ramone:
stargazer148:
Hi ramone blokes name is Steve Graham and after a “this is not good” just cracks on cheers RayThat’s the bloke , i remember him almost waist high in a river with a problem on one episode he sorted it quickly then remarked i bet not hang around there’s quite a few salt water crocodiles in this river … ffs
Quote Grumpy Old Man “He should burn those shorts that he wears. They’re just ‘wrong’”.
Maybe the shorts were so “wrong” even the salties didn’t want to get near…
ramone:
stargazer148:
Hi ramone blokes name is Steve Graham and after a “this is not good” just cracks on cheers RayThat’s the bloke , i remember him almost waist high in a river with a problem on one episode he sorted it quickly then remarked i bet not hang around there’s quite a few salt water crocodiles in this river … ffs
I seen an early episode where he packed his kit including a SHOTGUN &@A RIFLE 
just in case he said cheers Ray
harry_gill:
stargazer148:
Hi ramone blokes name is Steve Graham and after a “this is not good” just cracks on cheers RayHiya,
And not forgetting “Sludge” now that’s a canny handle to get stuck with.
Hi Harry used to know a bloke who we called Steptoe think he washed himself with vim too 
Cheers Ray
grumpy old man:
harry_gill:
stargazer148:
Hi ramone blokes name is Steve Graham and after a “this is not good” just cracks on cheers RayHiya,
And not forgetting “Sludge” now that’s a canny handle to get stuck with.He should burn those shorts that he wears. They’re just ‘wrong’
How are you doing Harry? still ticking over nicely I hope.
Hiya,
Well gom it’s more your running a bit lumpy than ticking over nicely but
at 84 I reckon I’m more clapped out than run in but still managing to be
able to breathe in and out, hope you’re in decent nick and keeping well.
ramone:
Star down under.:
essexpete:
Some good footage here of the 1986 A Chelmsford Bypass. The old AEC Dumptrucks and Mammoth Major 6s had a real pasting before and then by the look of things. I wonder what weight they were carrying. The Bypass made a huge difference to Chelmsford and also a friend of mine whose family farm it cut through.Strewth! How did they survive the day without hi-viz and hard hats?
Ha ha god only knows in a world full of snowflakes which is what we have evolved into. On a different note what was the general feeling towards AEC in Australia in the day , i know they weren
t really designed to operate at the weights you run at but i was reading an Australian forum a few years back where some were absolutely slating the Southall products and praising , wait for it ..... Commers ffs . They could have been referring to when Leyland had taken over im not sure but what they did need to realise is that we got the [zb] end of the stick , you got AEC Atki ERF Foden Leyland Scammell etc what did we get , Rolf Harris Dame Edna Jason Donavon and Kylie Minogue
When B model Macks and Kenworths became available in the 60s the writing was on the wall for British trucks. Buses and coaches lasted longer with AEC Reliance a popular chassis in those roles.
AEC were often chosen as railmotors, in Queensland at least; I don’t know about the other states.
Google:
Queensland Rail RM 31, RM 32, RM 60 and RM 74
Queensland Rail Classes 1900 and 2000 railmotors.
Although Gardner powered RM 93 is an interesting read about a 1950 build, still in tourist service.
Re Outback Truckers: This programme is entertainment, not a documentary.
Steve Graham is the closest to reality, but even his dramas have been condensed for the purpose of ratings.
Dipster:
ramone:
Star down under.:
essexpete:
Some good footage here of the 1986 A Chelmsford Bypass. The old AEC Dumptrucks and Mammoth Major 6s had a real pasting before and then by the look of things. I wonder what weight they were carrying. The Bypass made a huge difference to Chelmsford and also a friend of mine whose family farm it cut through.Strewth! How did they survive the day without hi-viz and hard hats?
