Old trucks still on the road

HI Chris Just looking at you site .Mr Harrison was a very crafty man a scamell hiwayman 3 axle unit and the old triaxle single wheel trailor where very light could still carry 21 tons but with a tax of around £9OO cheap to run third of the price of a 38 tonner with tax around £2000 very good busness man .Regards Barry Waddy

b.waddy:
HI Chris Just looking at you site .Mr Harrison was a very crafty man a scamell hiwayman 3 axle unit and the old triaxle single wheel trailor where very light could still carry 21 tons but with a tax of around £9OO cheap to run third of the price of a 38 tonner with tax around £2000 very good busness man .Regards Barry Waddy

like most of the old ones 2 axle handyman two axle traler , 22 ton pay load at 32 ton gross 10 ton out 10 ton back .
now what is the ulw ,
what a waist of time
6 axles and we had 4 .10 mpg now 8.

When the 38 tons came in I remember Harrison extended the chassis on one long nose Scammel and putting a 3rd axle under it and running at 38ton. I had a long nose Scammel on tanker work and though I had won the pools when I got a Handyman. The long nose Scammels used to lose the bonnet sides now and again so you would get into the yard early and nick one off another.

The long nose Scammels used to lose the bonnet sides now and again so you would get into the yard early and nick one off another. You wouldn`t be ex-Army by any chance…? :laughing:

Tankerman:
When the 38 tons came in I remember Harrison extended the chassis on one long nose Scammel and putting a 3rd axle under it and running at 38ton. I had a long nose Scammel on tanker work and though I had won the pools when I got a Handyman. The long nose Scammels used to lose the bonnet sides now and again so you would get into the yard early and nick one off another.

Nearly true - a handful were done, I think, but the chassis were all long wheelbase models, so there was room for the extra “pusher” axle without stretching them.

They weren’t ever 38 tonners, as they were too old to be plated over 32T (pre-'73) and also had the 6LXB in them. However, the gain was in cheap road tax, after the axle-based tax came in.

I take it you worked for Gilly’s?

Theres a good article in Septembers issue of truck and driver about a
blue volvo f88 pulling logs all over the country.I seem to remember it
being mentioned on here before.

It certainly goes well as i saw it last year pulling a load of logs at the top
of Poulner hill (Ringwood) and it was overtaking everything in the outside lane
just before the petrol station at the top!! Not bad for a 30 year old motor.

Correct, over 30 years for Gilly. Finished up as senior driver and never had a decent motor all the time. Long nose Scammell. then Scammell handyman. 2nd Marathon in the yard M reg, then a Buffalo fixed head, (prayers every night someone would pinch it) Back to a couple of Mk2 marathons, a Y reg T45 for a month or two and then a A reg sleeper T45, Then a narrow cab Foden a few months and passed it on to PD (Chef of the BIG A team) when I retired in 97. Never drove a Scania, Merc, Volvo Daf etc in my life but could keep the old ones running when they had a bad day.

Correct with the Forces, did my National Service after serving my time as an engineer and getting 2 years deferment.
Learnt my nicking trade as a mill engineer pinching parts from one machine to run another.

Learnt to drive with my dad who had a bedford and an old RAF Leyland, no side windows in the doors, also relation who was Norman Jowett of Todmorden, Did a trunk one night when he was stuck, Had an old Thorneycroft and gave it up as a bad job when I got to Cavandish Street in Edmonton and the shunter was missing, I shunted and took his wife to show me around the smoke. then back up on trunk. All for a fiver.

Hope you all enjoy the Pennine, I will be watching between Littleborough and Tod by the brew cabin.

The Biker:
The american trucks on the A14 run from the US base down there and deliver all over the UK - they come to my place most weeks and bring trailers that are shipped over from the states. They used to GMC Aerostars but have changed some of them to cab over Macks. They did have a day cab Iveco Eurostar 6 wheel unit at one time.

A lot of these motors are based at Mildenhall USAF base in Suffolk. They are owned and run by the US equivalent of the ‘Naafi’ - ie. the supplies & logistics department. As you say they used to be GMC’s (often with a day cab rather than the typical US 14’ caravan on the back of the cab), which If my memory is correct were the US version of the old Bedford TM. I have also more recently seen some MAN’s in dark blue with 4wd (or very large wheels/high suspension) on US plates also.

