Foden














of Elworth Works, Sandbach produced commercial vehicles.
General
In 1856 Edwin Foden became apprenticed to the agricultural equipment manufacturing company of Plant and Hancock.
He left the company for an apprenticeship at Crewe Railway Works
1860 He returned to Plant and Hancock at the age of 19.
1866 He became a partner in the firm and it was re-named Hancock and Foden [1]
1874 Listed as Edwin Foden, Coal dealer of Railway Station; Elworth Foundry, Sandbach. Also mentions the brass and iron foundry of Edward (sic) Foden at Bradwell / Sandbach. Also listed as Edwin Foden, engineer, iron founder and agent for the principal agricultural makers, Elworth Foundry. [2]
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 19th century.
1880s Supplied an engine to the Kidwelly Tinplate Co. Edwin Foden.
1880s Supplied an engine to the Baglan Bay Tinplate Co. E. Foden, Son and Co.
1882 Edwin Foden designed his first steam tractor.
1887 George Hancock retired and the company was renamed Edwin Foden Sons and Co Ltd. The company produced massive industrial engines, as well as small stationary steam engines and agricultural traction engines. Regular production of the steam tractors commenced.
1889 Traction engine shown at the RASE at Windsor. [3]
1900 The first Foden steam lorry was produced and continued until 1932.
1901 There 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. [4]
1902 Production of the 5 ton lorry commenced until 1923
1904 Steam wagon. (Exhibit at Birmingham Thinktank museum).
1913-1917 For a list of the models and prices of Steam Motor Wagons, Tractors and Ploughs etc. see the 1917 Red Book
1920 The C-type 5/6 tonners produced.
1930 One railway locomotive built and delivered to Palmer Mann and Co, salt producers.
1931 Commenced diesel powered lorries using the Gardner engine but also used other makes later.
1932 Produced vehicles from 4 ton to 15 ton payload until the outbreak of WW2.
1932 Fodens split and Edwin Richard Foden founding the ERF company. Edwin's son E. R. Foden saw that the future lay in diesel power. In 1931 he was thrown out of the boardroom for advocating diesel over steam, and he 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, E.R. was persuaded to come out of retirement and head a new company. This company eventually became known as ERF.
1935 Last steam wagon built. A total of 6,500 were made.
WW2 Produced 1,750 vehicles for the War Department including 6 x 4 Army lorries and 770 Centaur and Crusader tanks. Also 7.5 million 20mm shells.
1944 Advert for Foden Diesel.
1961 Employed 2,000 persons. [5]
1964 Received order from the Steel Company of Wales for large-capacity tip lorry and this led to many giant dump trucks being produced.
1964 The Foden two-stroke diesel engine produced and continued until 1977.
1974 Opened new factory.
1977 New Fleetmaster (with Cummins or Rolls-Royce 290bhp engine) and Haulmaster (with Cummins) models with introduced.
1980 Financial difficulties and Paccar International acquired control. The company was renamed Sandbach Engineering Co
1983 Renamed as Foden Trucks
Buses
See Foden: Buses
Lorries
See Foden: Lorries
Road Locomotive
Steam Vehicles
Farm Machinery
Notes
AL on 30/072012 writes:
As a long time employee of Fodens Ltd; researcher for the publication of the History of ERF Ltd; etc. I find your web page very well informed. However the piece about Edwin Foden's departure from Fodens and his setting up ERF has more holes than an old dish cloth. It relects the story, I should say myth, put out by ERF's second wife to explain his departure under a cloud from his father's Company.
