Potteries Foden-NC
In 1975, Northern Counties Motor and Engineering Co (Wigan) collaborated with Foden Ltd (Sandbach), the well-known truck manufacturer, to produce a semi-integral double-deck bus intended to compete with commercial chassis manufacturer Leyland. Leyland had merged with traditional bus making rival Daimler, however, at the time, Leyland were experiencing production and quality problems. It therefore seemed an oppotune moment for Foden to break back into the PSV market with the Foden-NC bus. In the event, only seven Foden-NC's were sold, going to Greater Manchester PTE (x 2), West Midlands PTE, West Yorkshire PTE, Derby City Transport, and Potteries Motor Traction. Although one of these (for South Yorkshire PTE) had an East Lancs body, which strictly speaking made it a Foden-EL! An eigth chassis was also produced, but was only ever used as a test bed, receiving just the lower saloon of its NC double deck body. The test-bed chassis later being sold to R Bullucks of Cheadle, who broke it up. The model never went into series-production, although Derby's 101 was the last built and would have been the nearest to a production type of any of the prototypes. Sadly. the Foden-NCs Achilles’ heel was its unreliable Foden built Step-Down transfer box in the transmission line. However, the thirsty fuel drag of the Allison gearbox didn’t help either. Derby did eventually converted their Foden-NC over to a Voith D851 transmission line, but it didn’t prevent it from being prematurely scrapped in the 1980’s
WVT 900S (pictured), was Potteries Motor Traction’s example (No900), which was purchased in 1978. After its withdrawal in the 1980’s, it was put to one side pending a decision on its future. Enquiries were made by interested parties to acquire the bus for preservation, but PMT’s insistence on a high asking price ruled out any possibility of that happening. Ironically, on the takeover of the Company by First Bus Plc, the Foden-NC was quickly disposed of to a Barnsley scrap dealer and broken up, without prior warning.
The picture shows 900 parked up behind Hanley Garage in its withdrawn condition on a wet and dismal 16th March 1991.
Here's the WMPTE example: www.flickr.com/photos/8050359@N07/2126531859/
And the WYPTE example: www.flickr.com/photos/8050359@N07/1259934449/in/set-72157...
Potteries Foden-NC
In 1975, Northern Counties Motor and Engineering Co (Wigan) collaborated with Foden Ltd (Sandbach), the well-known truck manufacturer, to produce a semi-integral double-deck bus intended to compete with commercial chassis manufacturer Leyland. Leyland had merged with traditional bus making rival Daimler, however, at the time, Leyland were experiencing production and quality problems. It therefore seemed an oppotune moment for Foden to break back into the PSV market with the Foden-NC bus. In the event, only seven Foden-NC's were sold, going to Greater Manchester PTE (x 2), West Midlands PTE, West Yorkshire PTE, Derby City Transport, and Potteries Motor Traction. Although one of these (for South Yorkshire PTE) had an East Lancs body, which strictly speaking made it a Foden-EL! An eigth chassis was also produced, but was only ever used as a test bed, receiving just the lower saloon of its NC double deck body. The test-bed chassis later being sold to R Bullucks of Cheadle, who broke it up. The model never went into series-production, although Derby's 101 was the last built and would have been the nearest to a production type of any of the prototypes. Sadly. the Foden-NCs Achilles’ heel was its unreliable Foden built Step-Down transfer box in the transmission line. However, the thirsty fuel drag of the Allison gearbox didn’t help either. Derby did eventually converted their Foden-NC over to a Voith D851 transmission line, but it didn’t prevent it from being prematurely scrapped in the 1980’s
WVT 900S (pictured), was Potteries Motor Traction’s example (No900), which was purchased in 1978. After its withdrawal in the 1980’s, it was put to one side pending a decision on its future. Enquiries were made by interested parties to acquire the bus for preservation, but PMT’s insistence on a high asking price ruled out any possibility of that happening. Ironically, on the takeover of the Company by First Bus Plc, the Foden-NC was quickly disposed of to a Barnsley scrap dealer and broken up, without prior warning.
The picture shows 900 parked up behind Hanley Garage in its withdrawn condition on a wet and dismal 16th March 1991.
Here's the WMPTE example: www.flickr.com/photos/8050359@N07/2126531859/
And the WYPTE example: www.flickr.com/photos/8050359@N07/1259934449/in/set-72157...