3 tons to travel at up to 12 mph (19 km/h) without a red flag. The time was right, and Foden produced a series of four prototype wagons. The experience gained from this enabled Foden to build a 3-ton wagon for the War Office 1901 self-propelled lorry trial. [2]
This design was consistently faster and more economical over the arduous road trials, but was placed second overall as it was claimed that the Thornycroft entry had better off-road performance. Foden's wagon was nevertheless regarded by most commentators as a clear winner (the result was questioned in Parliament by Crewe's MP [3] ). This model was the basis for a highly successful line of vehicles that were produced over the next 30 years. The great majority of Foden steam lorries were overtype, but undertypes were also produced starting in the late 1920. [4] these Included the unsuccessful E-type and the O-type "Speed-6" and "Speed-12", which was a much more modern vehicle.
By 1930, Edwin's son, Edwin Richard Foden (known as E.R.) could see the future lay in diesel power. In late 1932, he resigned from the board of directors, following several years of bitter wranglings, and subsequently retired; he was 62 and ready for retirement, having spent his entire working life at Foden's. His son Dennis could not afford to resign, but was not prepared to let things ride; however, with financial input from across the immediate family, a new company was set up to design and produce diesel lorries. George Faulkener, related to Dennis by marriage, became works manager and Ernest Sherratt, both ex-Foden employees, helped to design a new diesel wagon. Edwin Richard Foden was persuaded to come out of retirement and head the new company, which became known as ERF.
In the early 1930s, however, Foden realised that the future was diesel, and changed their production almost immediately, [5] though the production of steam vehicles continued in diminishing numbers until 1934. Their first diesel vehicle was the Foden F1 introduced in 1931 and regarded as the "first commercially successful type of diesel lorry". [6]
Postwar initially had the reintroduction of the old models with few improvements, although Foden entered the bus chassis market in 1946 (a number of prototypes, including a double-decker had been built in the 1930s); by 1950, they had developed a rear-engined model, antedating the Leyland Atlantean by seven years. Although the Foden PVR was a high-framed single decker, the cruciform chassis bracing used by Foden made an underfloor engine location, as in the competitive AEC Regal IV, Leyland Royal Tiger, or Daimler Freeline, not possible.
In 1948, the completely new FE and FG lorry ranges were introduced, along with the new Foden FD6 two-stroke diesel engine, which became the standard engine for certain Foden heavy lorry models, such as the S18 FE6/15 Rigid Eight-Wheeler – the optional Gardner 6LW-engined version was the S18 FG6/15. (The S18 designation refers to the new cab that was produced for the new range.) The FD6 two-stroke engine, along with Gardner engines, was also fitted in Foden motorcoaches and buses. Only one Foden PVD double decker had the Foden engine, but it was popular in the PVS and PVR single-deckers, especially in coaching applications because it was much higher revving than the Gardner 5LW or 6LW. Bus and coach production ceased in 1956, but the last chassis only left the works in 1959, when it was registered 367CKA and received an early Plaxton Panorama body.
In 1958 lightweight glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) used in cab production was introduced, and this led to the manufacture of the first British-built, mass-produced tilting cab in 1962. The first Foden GRP cab was the distinctively styled S21 model. The S21 was initially nicknamed both "Spaceship" and "Sputnik" by the commercial vehicle press, but was more popular by the "Mickey Mouse" nickname. The more traditional metal-and-wood S20 cab, introduced in 1956, was still fitted to many Foden lorries until at least 1963, after which it was just fitted to special vehicles until 1968. The aforementioned GRP tilt cab, introduced in 1962, was designated S24. S21 cab production continued until 1969.
In 1964, a change in the Construction and Use Regulations favoured articulated vehicles over the older rigid designs, and a new model was introduced to compete in the 32-ton market. More than 75% of heavy chassis sold in Britain in the following years were tractor units.
