Evening all, Bubbs, super memory joggers again! Didnt Drapers end up as a big Fiat 170.26 operator? Surprised no one has mentioned Harry, Peter and Dennis Bowdens operation. BFI, those little Fiat 684s must have moved millions of tons of plasterboard up and down the country! Very plain Jane I know, but there were a lot of them about. How on earth did the Fiat Dealers sell the 130NC, (13tonne drawbar), and 130NT (tractor version), but they did! Anybody have an image?? Laurence, those are lovely pictures of your lorries, I really loved our familys S20 4cylinder Gardner 4wheeler that I drove back in the 60s. When I was “promoted” to an S21 150LX tractor, 12sp I really missed the" Edwardian railway carriage" splendour of the S20, finding the “Micky Mouse” a bit modern and cold! But it coped happily with Cenis, both ways,and always got me there and back! I know that now with hindsight Foden tractors with their 12speeds are not highly regarded by many, but once mastered there was nothing ( in their day) to match them, and the satisfaction in driving them properly was tremendous. Gosh this thread is really good, thank you all. Cheerio for now.
bubbleman:
Hi lads,good pics and info coming in…heres more of my stuff to help it along.
Western Tyres have had some nice trucks over the years,this F12 Globetrotter is a fine example.
Bedminsters ran several Roadtrains like this,all surviving untill quite late…one is still about I believe.Cheers Bubbs,
B420 XHW stayed local, Ron Hucker ran it when he was an O/D workign for George Taylors.
Re the Bedminster roadtrain, one is preserved in Wimpey colours and looks really nice. Bedminster are still going although with more modern kit, saw a 95XF of theirs the other day.
Lawrence, spelling has never been my strong point, apologies for misspelling your Christian name!!! Cheerio.
Saviem:
Evening all, Bubbs, super memory joggers again! Didnt Drapers end up as a big Fiat 170.26 operator? Surprised no one has mentioned Harry, Peter and Dennis Bowdens operation. BFI, those little Fiat 684s must have moved millions of tons of plasterboard up and down the country!.
Ah, the have been referred to briefly elsewhere, plus their various re-incarnations, including the current ‘Bowden Transportation Services’ - apparently they’d already used ‘Bowden Transport Services’…
bubbleman:
…didnt connect the FM Foden with the publicity shots and also didn’t realise it was Pyes after cos I got a shot of her in their livery also…call myself a lorry enthusiast
Well, yes! At least you took some pics! 
And the implementation of 38 tonne operations at FM was the subject of a feature article in Tr*ck magazine at the time, including an interview with their (ex-Pandoro) fleet engineer telling them that 250bhp was just the ticket for 38 tonnes.
240 Gardner:
bubbleman:
Foden S106 of Merryfasters is seen on the M4 heading west.This is the one that was used in all the publicity photos - I don’t think they lasted long with FM. I remember this one in later years on low-loader work with Pye’s of Longridge, near Preston, and painted maroon. Hope it had a beefier engine for that work!
I think you’re right with the photogenic stuff. This one of the five was the only one allocated to a tramper, the other four shunting day and night (they clocked some serious mileage IIRC) I think also they were, if not the first, one of the few tractors that were plated for 38 tonne gtw with super single tyres, which along with lightweight cab and chassis meant a better payload (didn’t a Swiss firm run a load of Fodens for the same reason? My european knowledge is limited but I think Switzerland had tricky rules and regs as regards axle weights and dimensions) Bubbs will know, and prob have a pic for us all
hayday:
240 Gardner:
bubbleman:
Foden S106 of Merryfasters is seen on the M4 heading west.This is the one that was used in all the publicity photos - I don’t think they lasted long with FM. I remember this one in later years on low-loader work with Pye’s of Longridge, near Preston, and painted maroon. Hope it had a beefier engine for that work!
