The perfecting of the compound traction engine in 1887 gave a significant marketing advantage and later proved invaluable to the development of the steam lorry.

In 1896, the restrictions affecting road transport were eased, which permitted vehicles under 3 tons to travel at up to 12 mph (19 km/h) without a red flag.

The experience gained from this enabled Foden to build a 3-ton wagon for the War Office 1901 self-propelled lorry trial.

[2] This design was consistently faster and more economical over the arduous road trials, but was placed second overall as it was claimed that the Thornycroft entry had better off-road performance.

Foden's wagon was nevertheless regarded by most commentators as a clear winner (the result was questioned in Parliament by Crewe's MP[3]).

The great majority of Foden steam lorries were overtype, but undertypes were also produced starting in the late 1920.

His son Dennis could not afford to resign, but was not prepared to let things ride; however, with financial input from across the immediate family, a new company was set up to design and produce diesel lorries.

George Faulkener, related to Dennis by marriage, became works manager and Ernest Sherratt, both ex-Foden employees, helped to design a new diesel wagon.

Bus and coach production ceased in 1956, but the last chassis only left the works in 1959, when it was registered 367CKA and received an early Plaxton Panorama body.

In 1964, a change in the Construction and Use Regulations favoured articulated vehicles over the older rigid designs, and a new model was introduced to compete in the 32-ton market.

[7][8] A massive new production facility was developed in the early 1970s on a greenfield site, adjacent to the Foden works.

However, Leyland Trucks produced many other lorry models under the original Foden brandname until about 2010 according to several press articles and the commercial vehicle and machinery sales website mascus.com.