Algiers

[boyzee]

J






ust got a new scanner so hopefully i can post some new pictures up of my trips in algieria in 1983.

[nianiamh]

Great stuff, keep em coming

[boyzee]

[boyzee]

[boyzee]

[boyzee]

[boyzee]

Sorry some came out double hope you enjoy them.

[boyzee]

[dreva]

cracking pics boyzee mm will be pleased

[MaggieD]

Great pics Boyzee
You must have a story to go with these ?
Regards MaggieD

[mappo]

Brilliant pics Boyzee, got any more ?

[boyzee]

.

Great pics Boyzee
You must have a story to go with these ?
Regards MaggieD

I first went to algiers in 1981,there had been an earthquake in a place called El asnam which is half way between algiers and oran near the coast.My then guvenor sold two scanias to tentraco and ask me if i fancied going out to algiers so off i went.On arriving i just knew this was going to be rough.The huts we slept in had no windows and this was january and allthough the days were warm the nights were freezing.The canteen was an old steepframe trailer with a stove on the step and seats on the bottom part one side was open so when it rained you got soaked.The run was el asnam to the docks at oran with flat trailers then load the houses which were collapesing before they even got on the trailer they were a nitemare.It would take about 3/4 hours each way and you had to day 2 trips a day and someone else would do 2 trips a night.If you brokedown you just had to sit and wait for another lorry to come out or get yourself out of trouble.I came back to uk an said i would never go back but like most of us that likes adventure i returned in 83 when these photos were taken.This time we had 2 2800 daf,s and 5 f10,s an 2 scanias.The runs were much further and our base camp was in mostagenam with 3 portacabins.On each new run an army landrover would take us to the place an then we found our own way back which was far from easy sometimes.The best run or should i say the most exciteing was to tammaraset,it was the route of the paris daker through the sahara.4 F10,s and 1 2800 left the base camp with 2 20 foot containers on,the first two days was,nt to bad as it was tarmac with potholes but then after this was the dessert.Being a cowboy outfit we had only a few bottles of water a gas bottle an stove plus some tins of food for a two week journey.There were no rules of where you could an could,nt drive an being young like some of the others we messed around alot just to have a laugh,the army blokes in the landrover gave up on us in the end as we were overtakeing them and going off and speeding

[boyzee]

When we got to tamanrasset we went in the hotel to get a shower,as mony was short we could only stay one night and the crane we needing to unload us was four days away so this cheered us up.The was a bar there that catered for the safari tours,the tour driver had an old bedford km ex army,he needed some tyres so we sold him a couple as we carried 10 spares so that was our beer mony!It was boring waiting about for the crane an tempers sometimes got the better of some of the drivers.When we got tipped we had to get a digger to dig out a hole so we could top the trailers up ane a few of the units asmine had the main oil pipe to the turbo split an some of the others had trouble.The daf kept air locking an the driver dropped the filter of only to find he,d taken the oil fllter off instead of the fuel one.So every one wanted to be in charge and the rows started,some wer,nt talking to others then after about 3 hours from leaveing the gas bottle had fell of the trailer so we had nothing to cook on.That night we poured some derv in the sand an set light to it an cooked on that.The topped up trailers fell through the floor of the trailer they were on an while trying to sort them out the jack slipped and they fell catching me in the back cutting me.By now i,d had enough,if your with a good team of blokes who all chip in thats half the battle but some of these did,nt want to help an only thought of them selfs.We got back to the camp ok only to find a boat had docked and we all had to work tipping it as soon as possible as the company were charged for how long it was berthed.We worked all night an all day but this was how things were.After i left an came back to uk the company was folded up the forklift along with much of the equipment was burried and as for the lorries i dont think they returned.The company had no right to be in algiers and were kicked out.

[Suedehead]

Happy days or what? and i thought i worked for a couple of "dodgy" firms in the past!!

[boyzee]

Happy days or what? and i thought i worked for a couple of "dodgy" firms in the past!!

Dont get me wrong at the time i had nothing back in the uk work wise so i just got my head down an got on with it,there were some really good trips but ive allways worked for these sort of companys,the mony was good at the time but you was on call 24/7.Like most of the "old school" drivers you had to be a certain kind that could get yourself out of trouble,and put up with the conditions.Im sure lots of us did,nt do this just for the mony but for the adventure as well.The job was 3 months working then you flew home for 2 weeks then fly back.The mony was £1000 a month at the time was fair mony.

[trucking482002]

Great pics and read Boyzee,Alfa-Laval on the front of the Volvo,s had me puzzled as that's Milking Machines,not much call for them in the desert,take it they were second-hand,more please Boyzee,thanks and regards derek

[boyzee]

Great pics and read Boyzee,Alfa-Laval on the front of the Volvo,s had me puzzled as that's Milking Machines,not much call for them in the desert,take it they were second-hand,more please Boyzee,thanks and regards derek

Alfa laval was the company tentraco was on hire to.The problem was we were ment to be tipping their cargo when the ships came to port but instead we were out on trips for other companys.Alfa were supplying the algerian army with supplies to build cold stores at different locations.The ships were unloaded in the docks at oran then we would transport the cargo to an army camp about 8 kms up the road there the goods would clear customs then we would deliver them.One of the other companys was called cosalt adder i may have spelt this wrong i think they were from hull,they had some scammell construtor tippers out there but they only ran local stuff.