Buzzer
Sidevalve:
kenfig bill:
Buzzer:
BuzzerHello Buzzer …smashing shot of the Gwynn Bowen Fodens …loaded with cable drums from the former AWCCplant at Port Tennant Swansea …they did a lot of this work …much for Scotland …backloading with fire bricks for the furnaces back in South Wales …Geraint
Thanks for that Bill. As a Carmarthen resident (and Foden owner) myself this is valuable information on this long-gone local firm.
Sidevalve …yes according to my father GwynnBowen had a couple of drivers based in Carmarthen …and also up at Cwmduad …animal feed from Birkenhead was hauled back to Carmarthen and also to Newcastle Emlyn …my father also says he can remember Tate and Lyle having a small distribution depot as well in the town …hauled back from Liverpool …Geraint …
servo88:
0
I collected a Scania 110 from John in 2018/19 I took some pics too which are on here somewhere.
What was in the Foden GRP cabs to give rigidity?
essexpete:
What was in the Foden GRP cabs to give rigidity?
Not much! 
There was timber in the door pillars for the hinges etc to screw into but otherwise it was just fibreglass.
Pete.
windrush:
essexpete:
What was in the Foden GRP cabs to give rigidity?Not much!
Pete.
I remember a train of thought which had considerable backing that in an accident the cab would disintegrate rather than trapping the driver inside. Of course the driver might have disintegrated with it by being thrown outside.
Spardo:
windrush:
essexpete:
What was in the Foden GRP cabs to give rigidity?Not much!
Pete.
I remember a train of thought which had considerable backing that in an accident the cab would disintegrate rather than trapping the driver inside. Of course the driver might have disintegrated with it by being thrown outside.
I remember a train of thought that power steering was not only unnecessary, but led to excessive tyre wear, as drivers turned the steering wheels too much. 
Spardo:
windrush:
essexpete:
What was in the Foden GRP cabs to give rigidity?Not much!
Pete.
I remember a train of thought which had considerable backing that in an accident the cab would disintegrate rather than trapping the driver inside. Of course the driver might have disintegrated with it by being thrown outside.
We had several Fodens with GRP cabs involved in shunts and none of the drivers were injured, with a steel cab they would probably have been trapped. Easily repaired as well, I remember telling a former workmate who was restoring a Volvo F88 and using goodness knows how many coils of mig wire on the cab “if you had picked a Foden you would only have needed a pack of Isopon from Halfords!” 
Pete.
Buzzer:
Buzzer
What year did they stop producing that cab would it have been mid '70s , i’m sure H Campey had some that over lapped the S80 or am i mistakened?
ramone:
Buzzer:
BuzzerWhat year did they stop producing that cab would it have been mid '70s , i’m sure H Campey had some that over lapped the S80 or am i mistakened?
If you mean the GRP S36/39 cabs they continued in production into the late 70’s as the Foden ‘Lightweight’ six wheeler chassis for mixer and tipper work used them. In 1976 we had a factory tour in the evening and the smell in the fibreglass shop where they had a few of those cabs being made took your breath away even though work had ceased a few hours before our visit. They were still producing limited numbers of the two stroke engines at that time as the Admiralty used them in their high speed launches.
Pete.
windrush:
ramone:
Buzzer:
BuzzerWhat year did they stop producing that cab would it have been mid '70s , i’m sure H Campey had some that over lapped the S80 or am i mistakened?
If you mean the GRP S36/39 cabs they continued in production into the late 70’s as the Foden ‘Lightweight’ six wheeler chassis for mixer and tipper work used them. In 1976 we had a factory tour in the evening and the smell in the fibreglass shop where they had a few of those cabs being made took your breath away even though work had ceased a few hours before our visit. They were still producing limited numbers of the two stroke engines at that time as the Admiralty used them in their high speed launches.
Pete.
I remember the light weight being pushed in the Foden mag of the 70s. It did not have the heavy Foden drive axles and perhaps a different gearbox? Cannot remember the latter.
Certainly there seemed to be an overlap with the S39, S40 and S80.
I don’t know folk stuck the GRP works. I used to go into a moulders on Canvey Island and the smell was almost overpowering. I wonder about long term health with those working with GRP?
Buzzer
Buzzer:
Buzzer
Sam Longson, the bete noir of the sainted Brian Clough.