Can you identify the vehicle

MollyMay

MollyMay

Knows where to find the answers!
upload_2017-3-22_15-29-53.png

This is a picture of my Granddad - I have found an article from Commercial Motor (magazine) Sept. 1912, about the company - Eastern Motor Wagon Co Ltd, and it makes a very interesting read.
It says the company owns 31 steam wagons, 28 Fodens, 2 Allchins and a Straker
so which one is grandad standing in front of?
Eastern motor Co delivered beer around London, although in the article they say that they moved all of the Marconi plant to its new home in Chelmsford which amounted to 150 journeys. Another eye opener was the quote "we made two return journeys, one to Leeds, with an eight ton outfit, in eleven days":eek:

So any steam experts out there?
 
I'm not a steam expert, but I've tried to find photos online of the trucks you mentioned.

Strakers look a lot more basic; there aren't many photos of Allchins - the only ones I've definitely found are here:
Code: 
http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/William_Allchin

There are plenty of photos of Fodens, and on balance I think that's what it might be. What's swaying it for me is the line of the bodywork around/above the cylinder and towards the cab. On Fodens it seems completely straight, whereas on the Allchins that I've found there's a raised semicircular section around the front of the cab.

But as I said, I'm not an expert.
 
Thank you Arthur.
I too thought Foden (I have seen a few and it does look like one to me).
Thanks for the Allchin link - I had never heard of them, nor Straker come to that.
 
Having had a rootle around, take a look at
Code: 
http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Foden:_Steam_Vehicles
The April 1907 black and white picture about half way down on the right looks very like the one in your lovely photo.
 
Thank you Ann, it certainly does look like it is a Foden:)

I never knew that grandad worked with steam vehicles delivering beer (my dad drove for a brewery from the end of WW2 until he retired), he spent his later life portering in Billingsgate fish market with his sons.
 
That's another good likeness. Most of the ones I found had mudguards for the front wheels, and from the link you've given, it looks as though it was the earlier ones that didn't. The cab and what's in or alongside it looks a bit different in yours, but models may have changed over the years. It's still far more like a Foden than either of the other makes.

In looking at this latest one, I see I've made a gross error of terminology:
arthurk said:
What's swaying it for me is the line of the bodywork around/above the cylinder and towards the cab.
Click to expand...
Not a cylinder at all - it's the boiler. :oops:
 
http://
archive.commercialmotor.com/page/24th-october-1912/6

I managed to find this, which is about the Eastern Wagon Motor Co. Ltd. Seems to confirm it is a Foden.
 
As an aside, it reminds me of when we took part in an historic vehicle cavalcade through the Mersey tunnel many years ago, and the old wagons were chuffing ahead of us. The whole tunnel filled with steam... couldn't see a thing.

I love that photo, MollyMay.
 
I wont go into details:rolleyes: but in my 20's (a long, long time ago:D), I spent many weekends at Steam Events - even camping at, the ever wet, Great Dorset Steam Fair at Blandford for quite a few consecutive years. Hence my inclination that the vehicle in the picture was a Foden (I have never seen the other 2 makes). I just never knew that granddad had any dealings with them, and mum never mentioned it either - but then again he died when I was 4 so I never knew 'the person', just what was said about him;).
 
Jellylegs said:
http://
archive.commercialmotor.com/page/24th-october-1912/6

I managed to find this, which is about the Eastern Wagon Motor Co. Ltd. Seems to confirm it is a Foden.
Click to expand...
The same site has a picture and write-up on one of the company's Allchin steam wagons:
Code: 
Picture: http://archive.commercialmotor.com/page/4th-july-1912/19
Write-up: http://archive.commercialmotor.com/page/4th-july-1912/18

The Allchin and Foden seem to have similar sized boilers, but the Allchin appears to have a rounded piece of bodywork (like a car bonnet? - hood to Americans) which goes all the way back to the cab. The Foden one is much shorter: at first sight MollyMay's doesn't appear to have this at all, but I think this is a direct sideways view of it so you can't see the curve - above the EAS of Eastern.
 
MollyMay said:
View attachment 5756

This is a picture of my Granddad - I have found an article from Commercial Motor (magazine) Sept. 1912, about the company - Eastern Motor Wagon Co Ltd, and it makes a very interesting read.
It says the company owns 31 steam wagons, 28 Fodens, 2 Allchins and a Straker
so which one is grandad standing in front of?
Eastern motor Co delivered beer around London, although in the article they say that they moved all of the Marconi plant to its new home in Chelmsford which amounted to 150 journeys. Another eye opener was the quote "we made two return journeys, one to Leeds, with an eight ton outfit, in eleven days":eek:

So any steam experts out there?
Click to expand...

This is almost certainly one on the wagons belonging to the former Eastern Motor Wagon Co Ltd, which is located in Buttesland St, Shoreditch immediately behind our house. The building is being offered for sale to developers. We are trying to persuade Hackney Council to refuse planning consent to knock down the building and build a five storey office block. Any items/notes of history related to the Eastern Motor Wagon Co Ltd would be most welcome. The managing director was Mr H W Wigan. Has anybody out there got any information, notes or photographs about this historic gem, please let me have the details.
 
Please feel free to use the photograph that I have, if it helps in any way, as you have read I know very little about the Company other than my granddad was pictured with one of the vehicles, sadly there is no left to definitively confirm he worked there but everything points to that scenario.
 
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Dear MollyMay,
Thank you so much for your very helpful reply and for giving me the use of the photograph. There is a very strong chance that your grandfather did work there.. I will let you know if I find anymore information.
Regards
Peter
 
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Peter,
If you would like me to send the picture to you - start a conversation with me
(click on the 'inbox' tag under the tree on the rhs) and send me you email address and I will send it on to you.
I wish you success in keeping the old building, and not an office block on the site.
 
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