Harding invaid carriage

[Justin]

Hi Can anyone help with the year & model of this Harding invalid carriage please?
It has a Villiers engine.
Does anyone know where the frame number would be please?

[Stuart Cyphus]

 It's a Harding De Luxe Model B from January 1951. It very likely won't have a frame number, but in the first instance, try round the area of the headstock/front frame shoulders as some have it there. Then go over the entire frame Stern to stem with a fine tooth comb, as if it is present, it could have been stamped anywhere depending who was bothering to stamp frames that particular day....

[Rusty Chrome (Malcolm Parker)]

Thanks Stuart, out of interest, what was the difference between the Model A and the Model B?

[Barry]

Here are a few shots of Invalid Carriages.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ytm8vwfh0o7ztxv/AAD0PBcGnNT8HcRTGN2Nam1Da?dl=0

[Stuart Cyphus]

what was the difference between the Model A and the Model B?

 The Model A had "indirect" steering, with two long side mounted levers which also doubled as hand propulsion levers, of which one also served as the steering lever by a hand-op stirrup operating a long low-level trackrod between said lever & the front forks.

 The Model B was the "direct" steering model, with long "direct" handlebar coming straight back from the headstock.

[Rusty Chrome (Malcolm Parker)]

Thanks Stuart I thought it was probably something like that - when you search for the Model A you get photos of both types come up, but all the Mark A's in Harding adverts show the indirect steering and I couldn't find a pic of a Model B. It did make me wonder if the Museum of Bath at work has anything about them in their archives

[Justin]

Thanks for the information, all very useful.
Thanks Stuart