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Jan Oldenhuis's picture
Jan Oldenhuis
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DTCA MemberNetherlands

-942 Foden 14 ton Tanker 'Regent' (1955-57)

Foden 14-ton tanker Regent of the Regent Oil Company Ltd

Regent Oil Company Ltd

of 117 Park Street, London; of Regent Wharf, Haven Banks, Water Lane, Exeter; of Maxwell Road, Prince Rock Estate, Cattedown, Plymouth.

1948 In preparation for the dissolution of the Petroleum Board (in June 1948), Trinidad Leaseholds and the California Texas Corporation (Caltex) established joint marketing arrangements in the UK and Eire through a new company, the Regent Oil Company Ltd.

1962 Regent, which was jointly owned by Texaco and California Texas Corporation (Caltex), built a refinery at Milford Haven. Regent had the 3rd largest distribution chain in the UK.

1967 Split of Caltex assets in Europe left Texaco with almost all the Regent Oil Co properties in the UK except where there was duplication when the property would become Socal's (Standard Oil Co of California).

1967 Regent Oil Co Ltd changed its name to Texaco Ltd. 

Regent petrol station Quinton Birmingham 1950"s (with Dinky Toys Morris Oxford and Rover 75 ?? in sight)

Does the Regent brand name still exist in the UK nowadays?

Introduction Dinky Supertoys 942 Foden 14-ton Tanker Regent in MM June 1955

942 Foden tanker Regent on front cover cat UK 1956

It had been my wish for a long time, to complete my series of 14-ton tankers with advertising with the Foden tanker Regent. I found this one in a for me acceptable condition, of which some pictures here. It has only some minor imperfections. I took the photos with my GSM and used the edit function lighting; preset brighten/darken of my PC photo program, so the real blue colours are darker.

Note: The drawing on the box shows the incorrect red filler caps which has to be black.

It is in a brilliant shiny condition with some minor imperfections on the white band which have most of these tankers with a white band. The beautiful REGENT lettering in stone with a clear black outline is perfect and undamaged. The Meccano drawing memo 17888 below, concerning transfers for Foden tanker, describes the REGENT transfer letters as: letters G73 stone, including black outline. I think that most of us will call it as a cream or yellow colour. Due to discoloration or wear, there can of course originate a difference in the brightness of the transfer.

The TT REGENT transfer at the end of the tank is also complete and undamaged. It has the clear red, white and blue colours with a black outline as described in the Meccano transfer memo 17888 below.

The box has only some light wear and no damage of the pointed filler caps. The box is equipped with an LF sticker, which you don't see often. LF is the abbreviation for lead-free. No idea why this should suddenly appear on the box and in what period it was applied to the boxes. Ideas about that?

Note: I found these colour photos below of a real 1948 AEC Mammoth Major 8 tanker Regent and a 1949 Austin tanker Regent to present the real Regent colours.

1948 AEC Mammoth Major 8 tanker Regent

1949 Austin tanker Regent

Meccano assembly drawing Foden tanker Regent (TMT Jan Werner)

Note: The tanker bodies were not made at Meccano but supplied by an outside contractor in London. Tom Atkins the proprietor had been an ex-Meccano employee. The tanker section complete with the pipe holders and ladders were assembled at Meccano after spraying but the filler caps are a Meccano item. (Source: Classic Toys volume 1 issue 1 Aug/Sept 94.).

With a view on applying the transfers on the tank, It should be noted that the tank can only be mounted in one way and in one direction on the chassis due to the uneven spacing of the 6 tank tabs and the fixed location of the gangway on the left side of the tank, viewed in the direction of the cabin. Once installed, the tank can never be turned over again.

As a result of the 504 Foden 14-Ton Tanker, from 1948-1964 different versions of this tanker have been made, all of which have their own (chassis) drawings, but the various fixed components of the tank body are all the same and equal for all tankers:

504: Foden 14-Ton Tanker 1st type cab – 1948-1952

504: Foden 14-Ton Tanker 2nd type cab – 1952-1953

504: Foden 14-Ton Tanker "Mobilgas" 2nd type cab – 1953-1954

941-504: Foden 14-Ton Tanker "Mobilgas" 2nd type cab – 1954-1956

942: Foden 14-ton Tanker Regent 2nd type cab – 1955-1957

943: Leyland Octopus Tanker "Esso" – 1958-1964

Meccano drawing transfers for Foden tanker Regent. (DTCA documents library)

Although all Foden 14-ton tankers always had a Dinky Supertoys base, Meccano Liverpool dealt with the classification of the corresponding Dinky Toys boxes in a somewhat odd way. First Dinky Supertoys boxes, then Dinky Toys boxes and finally again a Dinky Supertoys box, see images below.

504 Foden tanker with Dinky Supertoys box. 1st type cab.

504 Foden tanker with Dinky Toys box. 1st type cab.

504 Foden tanker with Dinky Toys box. 2nd type cab.

504 Foden tanker Mobilgas with Dinky Toys box. 2nd type cab.

941-504 Foden tanker Mobilgas with Dinky Toys box. 2nd type cab.

942 Foden tanker Regent with Dinky Toys box. 2nd type cab.

Final 942 Foden tanker Regent with Dinky Supertoys box. 2nd type cab.

943 Leyland Octopus tanker Esso with Dinky Supertoys box.

Note: Announcement in Meccano Magazine of March 1955 concerning reclassification of 17 models in the Dinky Toys range to Dinky Supertoys, included 941 Foden tanker Mobilgas. Only his successor model 942 Foden tanker Regent received in 2nd instance a Dinky Supertoys box after this reclassification.

The Quality Control Stamp on the inside of the box of my model dates November 1956. Given the time of the reclassification announcement in MM above (March 1955), my model has the correct Dinky Supertoys box.

Note: First appearance of  the 942 Foden tanker Regent in UK catalogue 1955 with the never issued red filler caps. The 942 was only issued with black filler caps. Only the 1st issue of the 504 Foden tanker Mobilgas was for a very short time (1953-54) issued with red filler caps. Filler caps from tankers without advertising always got the colour of the tank body.

942 Foden tanker Regent in UK catalogue 1956 with the correct black filler caps.

For me are the series 14-ton petrol tankers one of the most attractive Dinky Toys models Meccano Liverpool ever made, especially the Regent tanker who bears the same colours as our Dutch national flag, as is to be seen on my DTCA badge.

Finally a photo of my complete 14-ton tanker fleet with advertising, including the factory error of the tanker Mobilgas with reverse Mobilgas transfers.

Jan Oldenhuis, 11 October 2019.

janwerner's picture
janwerner
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DTCA MemberNetherlands

The finest and brightest of them all, thank you Jan!