i saw this last week in Hoddesdon,(i dont know anything about it) it is a bit before my time, and didnt know where to put it so i thought i’d give it its own post
Probably just having a quick 45 break before he nips down to Ranks at Silvertown for 15 ton of bags. 
Pete.
ahhh she’s a beauty, Love these old Fodens
kindle530:
i saw this last week in Hoddesdon,(i dont know anything about it) it is a bit before my time, and didnt know where to put it so i thought i’d give it its own post
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This Foden S21 Spaceship,350 DRX,was a regular visitor to Nottingham Goose Fair,and I saw it many a time there 
:-
FODEN S21 SPACESHIP FG6LX/24 OR KG6LX/24 FLAT-BODIED 8x4 LORRY,350 DRX,April 1963:-
The Foden S21 Spaceship,350 DRX,is an ex-Luton Frame-bodied fairground lorry that transported Peter Manning’s Caterpillar Ride:-
VALKYRIE
Mickey Mouse or Sputnik lets not go for Sabrina been there done it 
Let’s hear a few comments about what sods of gearboxes the old Foden 12 speed stickshift epicyclic gear boxes were to drive. What a relief it was when Foden bought in the air change boxes.
I only drove a Mickey Mouse Foden 8 wheeler once my elder brothers boss bought an ex Hoveringham Gravel fitted with a recovery body my brother did an engine overhaul on it had a Foden 2 stroke and the 12 speed box with the switch fitted on the steering column it was a real experience after a few miles I sought of got the hang of it then my Dad showed me how to drive it properly he worked for a large firm called K and M Hauliers from Hucknall Notts in the 60s and they ran loads of Fodens
BRS FH66:
Let’s hear a few comments about what sods of gearboxes the old Foden 12 speed stickshift epicyclic gear boxes were to drive. What a relief it was when Foden bought in the air change boxes.
I remember when Esso started to replace their Scammell Highwaymen with 2 stroke S20 Fodens. Our next door neighbour was the foreman fitter at the local depot. Told me the older drivers detested the Fodens, coming out of a Scammell with a Gardner and six speed, quietly plodding along in top most of the time, only changing down when you have to, then having to drive a 12 speed and keep it howling to get anywhere. Some of the drivers couldn’t adapt, tried to struggle along in too high a gear, the Fodens didn’t like it and gave a lot of trouble. I believe Whitbread had similar problems when replacing AECs with Perkins V8 powered Dennises.
Bernard
BRS FH66:
Let’s hear a few comments about what sods of gearboxes the old Foden 12 speed stickshift epicyclic gear boxes were to drive. What a relief it was when Foden bought in the air change boxes.
No they were not!!!
I learned on a 5 speed Foden, 4LW, S20 cab, speedo in the centre of the steering wheel, gosh I loved that lorry, 38mph max, and all the way to Sicily.
Then promotion, Gardner LW, 12 speed mechanical split, you could see the big cable dropping down from the lever, behind the windscreen of the S20 cab, around 8ft 6in WB I think. France/Italy, and everywhere in GB. Loved the power! and the Edwardian splendour of that cab. All polished wood and aluminium. Never too cold, or too hot, they must have got something right!
Then even higher up the scale, Micky Mouse, S21,12 speed air split, 150 LX, but like driving a “Portaloo”, all plastic, and a funny smell, but a lovely driving position with the wheel low down. Gear change, well I could not say that it was better than the mechanical one, maybe a fraction quicker…but with that 12 speed you could easily “out drag, johnny foreigner”…years later I realised that they were running at least 3/6 tonnes heavier! Handsome devil the S21, we may have known her as the Micky Mouse, but French drivers really rated the driving position…but less so, the lack of a bed!
Finally the family had some S39s, Gardner, and Leyland 680s, all 12 speed air split. Only drove a few of these, better view out from the windscreen, and sweet gearchange…but once you could drive a Foden box, well you could drive them in your sleep. But by then I was selling Atkinsons, and rapidly learned just how simple a gearbox should be…Mr Eaton`s 10, 9, and 15 speeds. One lever, multi functions, and a change that you never ever had to think about.
Once drove some Haulmasters with the 8/9/12 speed, (if you knew where to look)! Why did not the Sandbach engineers do this years before…then they gave up and fitted Mr Eaton!
But for sheer pleasure, at the skill you have acquired, there can be no better gearbox than the 12 speed Foden…or M Berliets “Tricateuse”, or Macks Quadraplex, twin stick boxes!
Happy days, and Autos were only for wimps in motorcars!
Cheerio for now.
