Looking for any information I can find on a recently spotted abandoned auto miesse truck.
Unfortunately did not have a camera with me so no pictures yet.
Model looks somewhat like this :
The truck I saw is from 1948, and is a towtruck from the factory (as stated on constructor’s tag).
Engine is form gardner but could not make out which model.
I would be very happy if anyone can tell me if there are any trucks like this one still out there.
Any other info is much appreciated.
There are no church-bells ringing concerning a tow-truck but many trucks ‘ended’ as shunter or tow-
truck within fleets…nevertheless via baumaschinebilder.de I discovered more and also that
quite some persons are searching for more. I herewith attach:
A) a picture of the (Auto)Miesse-tractor exhibitioned in Brussels (Oldtimer-retro-festival…200?)
from 1966 (owner was Sibelgas) and later owned by TOP Bronnen (Brakel) to be saved for Cockerill
by 1982 and Walter Ceulemans did the purchase when he saw this tractor at a local merchant.
Then Raymond Piessens of Breendonk near Antwerp bought and restored this Belgian-heritage.
Type of tractor is unknown by me but it has a Gardner and cab made by COOVI in Jette. It might
be type T613 with 150hp Gardner 6 cil…don’t shoot me for that info though.
B) specification sheet of the C618 3-axle with ■■■■■■■ HRB-600 (12 litres, 200hp) and Fuller-10
and Timken rear-tandem…well the sheets show enough I guess? Probably date of production is
1954 or 1955 and CDB was in charge to supply the ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■ I have been told that this
chassis got a tipper and long time stationed near DAF-dealer in Eupen-region? Does it still exist?
On this website…Mandator and Tiptop495 should be able to add and correct I suppose?
thank you for the info.
It looks a lot like your pictures but its not exactly the same.
I just got a quick look at it and found it seats four persons in a row, and has a large crane with a winch to lift the front of large vehicles. A quick look underneath gave me the impression the winch is driven by a pto engageable by a long lever in the cab.
What draw my attention at the truck I found was basically the type shield. There’s not much on it but some numbers etc., but what I found interesting, was, at ‘type’ it literally says towtruck. So this would be a factory original 1948 towtruck. 
I’m not sure since I wasn’t around at the time but I guess this was a pretty rare truck in it’s time, let alone by now.
Hiya…would it be possible they called a tractor unit a tow truck ■■? still very interesting vehical
John
3300John:
Hiya…would it be possible they called a tractor unit a tow truck ■■? still very interesting vehical
John
You may be right, John. But ‘tow-truck’ is American, I believe, for ‘breakdown wagon’. (Not sure where the word ‘wrecker’ came from, American as well I think). Robert
Suppose you are both/all right…Belgian-language is not that easy or thorough as a simple translation
of flemish “trekker” (which is actually a tractor with a 5th wheel and not a tractor for agricultural use)
might end in pull, tow, or even push in case a heavy load had a tractor (with ballast box) in front and
in end to move the total! I am curious on the type-plate and more in a picture as 1948 is quite old and
might end up in a valuable found here.
In case of a ‘genuine’ wrecker (towing vehicles with a breakdown) the French word of ‘depanneur’ is more
frequently used in our region.
En-Tour-Age:
‘depanneur’
That’s what the type plate says, so literally its a towtruck.
I spotted this:
baumaschinenbilder.de/forum/ … tid=937468
The vehicle at the bottom of the page looks very much like a Bernard “Television.” What was the connection between the two firms, if any? Did Charbonneaux work for both? Did he sell the design to multiple manufacturers/coachbuilders? Was his work copied?
Morning all, Anorak, interesting question…
Charbonneaux`s designs were often built by the Rouen based Coachbuilder “Lebastard”, specialists in creating “specialist” vehicles. Remember the Berliet based outfit for Le Nord newspaper , that we spoke of some time ago? And that RTB TV unit would appear to be one of their output.
His design work was really spectacular, and his input in improving that carried out by factory designers probably needs more exposure.
When I get an hour free I will try to look out some of my Auto Miesse details, a truly fascinating company. Belgium, and its lorry industry is well worthy of a thread of its own. Spectacular country…blooming shame about the rain!!!
Cheerio for now.
[zb]
anorak:
I spotted this:
baumaschinenbilder.de/forum/ … tid=937468
The vehicle at the bottom of the page looks very much like a Bernard “Television.” What was the connection between the two firms, if any? Did Charbonneaux work for both? Did he sell the design to multiple manufacturers/coachbuilders? Was his work copied?
Hey Anorak, Yes it looks like a Charbonneux coachwork, but only in a far view. Not sure but
it must be a Belgian coachwork. I don’t know of connections with any French company.
They had connections with Mack, Atkinson and Büssing. And of course engine suppliers.
The restored green here above is a bit a copy of the Army WW II M 425/426, but just after war they used
an old square nose. Google and you will find one, and the well know pré war model which was restored
decades ago a light green one.
