Foden F1 Diesel Lorry
Looking at this superficially, you might wonder why such an item features in the Science Museum. However, the clue is its age - 93 years old.
Still not there? Well in 1931 a debate was raging in some circles in the UK about whether petrol, diesel or steam was the way ahead for lorries. At the time, most truck makers favoured petrol. But Foden's prototype F1 flat-bed proved cleaner than steam and more economical than petrol and thus the future was born.
The Foden company had started by manufacturing steam traction engines in Cheshire in the late 1880s. They also became renowned for their steam wagons and were the world's largest makers of steam road vehicles. However, the final Foden steam vehicle was built in 1934.
The F1 had a similar chassis to the last steam wagons, but Foden married a Gardner 5L2 five-cylinder diesel engine to it. The Gardner company, in Manchester, had pioneered the high-speed diesel engine for road use in Britain and had an outstanding reputation for quality.
When introduced into commercial service, the F1 and similar lorries would have been used for short-to-medium journeys, largely complementing the railways. However, by the 1960s articulated diesel lorries with large-capacity trailers were using the developing motorway network to travel across country and even across continents, supplanting rail for much long-distance haulage.
Foden F1 Diesel Lorry
Looking at this superficially, you might wonder why such an item features in the Science Museum. However, the clue is its age - 93 years old.
Still not there? Well in 1931 a debate was raging in some circles in the UK about whether petrol, diesel or steam was the way ahead for lorries. At the time, most truck makers favoured petrol. But Foden's prototype F1 flat-bed proved cleaner than steam and more economical than petrol and thus the future was born.
The Foden company had started by manufacturing steam traction engines in Cheshire in the late 1880s. They also became renowned for their steam wagons and were the world's largest makers of steam road vehicles. However, the final Foden steam vehicle was built in 1934.
The F1 had a similar chassis to the last steam wagons, but Foden married a Gardner 5L2 five-cylinder diesel engine to it. The Gardner company, in Manchester, had pioneered the high-speed diesel engine for road use in Britain and had an outstanding reputation for quality.
When introduced into commercial service, the F1 and similar lorries would have been used for short-to-medium journeys, largely complementing the railways. However, by the 1960s articulated diesel lorries with large-capacity trailers were using the developing motorway network to travel across country and even across continents, supplanting rail for much long-distance haulage.