Leyland Motors Limited (later known as the Leyland Motor Corporation) was a British vehicle manufacturer of lorries, buses and trolleybuses. The company diversified into car manufacturing with its acquisitions of Triumph and Rover in 1960 and 1967, respectively. It gave its name to the British Leyland Motor Corporation, formed when it merged with British Motor Holdings [a] in 1968, to become British Leyland after being nationalised. British Leyland later changed its name to simply BL, then in 1986 to Rover Group. Leyland had insufficient money for development of a complete new vehicle at the time, so designers were instructed to utilise as many existing in-house components as possible. It was perceived at the time that the resulting model would be a stopgap until the new T45 range was ready for production toward the latter half of the 1970s. Meccano was aware of changing designs, and knew their Foden models were due for an update, so in later 1952, the new, second version Foden models were made available. 1952 catalog

The new Octopus will be exhibited on the Leyland stand at the Commercial Motor Show next month, together with an .entirely new two-axle van and lorry chassis of 4 tons gross vehicle weight, powered by a four-cylinder diesel engine. Details of this will be published in our September 7 issue. Another neW exhibit will be a Super Beaver four-wheeled normal-control export chassis with a gross rating of 18 tons. maximum-capacity eight-wheeled goods chassis has been augmented by a new model—the 240.14R—which has an unladen weight of under 6 tons 15 cwt. This is some 10 cwt. less than the lightest model in the Power-Plus Octopus range, as introduced two years ago, the weight reduction having been achieved by using a lighter rear bogie, light-alloy clutch and gearbox housings and air compressor, and the Leyland plastics-panelled cab. Leyland Motors, Ltd.. reveal also that they will be exhibiting a 4-ton-gross goods chassis at this year's Show. In 1935 Leyland Motors added a second steering axle to a Hippo six wheeler and the Octopus was born. It went on to become one of the most famous of all eight wheelers. The first new post-war eight wheeler from Leyland was the 22.0/1, powered by the 9.8-litre 0.600 oil engine. The pre-war Leyland eight wheeler, designated TEW, was replaced after the war by the new 22.0/1 and 22.0/3 (SWB) with modernised cab and completely redesigned chassis. During the mod-1950s a redesigned cab (56/A) was introduced and the increase in the UK legal weight brought the 24.0/4 and 24.0/5 models. The LAD "Power Plus" range appeared in 1960. Due partly to the cab's propensity to rust and also to the admittedly short life of commercial vehicles, any Roadtrain in commercial operation is now a very rare sight indeed. However, a small number remain in use throughout the country as towing-and-recovery vehicles. The Leyland ergonomic cab has been around for some time now, and its age is showing even in the updated form fitted to the Octopus. An instrument binnacle in front of the driver is set too flat for easy instrument reading and reflections through the windscreen make the situation worse.

Foden S34/36

He also agreed that 10 tippers on a B licence and a further five tippers on another B should be transferred, the radii of the normal users being calculated from Wythenshawe. A closeup of the cab, showing the wonderful detail that is quite visible. But many would likely never look close enough to notice the almost hidden detail lurking behind the silver grill; if you look closely, you will see that the master die makers from Meccano managed to show the vertical tubes of the radiator. How intricate that work must have been, and since it is barely visible, my guess is they did it because they could.

Grab handles are fitted for the driver and passenger, but to enter the driving seat it is necessary to reach for the steering wheel. was a year which was to open up the military market for Leyland as their 3-tonner, commonly known as the ‘RAF-type’, was to become the standard subsidy vehicle. The following year saw the start of work on the Farington plant, later associated with bus production. By the outbreak of war in 1914 the company had 1500 employees and had produced approximately 1275 petrol engined vehicles and 415 steam wagons. Donald Stokes, previously Sales Director, was appointed managing director of Leyland Motors Limited in September 1962. [6] Originally a Leyland student apprentice he had grown up with the company. [7] He became chairman in 1966. Chronologically, the 1960s growth of Leyland Motor Corporation (LMC) was as follows: The First World War had a profound effect on Leyland Motors and the company concentrated on building 5,932 vehicles for the British forces. At the height of the war Leyland was employing over 3000 people. North Works and Farington had expanded, South Works had come into existence as had a factory in Chorley and a steel works with its own power plant was built. Foden 14-Ton Tanker ‘Mobilgas’; made 1953 through 1956, eventually superseded by the Regent livery version.Pourvand, Kaveh (12 June 2013). "Was British Leyland really an industrial policy disaster?". Civitas . Retrieved 5 April 2018. AGM The Leyland Motor Corporation Limited The Times, Thursday, 20 February 1964; pg. 20; Issue 55940 Rover cars and their subsidiary car, aero-engine and armoured fighting vehicle manufacturer Alvis Car and Engineering Company Although the Leyland has a hinged lift-up panel over the engine, most servicing operations can be accomplished only by tilting the cab. This is more easily said than done as the rear of the cab is located by two bolts and nuts which are not really very accessible.