The closer you go to Lakenheath/Mildenhall the more US motors you see, even US military police cars…

Whether it’s true or not I don’t know but the opinion locally is that the US bases are in such a parlous state financially that they are operating on relatively modest budgets these days since the cuts following the cold war.

DEANB:
Theres a good article in Septembers issue of truck and driver about a
blue volvo f88 pulling logs all over the country.I seem to remember it
being mentioned on here before.

It certainly goes well as i saw it last year pulling a load of logs at the top
of Poulner hill (Ringwood) and it was overtaking everything in the outside lane
just before the petrol station at the top!! Not bad for a 30 year old motor.

Still going strong - I passed it one morning last month heading down the A34 near Winchester at 7.30 a.m. - ADH 921L, I think

Tankerman:
When the 38 tons came in I remember Harrison extended the chassis on one long nose Scammel and putting a 3rd axle under it and running at 38ton. I had a long nose Scammel on tanker work and though I had won the pools when I got a Handyman. The long nose Scammels used to lose the bonnet sides now and again so you would get into the yard early and nick one off another.

Here’s a view of Harrisons yard, taken as I was passing in February 2004:

The first A plate I ever saw was one of Gilbraiths Roadtrains at Eccles and in 81 on a Saturday morning I gave one of their lads a lift from the A6 at Bamber Bridge down to Charnock .He had been stuck on that 281 miles rule if you had no Tacho, on the Friday .He’d got a lift back down fronm Cleveleys with a British Beef driver who;d forgotten his notes .I’d just loaded from there and wondered why he’'d come in the yard in such a rush.

there is a bloke at carlton in lindrick(posh end of worksop,they only have bread & dripping twice a week) got a long nose scammel in his back garden ,and yes i have seen it running,hauls a steamroller from the riddell arms.

boden:
The first A plate I ever saw was one of Gilbraiths Roadtrains at Eccles and in 81 on a Saturday morning I gave one of their lads a lift from the A6 at Bamber Bridge down to Charnock .He had been stuck on that 281 miles rule if you had no Tacho, on the Friday .He’d got a lift back down fronm Cleveleys with a British Beef driver who;d forgotten his notes .I’d just loaded from there and wondered why he’'d come in the yard in such a rush.

When the A-plate first came out, I had a driver tipping in Liverpool - you know how some of the locals there prefix sentences with “eh…”
Anyway, the driver was asked for his reg - “A648 PFV” he replied, whereupon the security man wrote down “648 PFV” …

boden:
The first A plate I ever saw was one of Gilbraiths Roadtrains at Eccles and in 81 on a Saturday morning I gave one of their lads a lift from the A6 at Bamber Bridge down to Charnock .He had been stuck on that 281 miles rule if you had no Tacho, on the Friday .He’d got a lift back down fronm Cleveleys with a British Beef driver who;d forgotten his notes .I’d just loaded from there and wondered why he’'d come in the yard in such a rush.

Gilbraith’s had a contract with BP at Saltend Hull. and had a few 32 ton spread axle tankers on the road. We had Buffalo’s at first and then 3 of us got day cab “Y” reg Roadtrains, The 38 tonners were just coming in so Gilbraith refurbished 3 of our tanks and had a triaxle put under them so we could run at 38T. I had one, an ex Ridings man called ken Wade got one and Gordon Tattersall ex Forth Tankers got the third. We then got 3 new “A” reg sleeper Roadtrains which caused a stir among the other drivers because our “y” reg motors were only 3 months old but the job demanded them so as we were on the contract we got them. We used to do a lot of acid into Lancro at Eccles, maybe it was me you saw. The job was upto Hull Monday and load for Eccles and back to Bury. (night out bus home) 15 miles, car to Bury Tuesday and tip Eccles, load Runcorn back to Bury car home ( 2nd night out) and so on. BP paid exes so Gilly didn’t care.

I have photo’s of both but don’t know how to insert them.

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Rob K wrote:

I’ve no idea what it is, but there’s often some white unit with tiny twin front windows and old European looking white trailer parked up at Thurrock services on a night. It’s on foreign plates which don’t give away which country it’s from unfortuntely. I’ve seen it on the A14 near BSE too.