I think you’re right with the photogenic stuff. This one of the five was the only one allocated to a tramper, the other four shunting day and night (they clocked some serious mileage IIRC) I think also they were, if not the first, one of the few tractors that were plated for 38 tonne gtw with super single tyres, which along with lightweight cab and chassis meant a better payload (didn’t a Swiss firm run a load of Fodens for the same reason? My european knowledge is limited but I think Switzerland had tricky rules and regs as regards axle weights and dimensions) Bubbs will know, and prob have a pic for us all
Hi Hayday the Swiss did have different weight restrictions I am sure it was 28 ton gross in the 70s when we were 32 ton as I only did a couple of loads which I think were 15 tons on a tanker to keep under the gross weight and if I recall correctly some british wagons used to top up and off load excess at the border as they were very strict.As it was well over 30 years ago i would not take this as gospel but I think it was something like I have wrote and I am sure that the people with a better memory and more intelligent will correct any mistakes I have made.
cheers Johnnie
hiya,
Read a story in Headlight many moons ago about a batch of Fodens being exported to either Spain or Portugal having to be re-badged as “Poden” something about Foden being a rude word in one or both of those languages, myself being barely able to speak English wouldn’t have a clue, any info??.
thanks harry long retired.
Hi again,good info coming in lads…well done,Hayday…you’ve put me on the spot,the company that comes to mind who ran S106 Fodens in Switzerland was Frederici’s,I do have pics of them but as with a lot of my pics…where!! 
Todays stuff…a nice one for 240 to start with. 
Febrys Atkinson sits in their yard…the Welsh reg always sparks conversation of who originally owned it…Wynns comes out on top,but theres never been proof…anyone got any ideas?
A Saviem publicity shot…not one of my shots.
This Sed/Atk from Devon heads west on the M4.
Nice lineup of Roadjokes seen at Melksham 
Sam Patterson from Broughskane goes the other way on the M4
Owner driver on Wimpey Hobbs stops for a cup of tea at ■■■■■■■■■■ Basin in Bristol,the cafe under the fly over in the background was featured in "Only fools and horses"on the telly.I would expect the driver would have walked a few more steps foward and gone to “Browns” who did great big doorsteps as sandwiches and big mugs of tea…lovely.
Cheers Bubbs, 
Lawrence if you have anymore foden tippers could you put them on please,did a lot of miles in the S36 &S39 models with butlers drivers from maltby when i was younger.
harry_gill:
hiya,
Read a story in Headlight many moons ago about a batch of Fodens being exported to either Spain or Portugal having to be re-badged as “Poden” something about Foden being a rude word in one or both of those languages, myself being barely able to speak English wouldn’t have a clue, any info??.
thanks harry long retired.
Yes Harry Foden did have to rename the motors as Poden as far as I can remember they were buses, & Foden meant the U.K.Fword, there was some pictures in one of the magazines as I recall. , but thats a long time ago ?, Regars Larry
paul motyka:
Lawrence if you have anymore foden tippers could you put them on please,did a lot of miles in the S36 &S39 models with butlers drivers from maltby when i was younger.
Sorry, these were the only Fodens I ever owned, Im a Foden person loved the 12speed box , a gear for every hill, I did local & distance work with all of them, all over the UK. I had a fold up bunk in the S21.which I transfered to the S36.& the S80, I did a lot of spratts when in season Hull, Grimsby, Frazerbrough, no stop for 10 to 12 weeks, & sometimes back loaded. with coke, or aggregates.great pay job in those good old days. I ran wagons for 28years, Im retired now but I still enjoy the great memmories of my younger days, I worked with some of the best drivers anybody could wish for. Happy days Larry.
bubbleman:
Hi again,good info coming in lads…well done,Hayday…you’ve put me on the spot,the company that comes to mind who ran S106 Fodens in Switzerland was Frederici’s,I do have pics of them but as with a lot of my pics…where!!Todays stuff…a nice one for 240 to start with.
Febrys Atkinson sits in their yard…the Welsh reg always sparks conversation of who originally owned it…Wynns comes out on top,but theres never been proof…anyone got any ideas?
:
Marcus,
I can’t see that reg in the Wynns fleet book I have, they had similar reg’s [HDW 78E, HDW 370,371, etc] but on differant make trucks. They had a load of Venturers but they were later on K,L and M plates. So the mystery remains, Neil.
