Question did Astran stop running there own fleet back in the Seventies
When they started using Sub-Contractors to do there M/E Work.
If Companies like Davies Turner had plenty work contracts it was very
lucrative to hire reliable Sub-Contractors.
David Miller:
No doubt Robert.After all we know that every word between those covers is the truth, only the truth and nothing like the truth!
David.
Oh absolutely! Block of salt rather than a pinch.
lczjs:
Question did Astran stop running there own fleet back in the Seventies
When they started using Sub-Contractors to do there M/E Work.If Companies like Davies Turner had plenty work contracts it was very
lucrative to hire reliable Sub-Contractors.
According to Ashley’s book, The Long Haul Pioneers, Astran stopped running their own lorries in 1988, but they were using subbies from 1970 to the present day. Robert
TRading details now: 519 New Hythe Ln, Aylesford ME20 6SB
Phone: 01622 716441
Brilliant in the days of 70’s
mushroomman:
Hello Kurt, I was going through my old photo shoebox a couple of days ago and I thought that you might be interested in seeing a couple of photos that I took around 1984/5 of the viaduct that eventually spanned the valley in Nantua, France. As the photos look slightly similar to yours I probably took one of them around the same time that you took yours. As you mentioned, the tunnel up through the mountains was opened in 1987 and if I remember correctly it saved you between 45 minutes and one hour on the journey to Italy.<…>
WEBHOST: Currently still piggybacking but hoping to move to own purpose-built webhost/site soon.
Many many thanks to MRM for his superb detective work.
In brief: I have written the page in chronological order, as far as memory allows. The problem is … memory. There are two ways of determining with certainty: (1) passport stamps. I have that passport still but when I tried to put my finger on it I could not find it. It cannot be far away, it just was not with the other passports. (2) photograph negative reels. These will give images in the order they were taken.
With respect to the DC-3: Pretty sure we were still in Yugoslavia and it was the heat of the day. When I crossed into Bulgaria I think that photograph of the ‘danger: carts’ was taken in daylight so we must have crossed in daylight, regardless of what I think. I know we stopped at the restaurant in Bulgaria and it was dark when we came out. The camera flash went off.
It was dark when we arrived in Sofia.
MACON->NANTUA - WATERING-HOLE - BOURG-EN-BRESSE
Was this on the RHS of the road, with a large hard-core stand in front of it ?
If so we paused here either on this actual trip or on other trips.
NANTUA VIADUCT
I think we must have passed within hours of each other
‘THE TREES’
Where I received the impression that this was a hotel, I know not. But now it all makes sense.
From a look at google.com/maps it looks like ‘The Trees’ was in the section of woodland on the west of the road just before Salviksky Brod.
HOTEL NACIONALE
From the photographs in one of the books on ME Overland, the chairs and tables in my photographs are at the Hotel Nacionale. Arno told that one of the waiters, his brother worked at the Bulgarian embassy, and implied that he could get visas.
Hi all! Found this on the web somewere. Roberts dream? 
Danne
Dirty Dan:
Hi all! Found this on the web somewere. Roberts dream?Danne
Nice one, Danne!! That’d do me; but it’d have to have the Eaton Twin-splitter and not the ZF in it though! Cheers, Robert
sandway:
Nmp. From our Italian colleagues website. Not seen this one before.
The picture is on p153 of Ashley’s book on Astran. The bloke on the roof is apparently John Frost. Robert
ERF-NGC-European:
sandway:
Nmp. From our Italian colleagues website. Not seen this one before.The picture is on p153 of Ashley’s book on Astran. The bloke on the roof is apparently John Frost. Robert
Not having read the book I wouldn’t know Robert but funny things do happen like I was talking to a guy called Peter in Spain in the winter and as we played boules it cropped up that he had a brother living not far away named Geoff who happened to be an ex lorry driver!!! Yes, put two and two together and you get the guy in the photo below and we all know who that Frost is.
sandway:
ERF-NGC-European:
sandway:
Nmp. From our Italian colleagues website. Not seen this one before.The picture is on p153 of Ashley’s book on Astran. The bloke on the roof is apparently John Frost. Robert
Not having read the book I wouldn’t know Robert but funny things do happen like I was talking to a guy called Peter in Spain in the winter and as we played boules it cropped up that he had a brother living not far away named Geoff who happened to be an ex lorry driver!!! Yes, put two and two together and you get the guy in the photo below and we all know who that Frost is.
