Hello everybody!
First of all, I beg your pardon for my poor knowledge of the English language.
I am an Italian collector of classical toys. Up to now I have gathered some 3,500 items, mostly model trains and model cars. I’m going to expose all of them in a building I have bought with the aim of making a Museum dedicated to the history of toys.
Here is a rendering of the Cars Hall of the Museum, with a slot-car circuit and a very big fresco on the side wall
I am also trying to collect a satisfactory documentation about each single toy and its builder. Beside it, as each toy is a representation of a real life thing, I try to gather information about the real life prototype of the toy and, of course, its builder.
My problem is that is not easy, in Italy, to find information about the prototypes of model trucks built, for instance, by Dinky Toys.
So, I am here to ask for your help: is there anyone who can tell me something about the specs of Bedford S Series? Or Bedford TK? Or Guy Vixens?
Let’s start with these three, for the moment. And thanks a lot for any help.
Sorry, I made a mistake: the pictures are of a Guy Vixen (I hope) a Bedford TK and a Leyland Octopus, of course.
Well: what about the years of production, the engins and other specs of the real things?
Thank you again for any answer, and ready to give any more information of my would be museum…
Pagoda, the GUY Wolf, Vixen and Otter, in that order relating to their weights appeared around 1933, the Wolf at 2 Tons, Vixen 3-4 Tons and the Otter 6 Tons, however production eased in 1936 as the company was asked by the Government to build military vehicles. After the war the Vixen continued but with improvements due to the wartime variant known as the Vixant (1941) based on the military Ant, this being improved during its service period, again in 1946 an improved Wolf 2-3 Tonner and Vixen this time as a 4 Tonner only appeared and a year later the Otter at 5-6 Tons. The look of the models had changed little since before the war although in 1950 the Otter was fitted with a diesel engine. By 1952 a new style all steel cab was introduced. It seems the picture you have of the Guy could well be a Vixen although the model above may represent the Otter, hard to tell as these two vehicles looked similar only the Wolf tended to come in bonneted form. I hope this has helped a little, Franky.
Thanks a lot, dear Franky, your answer is very satisfactory about Guys. By chance, do you know anything about the engins of these trucks (number of cylinders, cubic inches and so)?
And what about Bedford TK and Leyland Octopus?
Hurry up, gentlemen! I’m going to show some more samples of trucks and buses I ignore nearly all about them: an Opermann motocart, a Vega Major (Saurer?), a Dodge (Series 100 Kew?) and to maybe Austin…
Help, help!
Frankydobo:
Here is a little information I have on the TK and Vixen engines, Franky.
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1
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Great Stuff Franky, That Bedford 300 was OK in a four wheeler, But I drove a TK Artic for Baxters on the Quayside with the Scammell Auto/Coupling, I used to run to Manchester/Liverpool/Chester loaded with 12/13 Ton of bacon, It was useless on the pull, bottom gear up Church Bank just to get off the Quay, They nearly scint old Jonny, But they did have a good heater in wich was a bonus in 1960, Happy days Eh, Regards Larry.
Thank you, gentlemen. This can be very useful to me.
According to what I already knew, Bedford TKs have been itroduced in 1959 and lasted up to the beginning of the '80s.
They could have both petrol and diesel engins, 4 or 6 cylinders.
Is it true that the version used by General Post Office (later British Telecom) has been nicknamed Polecat?
Do not leave me alone, please, I need to know a lot of things more…
About Fodens, for instance: which version is the one here reproduced? When has been introduced?
I know this kind of trucks employed Gardner diesel engins. Is it true?
Pagoda66:
Thank you, gentlemen. This can be very useful to me.
According to what I already knew, Bedford TKs have been itroduced in 1959 and lasted up to the beginning of the '80s.
They could have both petrol and diesel engins, 4 or 6 cylinders.
Is it true that the version used by General Post Office (later British Telecom) has been nicknamed Polecat?
Do not leave me alone, please, I need to know a lot of things more…
About Fodens, for instance: which version is the one here reproduced? When has been introduced?
I know this kind of trucks employed Gardner diesel engins. Is it true?
Larry Dunbar could give you the full spec on this Foden,but I believe it was classified as an FG,and yes Fodens were one of Gardner Engines long time customers right from the concept of Diesel engines,or “Oil Engines” as they origionally called.Foden did persist over many years with their own two stroke engine but it was never a success and eventually it died a death.Cheers Bewick.
Pagoda66:
Thank you, gentlemen. This can be very useful to me.
According to what I already knew, Bedford TKs have been itroduced in 1959 and lasted up to the beginning of the '80s.
They could have both petrol and diesel engins, 4 or 6 cylinders.
Is it true that the version used by General Post Office (later British Telecom) has been nicknamed Polecat?
Do not leave me alone, please, I need to know a lot of things more…
About Fodens, for instance: which version is the one here reproduced? When has been introduced?
I know this kind of trucks employed Gardner diesel engins. Is it true?