And a wrecker is a TAKELWAGEN but mostly known as Flemish French dépanneur,
but corectly its dépanneuse in France, Not easy the Flemish 
And never use Flemish French words in France in France otherwise, once they could look at you as a…
Cheers Eric,
@Anorak…unfortunately I am not very familiair with French-bodyworks…
@Tiptop495…that’s the word! TAKELWAGEN and indeed dépanneuse i.s.o. dépanneur,
we Belgians make our language rather complex though.
Attached some scans…
In 1932 (Auto)Miesse gained the license to build Gardner-engines after some experiments
with CLM and Junkers for their truck- and bus-range. As an option Detroit, Büssing, CLM,
Daimler and Junkers were offered though. In 1948 (as a result of the WW2 Marshall-plan)
Miesse started with assembly of Mack and Nash. In 1972 production stopped, the last made
chassis being a bus and most probably the last sold truck was a (bonnetted) tractor for the
company C. Vanneste in Mechelen, not to be mixed up with Vanneste of Zwevegem-region.
Some pictures/extractions out of a ‘wartime’-brochure in it the remark is given that
the company nearly exists 50 years…and established in 1894…
I will try to make some pictures of the brochure later with interesting overview.
I think after the bonneted tractors they made some forward control examples like this one. This one was at the Brussels motor show with Detroit engine. Later rebuilt with Gardner 180.
This second one is also one of the last delivered examples: ■■■■■■■ engine and Stoelen sleeper cab
@Mandator: good you join!
Troisfontaines was the most loyal user of Miesse I assume?
Nice livery…on baumaschinebilder.de are some colour-
pictures and I need to dive into my archives since long. This
thread might result in special findings…
Attached some input
Saviem:
Morning all, Anorak, interesting question…Charbonneaux`s designs were often built by the Rouen based Coachbuilder “Lebastard”, specialists in creating “specialist” vehicles. Remember the Berliet based outfit for Le Nord newspaper , that we spoke of some time ago? And that RTB TV unit would appear to be one of their output.
His design work was really spectacular, and his input in improving that carried out by factory designers probably needs more exposure.
When I get an hour free I will try to look out some of my Auto Miesse details, a truly fascinating company. Belgium, and its lorry industry is well worthy of a thread of its own. Spectacular country…blooming shame about the rain!!!
Cheerio for now.
I had completely forgotten about Monsieur Le B. This internet thing contains more information than can be remembered. Given that Le B.'s work appeared on chassis other than Bernard, it seems that Bernard did not have exclusive rights to Charbonneaux’s design. I look forward to any further insight that you may have.
By the way…a quick check showed that the 3-axle C618 12.B.21 did ‘registration’ till february 1974,
so that might indicate perhaps restauration or the big fires in Cockerill ovens?
Hey, Hier some pic’s, not all are mine, Fermand and Walter have a hand in it, tanks to them.
And the n°59 here shown was burnt out, think have see a pic of it.
The ASA Transit Liner has survived very long there is a pic of it as a forain lorry,
and stayed for years behind a shed. Last see about 2005, pitty never stopped with my stupid head 
Cheers Eric,
Good input and feedback Tiptop495/Eric! Yeah, we all regret later that we did not
make more pictures or invested in research on old vehicles and all of a sudden…gone.
Didn’t know that Vanneste in Avelgem (close to Zwevegem/Moen/Vichte) had Miesse!
I was told that Vanneste in Mechelen (Malines) had nothing to do with West-Flandres
based transport-company. And that while I lived in Courtrai-region some years…close
to Gheyssen & Verpoort, Deman, Vanneste, Stas, and many others…
This is an interesting thread - I knew nothing about Auto Miesse and suddenly I’m being educated! Some great pics there Tip-top. Anyone know what gearbox went into those late models with the Gardner and ■■■■■■■ engines?
‘ERF-Continental’ mentioned Vannese - I expect you already know that they had one of those Krupp-cabbed LHD Atkinsons from the end of the '60s.
Robert
ERF-Continental:
Good input and feedback Tiptop495/Eric! Yeah, we all regret later that we did not
make more pictures or invested in research on old vehicles and all of a sudden…gone.Didn’t know that Vanneste in Avelgem (close to Zwevegem/Moen/Vichte) had Miesse!
I was told that Vanneste in Mechelen (Malines) had nothing to do with West-Flandres
based transport-company. And that while I lived in Courtrai-region some years…close
to Gheyssen & Verpoort, Deman, Vanneste, Stas, and many others…
hey, it was all family, Vanneste, Vanneste Deraedt, Transvago (now tranvajo), but separated, as many
and some disappeared.
As did Deman from Lauwe/Rekkem, one of the first 140 drivers,gone too.
This pic was made on the old road to mons direction to France, crossing princess the liège in Brussels (Anderlecht)
Cheers Eric,