I think the steep uphill section of wet 3-lane asphalt which we became stuck may have been Bolu pass. There is one photograph in one of the books but it is taken from the top looking down. Does anyone remember if Bolu was 3-lane in 1984 (two lanes up) ?
Also can any one remember the drive arrangement on a dual rear axle Mercedes-Benz ? There was a button on the dashboard which had a cross on it, I think between the two axles. Was it a button which engaged the second axle or was it a diff lock (diff locks ?) which locked the inter-axle diff, or all three diffs ?
Peter Cannon - R.I.P.
For those not aware on this site, I’m sad to announce the passing of Peter Cannon earlier this month after a battle with cancer.
Peter was an early Astran driver from the late 1960’s and became Transport manager through the 1970’s/ 80’s until running a couple of trucks himself on European work. He will be remembered as a " Gentleman of the M/E World " and a long term friend of mine - I’ve many fond memories outside of work, particularly of times spent in the King’s Arms, Offham, Kent with Peter, Bob Paul, Tony Soameson and many others of the Astran club and more latterly reminiscing when visiting on my trips back to U.K. from Australia.
My condolences to his family and R.I.P. my friend on that last long trip.
I’m not sure whether it was just me - but I struggled for ages thinking I was Hallucinating seeing these weird apparitions in the Headlights in Saudi.
Eventually, an Arab driver understood me and said they were Camel Spiders
The nearest picture I ever found was by Rick Griffin an artist who worked with the Grateful Dead
Maybe it was due to doing the 1974 Dead tour of Europe before my first ME trip in November 74
Anyone else see them ■■
sinbin31:
IanIf my brain cells are intact the New Mercs were driven by John Bruce,Barry Barnes And Denis McGrath.I think Steve Goodman only did One trip in the Merc when he was called in by Bob Paul to do a one off after he had said his goodbyes after getting married,I did a short story on Steve a while ago As I was the Last to see him alive ,it was in Bulgaria ,I was on my way out and he was homeward bound on that fatal trip.Sorry I cant say any more,its most upsetting as Steve and I were good buddies and his loss gutted me big time.
Rita
Hi Rita,
I knew Steve Goodman for a short while - hitched a lift with him from
Kent to Jordan toward the end of my gap year and at the start of a three month trip around the Middle East/Europe before starting university in summer 1980. It was either just before or just after Jayne and he got married. I made contact with Jayne after I got back and heard the shocking news, stayed in touch for a while.
I was thinking of them today as I’ve just dropped my 19 year old son up to the same uni at the end of his gap year. I wonder what Jayne’s doing 39 years on…
Had a brilliant 10 days in the cab with Steve that I still remember vividly, including a chilli eating contest with locals at a truck stop in Syria. I still feel upset thinking about it, and only knew him briefly.
Sorry for your loss.
Ben
Q: ‘Silk Road’ by Ivor Whitall describes first trip 1975 Maribor Zagreb Belgrade as broken tarmac ‘main road’ (two lane blacktop). By the time of my trip in 1984 there was a lot of four-lane and a lot of Autoput.
My 1960s map shows a thick blue line Zagreb-Nis but this could mean anything.
Does anyone remember Autoput construction 1975+ ?
Q: At the Hotel Nacionale in Belgrade, does anyone remember the waiter ‘George’ ? Was he the waiter whose brother worked at the Bulgarian embassy ?
Q: Ivor Whittall in ‘The Silk Road’ mentions the ‘infamous’ ‘Catsback’ at Limburg Services. What was it ?
Ivor Whittall in ‘The Silk Road’ mentions the ‘infamous’ ‘Catsback’ at Limburg Services. What was it ?
A3 Southbound towards Limburg DL
Steep hill, used to have 40 KPH limit for lorries.