Ha ha god only knows in a world full of snowflakes which is what we have evolved into. On a different note what was the general feeling towards AEC in Australia in the day , i know they weren
t really designed to operate at the weights you run at but i was reading an Australian forum a few years back where some were absolutely slating the Southall products and praising , wait for it ..... Commers ffs . They could have been referring to when Leyland had taken over Im not sure but what they did need to realise is that we got the [zb] end of the stick , you got AEC Atki ERF Foden Leyland Scammell etc what did we get, Rolf Harris Dame Edna Jason Donavon and Kylie MinogueI don´t have access to my “library” (!) at the moment to check details in his autobiography (so I might be a bit off) but I recall a brilliant story by an outback mailman named Tom Kruse (ran the Birdsville track I think it was) who, at one time, ran an AEC. Back in the 30´s I think it was. He relates how he was driving at night and hit something pretty solid with a front wheel. He said it bent the axle to the point where he could no longer proceed.
And, of course, he was in the middle of nowhere!To fix it he tried light a fire under the axle to attempt to straighten it. It didn´t work. As I recall he had a brainwave. He too the axle off and refitted it so that it was now sticking out to one side from the chassis. This time the heat and the extra leverage enabled him to straighten it and get it back in line by eye. he then boxed it all up and carried on. He said he did no further straightening to it for quite some time.
His telling in the book is far better than mine but illustrates the spirit and determination the outback driver needed then. Kurt Johanssen was a similar bloke whose tales are equally interesting-he claims to have “invented” roadtrains.
Tom Kruse, the Outback Mailman, drove a Leyland Badger, well it started life as a Badger.
I think the book is available as an e-book.
Deleted, duplicate post.
youtube.com/watch?v=oXnvhbC6UYE&t=478s
[/quote]
Strewth! How did they survive the day without hi-viz and hard hats?
[/quote]
Ha ha god only knows in a world full of snowflakes which is what we have evolved into. On a different note what was the general feeling towards AEC in Australia in the day , i know they werent really designed to operate at the weights you run at but i was reading an Australian forum a few years back where some were absolutely slating the Southall products and praising , wait for it ..... Commers ffs . They could have been referring to when Leyland had taken over Im not sure but what they did need to realise is that we got the [zb] end of the stick , you got AEC Atki ERF Foden Leyland Scammell etc what did we get, Rolf Harris Dame Edna Jason Donavon and Kylie Minogue
[/quote]
I don´t have access to my “library” (!) at the moment to check details in his autobiography (so I might be a bit off) but I recall a brilliant story by an outback mailman named Tom Kruse (ran the Birdsville track I think it was) who, at one time, ran an AEC. Back in the 30´s I think it was. He relates how he was driving at night and hit something pretty solid with a front wheel. He said it bent the axle to the point where he could no longer proceed.
And, of course, he was in the middle of nowhere!
To fix it he tried light a fire under the axle to attempt to straighten it. It didn´t work. As I recall he had a brainwave. He too the axle off and refitted it so that it was now sticking out to one side from the chassis. This time the heat and the extra leverage enabled him to straighten it and get it back in line by eye. he then boxed it all up and carried on. He said he did no further straightening to it for quite some time.
His telling in the book is far better than mine but illustrates the spirit and determination the outback driver needed then. Kurt Johanssen was a similar bloke whose tales are equally interesting-he claims to have “invented” roadtrains.
[/quote]
Tom Kruse, the Outback Mailman, drove a Leyland Badger, well it started life as a Badger.
I think the book is available as an e-book.
[/quote]
As I recall, and I could be wrong, he used several trucks over time. I think the Leyland is today in display at a truck museum.
motor.history.sa.gov.au/events/ … -motoring/
If ever you find yourself in Adelaide, this museum is a must. Allow a long day to appreciate all it has to offer.
Star down under.:
https://motor.history.sa.gov.au/events/sunburnt-country-icons-of-australian-motoring/If ever you find yourself in Adelaide, this museum is a must. Allow a long day to appreciate all it has to offer.
I have travelled quite extensively in Australia. But I never made it to Adelaide or Hobart. I regret that but I am still hopeful that post-Covid the chance may come my way. I did spend an interesting day at the museum in Alice Springs and also visited several local museums across Oz where they showcase local history including a good few old vehicles.
Great memories!
Dipster:
Star down under.:
https://motor.history.sa.gov.au/events/sunburnt-country-icons-of-australian-motoring/If ever you find yourself in Adelaide, this museum is a must. Allow a long day to appreciate all it has to offer.