See Also
- 1884 Royal Agricultural Show
- 1885 Royal Agricultural Show
- 1887 Royal Agricultural Show
- 1899 Royal Agricultural Show
- 1901-1902 Automotor: Index
- 1901 War Office Trials of Motor Lorries
- 1902/04/19 Motor Show (Cordingley)
- 1902 (Part 1) The Autocar: Index
- 1902 (Part 2) Automotor: Index
- 1902 (Part 2) The Autocar: Index
- 1903 Automotor: Index
- 1904 (Part 2) The Autocar: Index
- 1904 Royal Agricultural Show
- 1905 Automotor: Index
- 1905 Motor Show (SMMT November)
- 1906 Royal Agricultural Show
- 1907 Automotor: Index
- 1907 Commercial Motor Show
- 1907 Manchester Motor Show
- 1907 Motor Show (Cordingley)
- 1908 Automotor: Index
- 1908 Commercial Motor Show
- 1911 Royal Agricultural Show
- 1913 Royal Agricultural Show
- 1913 Smithfield Club Show
- 1914 Commercial Motor Vehicle Exhibition
- 1914 Royal Agricultural Show
- 1914 Smithfield Club Show
- 1915 Royal Agricultural Show
- 1915 Smithfield Club Show
- 1917 Motor, Marine and Aircraft Red Book: Steam Engines
- 1919 Roads and Transport Exhibition
- 1920 Motor, Marine and Aircraft Red Book: Steam Engines
- 1920 Smithfield Club Show
- 1921 Public Works Roads and Transport Exhibition
- 1921 Royal Agricultural Show
- 1922 Royal Agricultural Show
- 1922 Smithfield Club Show
- 1922 Who's Who In Engineering: Company F
- 1923/11/02 Motor Show
- 1923 Institution of Mechanical Engineers: Visits to Works
- 1923 Royal Agricultural Show
- 1925 Public Works, Roads and Transport Exhibition
- 1925 Smithfield Club Show
- 1930 Industrial Britain: Foden
- 1950 Makes and Models of Road Vehicles
- 1954 Commercial Motor Show
- 1954 Motor Show
- 1957 British Industries Fair: Companies F
- 1961 Dun and Bradstreet KBE
- 1961 Guide to Key British Enterprises: Motor, Motor-Cycle and Commercial Vehicle Manufacturers
- 1961 Guide to Key British Enterprises: Motor Engines and Components for the Motor Industry also Parts for Agricultural Machinery, Garage Equipment, etc
- 1966-67 Veteran and Vintage: Index
- 2007 Dorset Steam Fair
- Archive Journal: Issue 64
- Automobile Engineer: 1937/12
- Automobile Engineer: 1954/11
- Automobile Engineer: 1958/03
- Automobile Engineer: 1958/11
- Baglan Bay Tinplate Co
- Charles Davies (1858-1922)
- Daimler: Cars
- Dynevor Tinplate Works
- E. Longhurst and Sons
- ERF
- Edwin Foden
- Edwin Richard Foden
- Edwin Twemlow
- Engineering 1896 Jan-Jun: Index: Illustrations
- Ernest Sherratt
- Foden: 1828
- Foden: 2108
- Foden: AN 9568
- Foden: AU 6695
- Foden: BF 5148
- Foden: BF 5543
- Foden: BUP 71
- Foden: BY 7646
- Foden: Buses
- Foden: DF 4055
- Foden: DF 8187
- Foden: DG range
- Foden: EU 2683
- Foden: EU 3764
- Foden: F1
- Foden: FG range
- Foden: FK 3925
- Foden: Farm Machinery
- Foden: HX 2197
- Foden: KX 3340
- Foden: LG 8784
- Foden: Lorries
- Foden: MA 5502
- Foden: MW 8324
- Foden: M 4257
- Foden: M 4673
- Foden: M 4848
- Foden: M 5798
- Foden: M 6359
- Foden: M 8562
- Foden: No 13316
- Foden: OG range
- Foden: PVD
- Foden: PVFE
- Foden: PVR
- Foden: PVSC
- Foden: RY 9259
- Foden: Road Locomotive
- Foden: S18
- Foden: S20
- Foden: S21
- Foden: S36
- Foden: S39
- Foden: SN 1646
- Foden: SS 9191
- Foden: S type
- Foden: Steam Vehicles
- Foden: TA 1216
- Foden: TA 9891
- Foden: TF 3106
- Foden: TT 8659
- Foden: TU 1215
- Foden: TU 7084
- Foden: TW 4207
- Foden: T 8750
- Foden: UR 1328
- Foden: UU 1283
- Foden: VJ 1476
- Foden: VN 2911
- Foden: VN 2912
- Foden: VN 2922
- Foden: WR 6985
- Foden: WX 2682
- Foden: WX 9030
- Forth Engine and Motor Works
- Frank Needham
