Bewick:
When I wur’ a lad growing up in Kendal in the early 60s the Foden factory artic used to come thru’ the town 5 day’s a week at about noon every day on its way up the A6 and over Shap fell I believe.Then about 2:30pm it would come back going south on its way back to Sandbach.This motor apparently had an up-rated 2 stroke engine which they were developing at the time.You could set your watch by it day after day! But was it noisey!!! all wind and ■■■■!!! Cheers Dennis.
When we did the first North of England Run, in 1989, we sat on the northbound lay-by just short of the summit on Shap, deckchairs on the swan neck (patio) of our low-loader. We saw a 2-stroke Foden S24 coming over Hucks Bridge - 20 minutes later, it finally crawled past us, with all of 5 tons on its back!!
For me I reckon it would have to be a V8 Scania under load,nothing quite like that V8 thump when they are pulling hard.
When I was 20 I went to Western Australia for a year and got a job as a fitter,working on road trains,I think we had 6 or 7 of these 143E 450 and 475’s.
I used to love watching them pull away when loaded,at up to 170 tonnes,the sound of the V8 crackle and the cloud of red dirt was heaven to a truck mad young fella.
I also reckon the sound of a fully freighted F16 going hard is hard to beat,the distinctive turbo lag noise when changing gear is a cracker.
Listening to one on road train work is great fun.
I’ve been helping a mate lately doing some work on this '67 AEC Marshal. It has an AV505 motor and the sound of it really has grown on me,it’s quite a lazy tick over sound at idle,but I think it has a very unique sound and if I close my eyes I can picture a Route Master bus pulling away from Trafalgar Square. It has a stack behind the drivers side and sounds great in your ear.
NZ JAMIE:
I’ve been helping a mate lately doing some work on this '67 AEC Marshal. It has an AV505 motor and the sound of it really has grown on me,it’s quite a lazy tick over sound at idle,but I think it has a very unique sound and if I close my eyes I can picture a Route Master bus pulling away from Trafalgar Square. It has a stack behind the drivers side and sounds great in your ear.
Try to put a TL12 motor in it then would go and sound like an AEC should.
hiya,
The best thing for me was when i’d done my days work and switched the thing off, ah silence and when i switched one off for the last time, ah bliss i walked out of the yard without a look back and certainly no sadness but it was a job and it did pay the mortgage loved the job once but grew to wish for something else as time went by did have the good years though the 50s 60s and 70s after that the job went downhill, only my opinion and i suppose some of you lads will disagree with my views, i hope so anyway.
thanks harry long retired.
harry_gill:
hiya,
The best thing for me was when i’d done my days work and switched the thing off, ah silence and when i switched one off for the last time, ah bliss i walked out of the yard without a look back and certainly no sadness but it was a job and it did pay the mortgage loved the job once but grew to wish for something else as time went by did have the good years though the 50s 60s and 70s after that the job went downhill, only my opinion and i suppose some of you lads will disagree with my views, i hope so anyway.
thanks harry long retired.
But would you have felt the same if you’d have been driving a good spec truck on long distance international work in 1980.
harry_gill:
hiya,
The best thing for me was when i’d done my days work and switched the thing off, ah silence and when i switched one off for the last time, ah bliss i walked out of the yard without a look back and certainly no sadness but it was a job and it did pay the mortgage loved the job once but grew to wish for something else as time went by did have the good years though the 50s 60s and 70s after that the job went downhill, only my opinion and i suppose some of you lads will disagree with my views, i hope so anyway.
thanks harry long retired.
But would you have felt the same if you’d have been driving a good spec truck on long distance international work in 1980.
hiya,
Well “Carryfast” could have done o’er the water work but that was back in the 70s, genuinely had no fancy top o’ Scotland to tip o’ England was far enough for me also was never too bothered about top of the range motors so long they got from A to B without having to resort to getting the spanners out too often that was all i wanted, and i could still get lost in London even at the end of my lorry driving days (even London cabbies resort to those sat-nav things) did a couple of years in the forces driving in the Far East, sometimes that was a bit hairy so international driving held no fears it was just that i liked a couple of days at home each week which was more to my liking (i had a few kids) and it was nice to see them growing up, time to do over may have stayed single and gone for it, not a job for a family man, only my opinion and remain here to be shot down, what a boring site this would be if we all agreed with each other.
thanks harry long retired.