I have travelled quite extensively in Australia. But I never made it to Adelaide or Hobart. I regret that but I am still hopeful that post-Covid the chance may come my way. I did spend an interesting day at the museum in Alice Springs and also visited several local museums across Oz where they showcase local history including a good few old vehicles.
Great memories!
Google Machinery Mile at Ilfracombe, Queensland Transport Museum Gatton and Truck Museum Winton.
Just to stay on thread, Winton probably has an AECor two.
A weekend’s not long enough for Alice, especially if you want to do both museums.
Star down under.:
Dipster:
Star down under.:
https://motor.history.sa.gov.au/events/sunburnt-country-icons-of-australian-motoring/If ever you find yourself in Adelaide, this museum is a must. Allow a long day to appreciate all it has to offer.
I have travelled quite extensively in Australia. But I never made it to Adelaide or Hobart. I regret that but I am still hopeful that post-Covid the chance may come my way. I did spend an interesting day at the museum in Alice Springs and also visited several local museums across Oz where they showcase local history including a good few old vehicles.
Great memories!
Google Machinery Mile at Ilfracombe, Queensland Transport Museum Gatton and Truck Museum Winton.
Just to stay on thread, Winton probably has an AECor two.
A weekend’s not long enough for Alice, especially if you want to do both museums.
Alice has the AEC 8 wheeler “Government Roadtrain” built especially for Australia. Indeed, there is never enough time to see everything. But my wife travels with me and doesn’t quite have the same interest in old vehicles, AEC or not! And there is so much to see in Australia. So we move on! Transport related, though not AEC at all, was the Cobb & Co museum in Toowoomba. I also like horse-drawn stuff.
ramone:
Not my photo , a Mr Sutton apparently hope he doesn’t mind me posting it. It must be a 1930s 0hoto looking at the cab , we’ve been trying to find out who the two in the photo are but no success yet[/quoteIt must be an AEC Mammoth Major 6 MkI which makes it pre-1935. Towards the end of 1934 there were several design changes. Among them was the fuel tank that changed from being square to round, one of the easiest ways to distinguish MkI from a MkII. It is possibly fitted with an AEC A161 or A165 diesel engine looking at the 3” to 4” extension between radiator and front scuttle. If it were petrol engined the radiator would be close up to the scuttle and if fitted with a Gardner engine the extension would 8” to 10”
Matador in Netherlands.
Robert Gearing:
ramone:
Not my photo , a Mr Sutton apparently hope he doesn’t mind me posting it. It must be a 1930s 0hoto looking at the cab , we’ve been trying to find out who the two in the photo are but no success yet
[/quoteIt must be an AEC Mammoth Major 6 MkI which makes it pre-1935. Towards the end of 1934 there were several design changes. Among them was the fuel tank that changed from being square to round, one of the easiest ways to distinguish MkI from a MkII. It is possibly fitted with an AEC A161 or A165 diesel engine looking at the 3” to 4” extension between radiator and front scuttle. If it were petrol engined the radiator would be close up to the scuttle and if fitted with a Gardner engine the extension would 8” to 10”
Thanks for that Robert , if my dad was still here he would be able to tell us what engine it had who dtove it and who the two were in the photo. The photo emerged 4 years too late though . I think Graham mentioned it could have had a Gardner transplant but i dont ever remember him saying anything about any Gardners in AECs at Longs
I don’t know if this has been posted before but does anyone have info on this strange looking AEC?
Dennis Javelin:
I don’t know if this has been posted before but does anyone have info on this strange looking AEC?
Looks like an AEC Mogul to me. The most surprising thing about that picture is that it’s on UK plates as this was normally an export model. It was probably owned by AEC and undergoing tests! Below is a picture of a trans-European work Mogul in Belgium posted earlier in the thread by Gingerfold:
ERF-NGC-European:
Dennis Javelin:
I don’t know if this has been posted before but does anyone have info on this strange looking AEC?Looks like an AEC Mogul to me. The most surprising thing about that picture is that it’s on UK plates as this was normally an export model. It was probably owned by AEC and undergoing tests! Below is a picture of a trans-European work Mogul in Belgium posted earlier in the thread by Gingerfold:
0
Thanks