Many years ago i worked for a petrol company called Globe Petroleum in stirlingshire scotland. We ran 3 AEC mammoth majors and 1 mandator. One day the manager said this vehicle has to go for mot, the workshop was in gunness scunthorpe and it was arranged that i would meet a fitter at penrith. I arrived at penrith to see a foden 8 wheel rigid sitting in the lay by,now i was only just past my test 6 months before i had never driven anything other than aecs, The fitter said its fully loaded and showed me how to use the gearbox, i remember it had twin headlights, split windscreen. the gears were 1 2 3 4 . and move the 3 way lever on the right hand side of the steering wheel. What a motor i dont know what engine was in it but at tickover you would think it was cutting out then burst into life. what model would this be. i had it for a month and thought it a good motor, the reg was WFU953J 38 years later i am still on fuel tankers in grangemouth.(driving a MAN).)
matt watson:
Many years ago i worked for a petrol company called Globe Petroleum in stirlingshire scotland. We ran 3 AEC mammoth majors and 1 mandator. One day the manager said this vehicle has to go for mot, the workshop was in gunness scunthorpe and it was arranged that i would meet a fitter at penrith. I arrived at penrith to see a foden 8 wheel rigid sitting in the lay by,now i was only just past my test 6 months before i had never driven anything other than aecs, The fitter said its fully loaded and showed me how to use the gearbox, i remember it had twin headlights, split windscreen. the gears were 1 2 3 4 . and move the 3 way lever on the right hand side of the steering wheel. What a motor i dont know what engine was in it but at tickover you would think it was cutting out then burst into life. what model would this be. i had it for a month and thought it a good motor, the reg was WFU953J 38 years later i am still on fuel tankers in grangemouth.(driving an MAN)
VALKYRIE replies:-
From your description and the WFU 953J registration,plus the DVLA information,below,the Foden is almost certainly the following model:-
Foden S39 Sabrina 8XB6/26-28 [Gardner 6LXB],or 8L6/26-28 [Leyland O.680],or 8E6/26-28 [Foden Mk6B],or 8E7/26-28 [Foden Mk7] 8x2 or 8x4 Lorry.
The vehicle details for WFU 953J are:
Date of Liability 01 04 1997
Date of First Registration 03 05 1971
Year of Manufacture Not Available
Cylinder Capacity (cc) 0cc
CO2 Emissions Not Available
Fuel Type HEAVY OIL
Export Marker N
Vehicle Status Unlicensed
Vehicle Colour BLUE
Vehicle Type Approval Not Available
Vehicle Excise Duty rate for vehicle
6 Months Rate £90.75
12 Months Rate £165.00
This Foden could have ended up on the fairgrounds considering that it was still in service until 1997 …just like another example of the same model from the same year …and it’s still going strong :-
The vehicle details for EGT 959J are:
Date of Liability 01 04 2014
Date of First Registration 19 02 1971
Year of Manufacture 1971
Cylinder Capacity (cc) 0cc
CO2 Emissions Not Available
Fuel Type HEAVY OIL
Export Marker N
Vehicle Status Licence Not Due
Vehicle Colour RED
Vehicle Type Approval Not Available
Vehicle Excise Duty rate for vehicle
6 Months Rate £90.75
12 Months Rate £165.00
Foden S39 Sabrina 8XB6/26-28,Luton Girderframe-bodied,8x4 Fairground Lorry,EGT 959J,David Pelham,Waltzer Ride:-
VALKYRIE
Hi valkyrie, Yes the foden that we had was the exact same model as the one in the photo you posted, if you can imagine it with a 5 pot tank on it and painted blue red and white it was a beast of a motor. i just wish i had a camera back then. when i speak to some of the young drivers about the motors we used to drive they dont believe me when i tell them about fodens + twin splitters etc, the foden we had was i think a double drive axle and would pull anywhere. notice the exhaust is at the front of this vehicle and pointing away from the kerb, this was for pet regs so maybe this one was an ex tanker.
Regarding Foden gearboxes,We bought a S80 tipper at an auction in Coventry,I had to drive it back to Brum 
It took a little while to master but great box when we mastered it.I worked out that some of the ratios were the same and there was no point in moving the gear lever 
Ours was powered by a proper engine,14 litre of power.I had so much fun beating all those smelly Gardner oil leaking wagons on any muck shifting job 
I have just found out about a mickey mouse cabbed 6 wheeler tipper resting in the West Midlands.
Thankyou for the photo 
It just felt like no better progress when you changed gear.Foden used to make an eight and nine speed and I think they all looked the same.High third/low fourth very close
I saw a Foden still working today West bound on the M62 approaching Leeds. Reg no P400BHP
I’ll search for it and post a picture.
Just found out a little more info on the Foden resting.6 wheeler tipper,eaton axles,mickey mouse cab 1970,s.
fryske:
Oh dear, that’s just given me a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. I used a 2 stroke Foden with one of those boxes for about 2 weeks long ago, never got a clean gear once and when I handed the motor back I still had no idea how to handle the gearbox. I’m embarrassed to say that it’s the only box that ever beat me.
I was only about 22, not much experience then so I’ve no idea how I would go on now and frankly I’ve no desire to find out.
the 12 speed was a great gearbox , but a ■■■■■ if you got chucked in at the deep end with one . it must 30 years since i drove one , but i still remember the gear change sequence as if it were yesterday . i used to get lumbered with the new blokes that hadn’t driven one before , and it wasn’t easy to feel them how to go through the box , most of them had driven david brown 6 speeds and couldn’t get their heads round the change pattern .