That could be one of the US built Freightliners that have something to do with the USAF in East Anglia/Oxfordshire. I saw 2 the other day on the A34, also seen them on the A14. Usually pulling 40’ x 12’ trailers with a side door.

Yep defo a Freightliner, passed one a couple of weeks ago on the A12 near Brentwood, exactly as your description with the trailer, and little narrow slit windows.

Tankerman:
[Gilbraith’s had a contract with BP at Saltend Hull. and had a few 32 ton spread axle tankers on the road. We had Buffalo’s at first and then 3 of us got day cab “Y” reg Roadtrains, The 38 tonners were just coming in so Gilbraith refurbished 3 of our tanks and had a triaxle put under them so we could run at 38T. I had one, an ex Ridings man called ken Wade got one and Gordon Tattersall ex Forth Tankers got the third. We then got 3 new “A” reg sleeper Roadtrains which caused a stir among the other drivers because our “y” reg motors were only 3 months old but the job demanded them so as we were on the contract we got them. We used to do a lot of acid into Lancro at Eccles, maybe it was me you saw. The job was upto Hull Monday and load for Eccles and back to Bury. (night out bus home) 15 miles, car to Bury Tuesday and tip Eccles, load Runcorn back to Bury car home ( 2nd night out) and so on. BP paid exes so Gilly didn’t care.

I have photo’s of both but don’t know how to insert them.

I have some pictures which are of the vehicles you mention - which came from our mutual friend PD. I have a Y-reg, the A-reg sleepers and the ex-Post Office G-regs. I also have some B&W pics of the old Buffalos and Marathons.

and.rs1800:
theres a few old motors about that i wouldnt mind having to drive :F88,scania 141 ,or my favourite,the ford transcontinental! my dad bought one of these in about 1981.it was only 2 or 3 years old and had a 335 14litre ■■■■■■■ and 13speed fuller box.i think it was originally specced for the middle east run,as it had an aircon unit on the roof and no rear mudguards ,only mudflaps.it was so fast and comfortable .it absolutely towered over every thing else on the road.still see the odd one working for a living.

The Transcontinental was so far ahead of it’s time. The specs were superior to almost anything but people thought they were just too big. When Renault started using the cabs on the Turboliner people thought they were a new concept. When you hit the brakes hard you could nearly read your front numberplate!
Nowadays, everyone uses high cabs, but that Transcon was the original.

My dad had a brand new Borderer with Ken Horwell in Cornwall. He didn’t have a hammock. He carried 2 boards and used to rest them on the door edges. Had to chase a copper across the field when the pratt pulled the door open to nag him for stopping where he had.

I have been very fortunate, really. I learned to drive a truck on a Bedford DL, then I had a 2800 Daf, followed by an A series ERF daycab. When I was given a Seddon Atkinson 301 it seemed right up to date. I have also been fortunate enough to plonk my ■■■■ in the drivers seat of a Scammel Crusader. The real flyer was my 87 Roadtrain with a 340 Rolls. You had to cut the pump right back to get it through test and it would be as dead as a hammer till it was opened up again.

Would it ever go then, though!!

DEANB:
Theres a good article in Septembers issue of truck and driver about a
blue volvo f88 pulling logs all over the country.I seem to remember it
being mentioned on here before.

It certainly goes well as i saw it last year pulling a load of logs at the top
of Poulner hill (Ringwood) and it was overtaking everything in the outside lane
just before the petrol station at the top!! Not bad for a 30 year old motor.

This was the post, still see him regularly and have some nice pics for him of him unloading with the crane - if I can ever catch him that is, things absolutely flies along!

trucknetuk.com/phpBB2/viewtopic. … highlight=

That makes that old girl ,1971 - 2006 . Thirty-Five years old . Those old F88`s always went better fully loaded. Maybe thats the old girls secret ?

BondiTram:
While I’m on the subject of weird motors, I saw a D8 on a low loader pulled up at an outback cafe with a Bedford KM, the overgrown TK, coupled up. This was even more overgrown though. The KM cab was perched like a pimple on top of a massive Cat engine!

Salut, David.

Possibly an RFW? They used KM cabs on their early Aussie built lorries.