The
Bedford
Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population was 106,940. Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire and seat of the Borough of Bedford local government district.
Bedford was founded at a ford (crossin ...
S is a heavy lorry produced in Great Britain between 1950 and 1959. Launched at the Commercial Vehicle Show in 1950, it was the largest Bedford lorry available at the time. Originally available only with a petrol engine, a diesel was added in 1953. The lorry proved popular amongst haulers and general traders, for
fire engine
A fire engine or fire truck (also spelled firetruck) is a vehicle, usually a specially designed or modified truck, that functions as a firefighting apparatus. The primary purposes of a fire engine include transporting firefighters and water to ...
s, and was used for the first liquid egg
tanker in 1966.
Description
The S was a conventional lorry and available in three wheelbases, , and . At introduction, the lorry was fitted with a 6-cylinder Bedford petrol engine that produced at 3200 rpm.
Drive was through a four-speed
manual gearbox
A manual transmission (MT), also known as manual gearbox, standard transmission (in Canadian English, Canada, British English, the United Kingdom and American English, the United States), or stick shift (in the United States), is a multi-speed ...
featuring synchromesh on the top three gears, and final drive in the rear axle was by
hypoid gears. The
Perkins
Perkins is a surname derived from the Anglo-Saxon corruption of the kin of Pierre (from Pierre kin to Pierrekin to Perkins), introduced into England by the Norman Conquest. It is found throughout mid- and southern England.
Another derivation com ...
R6 diesel engine was made an option in 1953, soon joined by the
Leyland O.350, and Bedford's own diesel in 1957. These were rated at between .
History
The S was launched at the Commercial Vehicle Show in 1950.
Known as the "Big Bedford", it was the largest Bedford lorry available at the time, with a gross vehicle weight of . The Bedford S was used extensively by haulers and general trades through the 1950s and 1960s. The chassis was used for
fire engine
A fire engine or fire truck (also spelled firetruck) is a vehicle, usually a specially designed or modified truck, that functions as a firefighting apparatus. The primary purposes of a fire engine include transporting firefighters and water to ...
s and, in 1966, to carry the first liquid egg
tanker. The vehicle was the basis for the
Bedford RL
The Bedford RL was the British military's main medium lorry, built by Bedford from the mid-1950s until the late 1960s. The lorry was based on the civilian Bedford S type, first introduced in 1950. They superseded the Bedford QL, and were in t ...
all-wheel-drive transport that served in large numbers with the
British Army
The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...
. The
Bedford SB bus also used a chassis derived from the S.
See also
*
Bedford RL
The Bedford RL was the British military's main medium lorry, built by Bedford from the mid-1950s until the late 1960s. The lorry was based on the civilian Bedford S type, first introduced in 1950. They superseded the Bedford QL, and were in t ...
*
Green Goddess
The Green Goddess is the colloquial name for the RLHZ Self Propelled Pump manufactured by Bedford Vehicles, a fire apparatus, fire engine used originally by the Auxiliary Fire Service (AFS), and latterly held in reserve by the Home Office un ...
References
{{reflist
S type
Road vehicles manufactured in the United Kingdom
Vehicles introduced in 1951