Maybe an ex Llanwern Steelworks,BSC or was it RTB in pre - nationalization days? I’ve seen photos of Atkis on here somewhere that were known as Monmouthshire Transport working out of the Orb Works,including a 3-axled one I’m sure.
mechanic77:
bubbleman:
Hi again,good info coming in lads…well done,Hayday…you’ve put me on the spot,the company that comes to mind who ran S106 Fodens in Switzerland was Frederici’s,I do have pics of them but as with a lot of my pics…where!!Todays stuff…a nice one for 240 to start with.
Febrys Atkinson sits in their yard…the Welsh reg always sparks conversation of who originally owned it…Wynns comes out on top,but theres never been proof…anyone got any ideas?
:Marcus,
I can’t see that reg in the Wynns fleet book I have, they had similar reg’s [HDW 78E, HDW 370,371, etc] but on differant make trucks. They had a load of Venturers but they were later on K,L and M plates. So the mystery remains, Neil.
Neil I think the same as you I cannot recall “Wynns” having any Atkinsons before the 70s but a few oil companys did have them in the 60s as they usually only had the 180 percy in them not enough umph as I seem to think that “C” to “F” was a bit bare for 6x4 Atki’s.
cheers Johnnie
Hi Lawrence Dunbar, you are a man after my own heart, I too am a Foden fan and I wont hear a bad word said about them nor their 12speed boxes either !
My first time on Fodens was as a drivers mate with Elliotts of York and then as a driver for Flowers Transport of York.
Now I own an S20 Foden 6x4 tractor unit which I have made to look like the one I worked at Elliotts. They were great motors and I sadly lament the loss of our lorry building industry, yes they maybe weren’t as user friendly as the foreigners but they were “British” and they did exactly what it said on the tin ! Yes I tend to look back through rose tinted glasses, but just like you I have many a good memory of them. Long may these sights continue so that you and I and many others can enjoy the long lost nostalgia that we all enjoy so much ! Regards Tony H.
bubbleman:
Todays stuff…a nice one for 240 to start with.
Thank you
lowreduction:
Hi Lawrence Dunbar, you are a man after my own heart, I too am a Foden fan and I wont hear a bad word said about them nor their 12speed boxes either !
My first time on Fodens was as a drivers mate with Elliotts of York and then as a driver for Flowers Transport of York.
Now I own an S20 Foden 6x4 tractor unit which I have made to look like the one I worked at Elliotts. They were great motors and I sadly lament the loss of our lorry building industry, yes they maybe weren’t as user friendly as the foreigners but they were “British” and they did exactly what it said on the tin ! Yes I tend to look back through rose tinted glasses, but just like you I have many a good memory of them. Long may these sights continue so that you and I and many others can enjoy the long lost nostalgia that we all enjoy so much !
I couldnt agree more Fodens were a great wagon, I have proved many a point among fellow owner drivers when it got realley heavey going the old Foden was the first one to cross the line . with power to spare. The S 21, I had was a cracking bit of gear it loved being overloaded, it could carry 16Tonnes legaly, but it went better with 21T of fish for Frazerburgh, It never ever let me down. it was one of Sellers & Kents, motors.from Ilam Near Ashbourne. I remember an 8wheeler bogged down on a building site on Teeside, the ganger on the site asked me to pull him out of the clarts, I did so & the cheeky sod who drove the 8 wheeler said I didnt think that an old Foden was capable of doing it. I thought to myself if he had stated that in the begining I would have refused the task, but there again it made my day, I was chuffed, Foden Forever is my moto. Regards Larry.
Re; Fodens, these were our last three;
And these 2 had to be amongst the last fibreglass cabbed ones…
Hello again,thanks lads for trying to identify the Febrys Atkis original owner…perhaps we’ll never know,Good Smiths pics Nathan…well done,heres todays offering.
Richard Jennings Foden S104 from South Molton is seen westbound on the M4.
M5 northbound for this KW,I’m sure it belonged to Warren and Warren from Charlton,London.
Smart EC14 ERF of P.C.Lyons is seen running empty on the M4.
A Truckfest shot but quite a rarity being an"R" cab day cab on a rigid.
D.P.Haulage ECX ERF on the M4,tidy unit with a scruffy trailer.
One for Moley,just about got this one between the cars,taken earlier this year on the M5.
Cheers Bubbs,