Overall fuel consumption for the 1171.9km (728.2 miles) of the test route was 37.7 litre/ 100Iun (7,5mpg)—even better than the figure of 38.7 litre/ 100km (7.3mpg) obtained a year ago during CM's road test of the Leyland Buffalo, which was carrying only 300kg (6cwt) more than the Octopus. When it is realised that the Octopus completed the course 29min faster than the Buffalo, this fuel consumption is very good indeed. Foden were the first British manufacturer to offer tilt cabs on heavy lorries in 1962, with the introduction of the S24, identifiable by its oblong headlamps, single piece windscreen and the absence of a removable front grille. For 1967, a revised version of the S24 was introduced known as the S34 (tilting cab) or S36 (fixed cab). Both had slant mounted headlamps and a slightly deeper windscreen than the original S24 model. The Albion Sugar Company of Woolwich were well known users of Fodens during the 1960s. The Lancashire Steam Motor Company (LSMC) is formed by James Sumner at the Herbert Street workshops with twenty employees. Henry Spurrier financed the development of a 30cwt steam van, which proved to be successful. [2] [3] From the very first meeting with Tony a few years ago, I just knew there was a relationship to be formed, but I also knew it would have to be one based on trust. Our first meeting of minds is one I shall never forget – to survive in transport, especially demolition and tipping work, requires a hard-nosed attitude to business and life. The American production house gave Tony the go-ahead to organise his vehicles. The original need was for 15 running tippers but, after the various machines had been pooled together – some of which that had been parked up for two decades, the best he could cobble together was 12 plus two more earmarked for being blown up.The L and TL12 were reworked by Leyland by using revised cylinder heads and higher lift valve timing along with a Bosch fuel pump although production remained at Southall until the plant’s closure in 1979. The rest of the driveline is pretty much old-school AEC/Leyland with a simple constant mesh six-speed gearbox and a double=drive rear bogie featuring hub reduction axles. After a few minutes just listening to it idle, it was time to get her out on the road. In 1920, Leyland Motors produced the Leyland Eight luxury touring car, a development of which was driven by J.G. Parry-Thomas at Brooklands. Parry-Thomas was later killed in an attempt on the land speed record when the car overturned. Rumours that a chain drive broke were found to be incorrect when the car was disinterred late in the 20th century as the chains were intact. At the other extreme, they also produced the Trojan Utility Car in the Kingston upon Thames factory at Ham from 1922 to 1928. In 1955, through an equity agreement, manufacture of commercial vehicles under licence from Leyland Motors commenced in Madras, India at the new Ashok factory. The products were branded as Ashok Leyland. From 16th November 1931 until 31st October 1965, Wolverhampton Corporation, and Walsall Corporation ran a joint trolleybus service between the two towns, the service numbered 29, running successfully until the 1960s. Very few places in Britain ran joint trolleybus routes, so the sight of Walsall’s blue trolleys intermingling with Wolverhampton’s green and yellow trolleys was quite novel.

Leyland Motor Corporation forms after Leyland Motors absorbs Standard-Triumph International and Associated Commercial Vehicles during the preceding years. At the 1960 Earls Court Show a new eight wheeler was displayed on the Scammell stand, the Routeman MkI. This had a grp cab with wraparound windscreen, shared with the handyman tractive unit. Engines were either Gardner or Leyland, and most were supplied with 8x2 drive, though there were a few 8x4s and some 6x2s, as Scammell had no other rigid chassis at the time. Less than 100 Routeman Is were built between 1959 and 1962 before the introduction of the Michelotti-cabbed Routeman II. Edwin R Foden broke away from the family Foden concern and started making his own diesel powered lorries in 1933 using some proprietary units such as Jennings cabs and Gardner engines. Growing rapidly to become a leading manufacturer of heavy vehicles, their fist eight wheeler was the C16.8 followed in 1947 by the 6.8, a completely new design with a Jennings V-fronted cab. In 1954 the ultra moden KV range was released with its oval grille and wrap-around windscreen. It became a fifties classic. Holding company: Leyland Motor Corporation [ edit ] Share of the Leyland Motor Corporation Ltd, issued 8. January 1968 The last time I actually saw the Gardner=powered Constructor it was buried in foliage with thorn bushes actually growing out of the radiator grille. All 12 are now fully drivable and not only that but his secret pride and joy has now joined the ranks of his seemingly immortal aging fleet. We spoke on the ‘phone a few weeks ago and he slipped into the conversation that his 1979 Leyland Octopus was out of the shed after many years and also running.On this modern day Google aerial view of Bentley, you can see how the M6 Motorway cut through the Wolverhampton Road at this location: