Foden Trucks

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. 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. Foden also produced 11 Showman's road locomotives.

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.

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). 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. these Included the unsuccessful E-type and the O-type "Speed-6" and "Speed-12", which was a much more modern vehicle.

Foden supplied its final steam wagon in 1934.

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, 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".