In 1969, Foden made its first sales in Portugal. Because the company name was similar to a profanity in Portuguese, they were badged as Podens. [7] [8]
A massive new production facility was developed in the early 1970s on a greenfield site, adjacent to the Foden works. The new plant was designed for an annual capacity of 6,000 trucks, based on an expectation of a continued boom in truck sales and exports. Instead, the market collapsed. [9] The expenditure and the economic downturn of the period made Foden run into financial difficulty in December 1974. It was given support by Harold Wilson's Labour government. Foden struggled as its home market continued to be depressed. Foden did not return to reasonable profitability until 1977-78. Large MOD contracts to supply military vehicles helped with this recovery. [10] The military required fibreglass cabs (strengthened for military use), meaning that civilian Foden trucks were constructed in the same way.
After a period in receivership in 1980, the company was acquired by American firm Paccar, [11] becoming a division of that company. By 1986, Foden employed a workforce of 450, as compared to around 3,000 at the high point. [9] Foden specialised in highly customisable trucks, offering any paint, any drivetrain available, and even split windscreen [9] Kenworth C500 oilfield trucks were also built in small numbers at the Sandbach plant. [12]
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 Caterpillar, Detroit Diesel or Cummins ISMe engines.
In 2005, Paccar announced that Foden production was likely to cease in 2006. The reason given was that Foden production would be terminated to release manufacturing capacity at Leyland Trucks to allow for increased volume of DAF-brand trucks. However, Leyland Trucks produced many other lorry models under the original Foden brandname until about 2010 according to several press articles and the commercial vehicle and machinery sales website mascus.com. [13]
The last Foden was produced in July 2006, putting an end to 150 years of Foden truck manufacturing. [14] The final vehicle to roll off the production line at the factory in Leyland was an 8x4 rigid, which was delivered to the nearby British Commercial Vehicle Museum.
A little over 110 Foden steam vehicles have been preserved of which the majority are wagons or tractors. [4] A single Foden built Showman's road locomotive dating to 1910 survives. [15]
DAF Trucks is a Dutch truck manufacturing company and a division of Paccar. DAF originally stood for van Doorne's Aanhangwagen Fabriek. Its headquarters and main plant are in Eindhoven. Cabs and axle assemblies are produced at its Westerlo plant in Belgium. Some of the truck models sold with the DAF brand are designed and built by Leyland Trucks at its Leyland plant in the United Kingdom.
Paccar Inc. is an American company primarily focused on the design and manufacturing of large commercial trucks through its subsidiaries DAF, Kenworth and Peterbilt sold across markets worldwide. The company is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, in the Seattle metropolitan area, and was founded in 1971 as the successor to the Pacific Car and Foundry Company, from which it draws its name. The company traces its predecessors to the Seattle Car Manufacturing Company formed in 1905. In addition to its principal business, the company also has a parts division, a financial services segment, and manufactures and markets industrial winches. The company's stock is a component of the Nasdaq-100 and S&P 500 stock market indices.
Leyland Motors Limited was an English vehicle manufacturer of lorries, buses and trolleybuses. The company diversified into car manufacturing with its acquisitions of Triumph and Rover in 1960 and 1967, respectively. It gave its name to the British Leyland Motor Corporation, formed when it merged with British Motor Holdings in 1968, to become British Leyland after being nationalised. British Leyland later changed its name to simply BL, then in 1986 to Rover Group.
Kenworth Truck Company is an American truck manufacturer. Founded in 1923 as the successor to Gersix Motor Company, Kenworth specializes in production of heavy-duty and medium-duty commercial vehicles. Headquartered in the Seattle suburb of Kirkland, Washington, Kenworth has been a wholly owned subsidiary of PACCAR since 1945, operating alongside sister company Peterbilt Motors.
Associated Equipment Company (AEC) was a British vehicle manufacturer that built buses, motorcoaches and trucks from 1912 until 1979. The name Associated Equipment Company was hardly ever used; instead, it traded under the AEC and ACLO brands. During World War One, AEC was the most prolific British lorry manufacturer, after building London's buses before the war.
