PAUL GEE's PHOTO COLLECTION (Part 1)

jsutherland:

John West:
Started driving lorries/trucks in '69.

‘In 69 I was 21 and called the world my own’. Running on empty!

Love these photos. As a photographer I make a good truck driver!

I’m amazed at how many of these I drove and / or owned. Leyland Comet 4 wheeler. BMC 6 wheeler 5.1 engine I think. 2 Mastiffs. 1 BMC, 1 Leyland. Daf 2200. Atkinson, ■■■■■■■ 205. Scania 110, Scania 140, Scania 111. Daf 2800. Volvo F86, Volvo F88, silver grille, 130? Never felt underpowered. Scania 110 day cab in the vicious desert heat of Saudi Arabia. Wonderful oil air filter, must have dumped tons of sand out of it. Saviem. Useless brakes, useless electrics. Small radiator, terrible overheating problems in Summer. You couldn’t get it near top gear - maybe 5th low on the ZF handlebar gearbox! Reliable engine. Got me back from Jeddah to Dammam, 1,000 miles, with a little end pinging like mad particularly up Taif mountain. Picture of the 110 day cab and the Saviem outside Sealand terminal 1978, waiting for a load. At the time I owned the 110, later the Saviem
2

Kenworh cabover with ■■■■■■■ engine 290 I think. Certainly for me the best suited tractor for Saudi. No good for UK. Turning circle 1/2 mile!
1
Also took a normal control Kenworth with (I think) a 450 ■■■■■■■ into Dammam Port. The Philippino driver didn’t have a Saudi licence so couldn’t go on the port. Got it up to 90 MPH before I realised I was just being silly!

Hannomag Henschel. Unterflur Bussing. To be fair, these were inherited tractors that we mainly used for local shunting in Dammam.

ERF. B series 6 wheelers. I did drive them, but by then I was Transport manager at Al Qafila. ‘Caravan Trading and General Services.’ Not caravans - ships of the desert.

Scania 142. 8 wheeler cut down to a 6 wheeler tractor, bought at discount because they couldn’t sell it!
0

Philippino Severino Bernardo at the Helm. ERF also in view. We ran several 112s as well, but I don’t remember actually driving one.

Halcyon days!

John.

Fascinating post John. Sound your working life has been quite an adventure.
Regards
Johnny

Sent from my Hol-U19 using Tapatalk

Thanks John, i agree with Johnny you have certainly got about a bit ! The silver grill 88’s were 240 bhp in
the UK from memory. You would have thought that the saviem being French built would have been ok in the heat ? I appreciate Saudi would have been alot hotter,but the South of France is normally around the 100 mark in the summer. Thanks for the post and pics. :wink: