501 and 901 Foden Diesel 8-wheel Wagon (194757)

One of the very first Foden Wagons from when the Dinky Supertoys were announced in 1947. I love this particular colour of red I really think it suits this vehicle. I acquired this via the Saleroom.com from an auction house I had never previously heard of called Charterhouse from Dorset, I only had a photograph and a very brief description to go on but the model matches my expectations. It was not expensive and well worth taking a chance on. Charterhouse have proved to be very professional. It has no hook, no slots for the tank, no bosses for the chain posts, it does have a 20mph sticker and everything looks right. The box also is absolutely right with the correct colour sticker on the end, it does not have a date stamp but does have a packing stamp of IM42. It is not in perfect condition, I could see the flat tyre from the auction house photo but I love it and it looks nice on display.

Here is an original half-tone Meccano illustration of the 501 Foden Wagon. The original price in 1947 was 6/11 but this shows a price of 20/- I do not know what country would have had that price. Dave

Dave--Lovely early Foden Wagon, and I also like that color very much; I think it is much more realistic than the other bright colors that Meccano chose to liven up the Foden range. We know they were marketed as toys, but most of the paint schemes are entirely unrealistic. Unfortunately, I do not have the early Foden wagon in that nice brick red, but in the dark blue version. I got this, along with most of the other early Foden's, many years ago from a dealer in England. Mine is also an early version, without the tow hook, tank slots, etc. But my box is what I think was the second type used, with green tape covering both the top and bottom section. It does show the original price of 6/11 penciled in on one end, and is in quite good condition for its age. It has the stamp 'JW10-9' on the very bottom. These early Foden's have a charm all their own, with their herringbone tires, and painted flashes, and clipped in axles. Best regards, Terry

Second version. Different colors and grey or black tires. Also, funny to see that 2 little cuts are missing on the base plates : the front right one on the 501 and the rear right one on the 901. Meccano Mystery ! Friendly yours Richard

Hi Richard, another variation for you. Your new 901 shows a remarkably lighter grey back! My 901 has the same very slightly more fawn back as your 501 has. Kind regards, Jan

Hi Jan. Which one is the '501' ? I thought that it was the Foden with grey tires ! Please confirm. Kind regards Richard

Hi Richard, perhaps I should have said your 'supposed no. 501' and 'supposed no. 901'. If the black radial treaded tyres are original that one must be a 501. The grey tyres on your 'supposed no. 901' do not seem to be original to me, but I can be mistaken. Mine, with the later black block treaded tyres, is certainly a 901, as that can be read below the back, at the rear, near the towing hook. So you may check on this. Kind regards, Jan

Hi Jan. None of my Foden have any numbers at the rear ! Yes the grey color is light but the red is darker ! All the grey tyres are marked 'M' and, I think, are original. M&S Richardson wrote in their book that the grey tyres went with the first Fodens then with black ones ! Where is the truth ? Kind regards

Then both appear to be 501's! Indeed radial treaded grey tyres precede the black block treaded ones (for some models), but the grey block tread tyres date of ca. 1958 in my opinion. Bearing the 'M' they may be original indeed, but possibly spares, which have been added later in its life. A nice and surprising couple indeed, kind regards, Jan

On Tuesday, November 21, 2006 Jan W. posted a photograph of the numeral 901 that is underneath a 901 Foden 8-Wheel wagon component but at the rear above the tail hook in the Talk Model Toys website. (The above image courtesy of TMT. Note the presence of the dark nut!) I see that Jan posted a similar image in Post #7 above. I have checked all my 901 Fodens with one inspected in April 1954, one in November 1954 and the other in June 1956 and none has 901 under the wagon part at the rear, in fact none have a numeral anywhere. When was the numeral added to the mould and then deleted? It must have been added earlier than April 1954 and most certainly not after June 1956 as Meccano was preparing to delete the Foden with the introduction of the Leyland in a wagon format in April 1956. Jan Is your model still in its original box, and if so, what is its inspection data? Has anyone else for that matter have such a model with 901 under the rear of the wagon part still with its original box, and if so, what are the inspection stamp details for the box? It is interesting that the 901 is absent from the February 1957 Dealer Order Form which could indicate insufficient stock being available at that time, perhaps an indication that it was on its way out with it being replaced by the 934 Leyland Octopus Wagon which utilizes the same wagon casting as the 901. However, the 901 continued being included in various price leaflets up to and including April 1957 so it can be assumed that a further and final production run was made for the 901 Foden 8-Wheel Wagon to permit this happening. Bruce (150) 20160902/968/1306

Sorry, Bruce, no box with this example, unfortunately ... Kind regards, Jan

Just to throw a spanner in the works, I have recently bought a red and fawn/grey Foden 501/901 in a dual-numbered box, with the date stamp which appears to be '1 55' and a price of 7/9 pencilled on the lid. The lorry has black radial-tread tyres which appear to be original. Nothing unusual yet, but on closer inspection, the number 934 is cast under the rear of the body, where '901' is cast on Jan's example. This model has definitely not been repainted, and if the box and model are an original pairing this is very strange, since the 934 Leyland Octopus did not appear until April 1956. Even if they are a mis-match, the Leyland was never offered with the fawn/grey body. None of my other Fodens or Leylands have a number cast into the body, and the castings for each are identical, so why did Meccano feel the need to introduce, then change, then delete this feature in such a short timeframe?