Evening all,
Blooming rain thundering down, flattening the , (potentially), superb Hay crop…washing away our access roads, (live on a hill…well water cannot run up hill , can it)■■?
Michel, Fergie, Patrick, (pv83), thank you for the superb images, and the memories that they invoke, and surface!
Johnny, several of us wrote quite a bit about Norbert, starting back in 05 2015," Dentressangle, pre, and post demise"…and I think that I have mentioned Norbert several times on this thread…I only know my bits from my friendship with the family, others wrote from personal experience of working for them…all in all, I think that it paints a fairly good picture of the operation. Personally I have a great deal of professional, and personal time for Norbert, and Marie Therése, he created, what I think in future years will be regarded as one of the most significant road transport operations in the World, (for that is just how big the Dentressangle operation became)…and never ever did they forget the man in the cab…a significant differential from most others who grew to such a size. I can write more, but have a look at what is there on these threads, “Nobbies” is quite some operation, and the way that Norbert grew it, was quite unique…without massive financial gearing!
ROF, John West, I can only agree with what you write, I could never be bothered with taking a camera with me back in the 60s…oh, now, how I wished I had!!!..But pictures were so expensive to develop!..and who ever considered stopping to take them?..stop…we did not!..But I always kept a diary, and did that all through my life…often in a funny sort of shorthand, pictures and words, but its often how I recall memories, sort of an aide memoir… journeys,… people…, deals, …disasters…(many of them)…life in general…food…(oh yes)…wine…(oh double yes)…
But that Straumann picture of Fergies…I stared at it…and again…oh heck…Ive a double......(well back in the 60s I had), same hair cut, same build, same pose…even down to the overalls with the zip down…an exposition of confidence, (that only a young man, who is to learn some hard lessons on the way of life, could only strike)!..I even made my lady wife, and daughter look at it…and to compare, also look at a picture of me in front of my first S20 Foden tractor unit…they both expressed surprise that my late father must have had a" bicycle"…
Michel, that Nicolas picture sent me into my archives looking for all the bits and bobs that I have concerning the designs of René Harvey, right back from the Willeme TGs to the Tractomas, (Via the Spanish creations, TMU, Itex, Ibex, and all of the dealing with Stcc…really took me back to the long hours that I spent in my little office on Quai Gallini, Suresnes with my colleagues, evaluating the potential for Saviem, of Harvey`s designs…alas to no fruitful outcome)…we were wed to Berliet…and their “traditional” thinking…and that was that!
nmm, interesting theory, did engineers transfer from road vehicles, to agricultural, (both wheeled and static). I truly do not know. I do remember that in Fiat Groupe, there was a great deal of interchange in engineering terms between the various divisions, road, passenger, agricultural. Also the same in Renault Groupe. But thinking about Italy, Lombardini in particular had over 100 years experience in static power plants, and in France Eduard Bernard made a pretty penny from his agricultural static engines, (some of which I believe are highly prized). Then of course the last John Deere design easily morphed into the , (probably best ever), Detroit Diesel…and to hear a John Deere really working is music so sublime…(I used to deliberately get mine so bogged down just to hear that soooooooo blood curdling creshendo, a calcophony of power over adversity…yipeeeeeeee!!!
Never grew up, (as my good lady says…often)…
Ah well, my tea calls…and the rain thunders down…the Partridges have nested under the Jeep, so that’s not going out tomorrow!
Cheerio for now.