Seddon Atkinson Vehicles Limited, was a manufacturer of large goods vehicles based in Oldham, Lancashire, England, was formed after the acquisition in 1970 of Atkinson Vehicles Limited of Preston by Seddon Diesel Vehicles Limited of Oldham. In 1974, the firm was acquired by International Harvester, which sold it in March 1984 to the Spanish group Enasa which made it a subsidiary of Pegaso. In 1990, it became part of Iveco which used the brand for various types of specialised vehicles in the United Kingdom. The range of models produced included EuroMover, Pacer and Strato, which are aimed at refuse collection, recycling and construction operators.
Sentinel Waggon Works Ltd was a British company based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire that made steam-powered lorries, railway locomotives, and later, diesel engined lorries, buses and locomotives.
Albion Motors was a Scottish automobile and commercial vehicle manufacturer.
Scammell Lorries Limited was a British manufacturer of trucks, particularly specialist and military off-highway vehicles, between 1921 and 1988. From 1955 Scammell was part of Leyland Motors.
ERF was a British truck manufacturer established in 1933 by Edwin Richard Foden, from whose initials the company was named. Its factory in Middlewich closed in 2002, and it was discontinued as a marque by owner MAN in 2007.
Leyland Trucks is a medium- and heavy-duty truck manufacturer based in Leyland, Lancashire, United Kingdom. It can trace its origins back to the original Leyland Motors, which was founded in 1896, and subsequently evolved into British Leyland. After British Leyland became the Rover Group in 1986, the truck business was spun off and merged with DAF Trucks to form DAF NV, which operated as Leyland DAF in the UK.
Tilling-Stevens was a British manufacturer of buses and other commercial vehicles, based in Maidstone, Kent. Originally established in 1897, it became a specialist in petrol-electric vehicles. It continued as an independent manufacturer until 1950, when it was acquired by the Rootes Group.
The Leyland National is an integrally-constructed British step-floor single-decker bus manufactured in large quantities between 1972 and 1985. It was developed as a joint project between two UK nationalised industries – the National Bus Company and British Leyland. Buses were constructed at a specially built factory at the Lillyhall Industrial Estate, Workington. Styling was carried out by the Italian vehicle stylist Giovanni Michelotti, previously commissioned by both Triumph and Scammell lorries.
Oy Sisu Auto Ab is a truck manufacturer based in Raseborg, Finland. Its name comes from the Finnish word sisu meaning guts, grit and determination.
The DAF LF is a range of light/medium duty trucks produced by the British manufacturer Leyland Trucks. It is a redevelopment from the Leyland Roadrunner of 1984.
Straker-Squire was a British automobile manufacturer based in Bristol, and later Edmonton in North London.
A steam wagon is a steam-powered truck for carrying freight. It was the earliest form of lorry (truck) and came in two basic forms: overtype and undertype, the distinction being the position of the engine relative to the boiler. Manufacturers tended to concentrate on one form or the other.
The Daimler Roadliner was a single-decker bus and coach chassis built by Daimler between 1962 and 1972. Notoriously unreliable, it topped the 1993 poll by readers of Classic Bus as the worst bus type ever, beating the Guy Wulfrunian into second place. It was very technologically advanced, offering step-free access some 20 years before other buses; as a coach, it was felt by industry commentators to be in advance of contemporary UK designs.
The concept of the Mechanical Horse tractor unit with an easily detached articulated trailer was conceived in the early 1930s by Napier & Son. It has one front wheel in the midline. The London and North Eastern Railway had approached Napier for an answer to the problem of replacing horses for local haulage purposes, while retaining the flexibility of changing the wagons and the maneuverability of the horse and wagon. These vehicles are often known as "Snub-nose Trucks" or "Snub-nose Lorries" because of the round hood in front of the cab.
Walker Brothers Limited was a manufacturer based in Pagefield Ironworks, Wigan, England. It produced ventilation equipment for mining, truck and bus chassis, mobile cranes, and railway locomotives and railcars.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