■■■■■■■ 14 ltr (10 ltrs always sounded a bit over-worked to me)
Rolls Royce Eagle
Scania V8 14.2 ltr (not in 4 series onwards though, seemed a bit more closed in)
Detroit 2-stroke in a Bedford TM (I could set my watch by one that came past our old yard!)
Leyland AN68 in an Atlantean bus
Leyland 500 fixed head, especially in a Leyland National Bus
daibootsy:
My b series erf 8cl GARDNER 240, loverly sound incold frosty morning, blue smoke, what a sight. :
Even better sounding when fitted into a Guy Big J!!
Seriously, I would go with the Foden stroker, though alas I didn’t have the pleasure of driving one as ours had Gardner, ■■■■■■■ and R/ Royce power units.
1 scania 14.2 v8 if ever i see one i have to turn the radio down and wind the window down
2 magirus deutz v8 reminds me of days out with my dad as a kid in various deutz tippers
3 volvo fl 10 not loud and agressive like a v8 but i always liked there melodic rumble.
Listening to the sound of the engine was the only way that you could tell when a gear change was necessary when the only things on the dash were a speedometer and vacuum or air pressure gauge for the brakes and a little arm which came up stop but when it came up you could not stop I found that using a rev counter to change gear was a lot harder to do than listening to the engine but on the wagons today that s just about impossible ( dinosaurs are still roaming these threads )
Bewick:
When I wur’ a lad growing up in Kendal in the early 60s the Foden factory artic used to come thru’ the town 5 day’s a week at about noon every day on its way up the A6 and over Shap fell I believe.Then about 2:30pm it would come back going south on its way back to Sandbach.This motor apparently had an up-rated 2 stroke engine which they were developing at the time.You could set your watch by it day after day! But was it noisey!!! all wind and ■■■■!!! Cheers Dennis.
When we did the first North of England Run, in 1989, we sat on the northbound lay-by just short of the summit on Shap, deckchairs on the swan neck (patio) of our low-loader. We saw a 2-stroke Foden S24 coming over Hucks Bridge - 20 minutes later, it finally crawled past us, with all of 5 tons on its back!!
All the more time to soak up the music surely
Oh yes! It sounded fabulous! Painfully slow, but fabulous!
Bewick:
When I wur’ a lad growing up in Kendal in the early 60s the Foden factory artic used to come thru’ the town 5 day’s a week at about noon every day on its way up the A6 and over Shap fell I believe.Then about 2:30pm it would come back going south on its way back to Sandbach.This motor apparently had an up-rated 2 stroke engine which they were developing at the time.You could set your watch by it day after day! But was it noisey!!! all wind and ■■■■!!! Cheers Dennis.
When we did the first North of England Run, in 1989, we sat on the northbound lay-by just short of the summit on Shap, deckchairs on the swan neck (patio) of our low-loader. We saw a 2-stroke Foden S24 coming over Hucks Bridge - 20 minutes later, it finally crawled past us, with all of 5 tons on its back!!
All the more time to soak up the music surely
Oh yes! It sounded fabulous! Painfully slow, but fabulous!
Well Chris you are so tactful with your description of a Foden 2 stroke “crawling over Shap” If ever there was a vote for Worst ever British built heavy commercial I am sure that the 2 stroked engine Foden would win “hands down”.The combination had everything going for it! Crappy cab and chassis,nightmare gearbox,and the “piece de resistance” what must be the worst engine ever produced!! Cheers Dennis.
daibootsy:
My b series erf 8cl GARDNER 240, loverly sound incold frosty morning, blue smoke, what a sight. :
Even better sounding when fitted into a Guy Big J!!
Seriously, I would go with the Foden stroker, though alas I didn’t have the pleasure of driving one as ours had Gardner, ■■■■■■■ and R/ Royce power units.
Pete.
Hi Pete you would’nt happen to be an ex Smith of Maddiston driver would you? Bewick.
Right lads I’m going to throw a brick into this “smooth running and sounding” thread!These 3 engines enter the power scale at the very foot of the table as far as quality engines are concerned but they are never-the-less all reliable,economical and honest little engines in my opinion.They are as follows------ 1) Gardner 5LW,2)Gardner 4LK,3)Albion 4cyl (not sure of the exact Albion designation).If some saddo’s can “salivinate” over a Foden 2 stroke I am prepared to endure the “flak” over these three nominations.But I can tell you this I would sooner have my yard full of 4 & 5 cyl Gardner’s and Albion engined motors than a yard full of Foden “screamers”. I rest my case! Bewick.