- G. H. German and Co
- G. Scammell and Nephew
- George Dean (d.1955)
- George Faulkner (2)
- Hall and Woodhouse
- Hancock and Foden
- Hill View Dairies
- Jack Priestley
- James Edward Lea
- James Edwin Foden
- John Edward Foden
- Kidwelly Industrial Museum
- Kidwelly Tinplate Works
- Kidwelly Tinplate Works: Rolling Mill Engines
- Leyland Motors
- Leyland Timeline
- Paccar
- Pelican Engineering Co
- Plant and Hancock
- Reginald Gordon Foden
- Reginald Wood Whittle
- Rolls-Royce Motors
- Samuel Poole Twemlow
- St Austell Brewery
- The Engineer 1884/07/18
- The Engineer 1885/07/17
- The Engineer 1887/07/08
- The Engineer 1887/07/15
- The Engineer 1887/07/22
- The Engineer 1887/08/05
- The Engineer 1887/08/19
- The Engineer 1887/11/25
- The Engineer 1887/12/02
- The Engineer 1887/12/23
- The Engineer 1891/06/19
- The Engineer 1891/06/26
- The Engineer 1892/06/24
- The Engineer 1892/12/09
- The Engineer 1893/06/23
- The Engineer 1893/08/25
- The Engineer 1896/06/26
- The Engineer 1897/06/25
- The Engineer 1898/06/24
- The Engineer 1899/06/02
- The Engineer 1899/06/23
- The Engineer 1900/06/22
- The Engineer 1900/12/14
- The Engineer 1901/07/05
- The Engineer 1901/12/06
- The Engineer 1901/12/13
- The Engineer 1902/01/03
- The Engineer 1902/01/10
- The Engineer 1902/04/25
- The Engineer 1902/07/11
- The Engineer 1902/09/05
- The Engineer 1903/03/27
- The Engineer 1903 Jul-Dec: Index: Illustrations
- The Engineer 1904/03/25
- The Engineer 1904/07/01
- The Engineer 1904/10/21
- The Engineer 1905/03/24
- The Engineer 1905/06/30
- The Engineer 1905/11/24
- The Engineer 1907/04/12
- The Engineer 1908/07/03
- The Engineer 1909/06/25
- The Engineer 1909/10/22
- The Engineer 1910/07/01
- The Engineer 1911/06/30
- The Engineer 1912/07/05
- The Engineer 1913/07/04
- The Engineer 1913/12/12
- The Engineer 1914/02/06
- The Engineer 1914/07/10
- The Engineer 1914/12/11
- The Engineer 1915/07/09
- The Engineer 1915/12/17
- The Engineer 1919/11/28
- The Engineer 1920/10/22
- The Engineer 1920/10/29
- The Engineer 1920/12/10
- The Engineer 1921/07/08
- The Engineer 1921/07/15
- The Engineer 1921/11/25
- The Engineer 1922/07/21
- The Engineer 1922/12/15
- The Engineer 1923/07/06
- The Engineer 1923/12/07
- The Engineer 1924/12/12
- The Engineer 1925/12/04
- The Engineer 1925/12/11
- The Engineer 1927 Jul-Dec: Index
- The Engineer 1929 Jul-Dec: Index
- The Engineer 1930 Jul-Dec: Index
- The Engineer 1931/03/13 Supplement
- The Engineer 1931 Jul-Dec: Index
- The Engineer 1932 Jul-Dec: Index
- The Engineer 1933 Jul-Dec: Index
- The Engineer 1935 Jul-Dec: Index
- The Engineer 1948 Jul-Dec: Index
- Timeline: Steam Road Vehicles
- UK Manufacturers: Road Vehicles: Steam
- William Foden
Sources of Information
- ↑ The Times, Friday, Sep 01, 1911
- ↑ Morris & Co.'s Directory & Gazetteer of Cheshire, 1874
- ↑ The Engineer of 28th June 1889 p546
- ↑ The Times, Saturday, Jan 04, 1902
- ↑ 1961 Guide to Key British Enterprises: Motor, Motor-Cycle and Commercial Vehicle Manufacturers
- British Lorries 1900-1992 by S. W. Stevens-Stratten. Pub. Ian Allen Publishing
- Ian Allan - British Buses Since 1900 - Aldridge and Morris
- The Modern Diesel edited by Geoffrey Smith. Published by Iliffe and Sons 1944
- The Steam Engine in Industry by George Watkins in two volumes. Moorland Publishing. 1978/9. ISBN 0-903485-65-6
- Traction Engine Album by Malcolm Ranieri. Pub 2005
- [1] Wikipedia
- British Steam Locomotive Builders by James W. Lowe. Published in 1975. ISBN 0-905100-816
- 1961 Dun and Bradstreet KBE