Larry Dunbar could give you the full spec on this Foden,but I believe it was classified as an FG,and yes Fodens were one of Gardner Engines long time customers right from the concept of Diesel engines,or “Oil Engines” as they origionally called.Foden did persist over many years with their own two stroke engine but it was never a success and eventually it died a death.Cheers Bewick.
Pagoda66:
Thank you, gentlemen. This can be very useful to me.
According to what I already knew, Bedford TKs have been itroduced in 1959 and lasted up to the beginning of the '80s.
They could have both petrol and diesel engins, 4 or 6 cylinders.
Is it true that the version used by General Post Office (later British Telecom) has been nicknamed Polecat?
Do not leave me alone, please, I need to know a lot of things more…
About Fodens, for instance: which version is the one here reproduced? When has been introduced?
I know this kind of trucks employed Gardner diesel engins. Is it true?
Larry Dunbar could give you the full spec on this Foden,but I believe it was classified as an FG,and yes Fodens were one of Gardner Engines long time customers right from the concept of Diesel engines,or “Oil Engines” as they origionally called.Foden did persist over many years with their own two stroke engine but it was never a success and eventually it died a death.Cheers Bewick.
Was’nt an FG a Gardner and FE a stroker?
I think your right Pete but I will have to defer to superior authority on the thread,the nearest I came to a Foden was photos of my Great Granddads Foden steamers of 100 years ago.Cheers Dennis.
a little information I have on the TK and Vixen engines
That was very kind of you, Franky.
As the Dinky is classified as a “4-ton lorry”, it must definitely be a Vixen!
Nevertheless, is it sure they all three (Wolf, Vixen and Otter) used the same 4 in line cyl?
Gardner would have been the 6LW in the eight legger
I did not understand this point (be patient: I am a foreigner, both with English and the matter).
Anyway, I assume that Foden FG used a Foden 6 cyl diesel two stroke 4.090 cc 126 hp, while the
Foden FE had a Gardner diesel 6 cyl 112 hp. Am I right?
Now: which was the Gardner engine capacity (how many cc)?
When have been FE and FG Foden introduced, and when they have been ceased?
Was the S18 cabin common to both models?
How can I consider this Dinky: a postwar FE/FG?
Sorry to bother you, but you are my only reliable source…
My apologies, I forgot that you are not familiar with English vehicles. The Foden FG would have the Gardner engine, the FE was fitted with the two stroke. The S18 cab was introduced in 1947 so certainly after the War. They replaced the earlier DG range, Dinky Toys made models of those as well as you are probably aware. Foden made many different cabs and they produced several different cabs at the same time so that customers had a choice. The S18 cab was replaced by the S20 cab in 1956 (the Matchbox model sugar tanker, concrete mixer and the King Size breakdown truck has that cab) but some customers still wanted the S18 so Foden carried on making them as well! Very confusing the Foden cab range, a Google search will show you all the different types.
I am not sure of the C.C of the Gardner engine as I have lent my Gardner book to a friend, I am sure that somebody on here will know. I would guess at around the 11,000 cc area but I may be incorrect on that.
Hope that this helps you, any more questions just ask.
Pagoda66:
Thanks a lot, dear Franky, your answer is very satisfactory about Guys. By chance, do you know anything about the engins of these trucks (number of cylinders, cubic inches and so)?
And what about Bedford TK and Leyland Octopus?
Hurry up, gentlemen! I’m going to show some more samples of trucks and buses I ignore nearly all about them: an Opermann motocart, a Vega Major (Saurer?), a Dodge (Series 100 Kew?) and to maybe Austin…
Help, help!
Don’t worry about your English Pagoda 66, (Mercedes SL?) it’s better than a lot of the English posted by Englishmen!
Re: this batch of your pictures – some corrections.
You are right about the Opperman Motorcart, the Bedford VAL coach and the Dodge Kew. But I believe that the brown Dinky breakdown lorry model like many early Dinkies wasn’t based on any particular real lorry, but a generalisation based on lorries of the day. The real green lorry in the photo you’ve attached to it is a Bedford WS, but that one has a cab that must have been locally built in the country where the photo was taken, the British cabs looked like this:
Thank you, Peter, with these news I can finally fullfill my Fodens documentation.
Just one thing to be sure: the Dinky Fodens are fitted with an S18 cabin, isn’it?
You are right about the Opperman Motorcart, the Bedford VAL coach and the Dodge Kew.
Dear Bernard, I am glad to see that this discussion is improving. Yes, I do not only collect model cars and trucks,
I owe an old SL. You better call me with my own name: Gianni.
Good to know that pictures are maching one another, but what about the bloody Oppermann? I just found out that
it was equipped with an AJS engine…
And the Bedford VAl, God only knows about it or may be somebody else?
The Dodge Kew was another mistery…
As I wrote at the beginning, I’m a retired journalist and so fool to wish to settle a little Toy Museum, in a property
I bought on pourpose close to Ancona, on the Adriatic See. Beside a collection of more than 3.500 model cars, I am
planning to expose my model trains layouts. I show here a portion of it…
