lespaul1765:
i used to live in poole,and i remember seeing that kenworth parked outside furnell’s garage by the dock gates quite a lot… always seemed to have something wrong with it…
Everyone wanted to drive it, as soon as they did, they wanted to go back to a Volvo. The engine hump was enormous so the drivers right leg was jammed against it, getting hot. Switch positions were archaic. If you stopped for a quick break in a rest area, someone would pull themselves up on the door mirror to have a look in the cab just as you were nodding off. Aircon never worked etc etc.
did you ever have anything to do with it,drive it or whatever?
i work for a kw dealer in canada now,ive worked on a few, cant imagine anyone going too far away in one,
oh yeah,the burning wiring loom is common place on kw cabovers,it rubs through where it comes up into the cab,
any ideas where it went? scrapped maybe?
SirMartin clearly knew the company well.I have to say that I found Ian to be very straight forward,an excellent linguist,and a good man manager.What else could you ask for?I heard from someone,who knew him in the military,that he was a brave leader too(decorated for bravery even).Clearly some of the setbacks,mentioned in your post,would have stopped some hauliers in their tracks.It does not appear to have had that effect on him?
sirmartinfrobisher:
Just to put the picture straight, Ian Rycroft started in the transport business when he bought two or three Kangaroo Trailers out of his retirement lump sum from the Royal Engineers and started a traffic sharing agreement with Doman of Irun, Spain. In about 1976, Doman pulled out of the agreement, opened an office in Poole and set up in opposition to him, having all his pricing details in their possession (from the traffic sharing agreement). Ian went through a really rough time, he lost much of his staple business and the trucks were running on border insurance because he couldnt afford a full policy. He had one customer that kept him going running phosphorous pentachloride to Huelva. He then began to really concentrate on the explosive and chemical side of the business which was way more profitable and changed the company name from Rycroft European Transport to ECTransport (Explosive and Chemical Transport).
That KW was pure vanity, it had a 535hp Detroit Diesel in it and would average about 4.5mpg, the wiring loom burnt out in Athens on a trip to Turkey and the oil pump failed on Cherbourg Hill on its last trip (result=new engine). It was the cover photo story in Supertruck Magazine in about 1977, Ian bought it from Dandos, Chipping Sodbury after they imported it from Switzerland.
The company FCF that was mentioned was “Furnell, Compton, Flower”
The work to Oman came from a contract that a company called “Gulfsped” got, I don’t know what happened to it, Ian had a share, so did Frank Flower, I foget the third. Much of the traction to Marseille and Genoa (for the Jeddah Transport) was done by Frank Flower, he paid trip money, I think it was £80.00 for a Marseille and £90.00 for a Genoa. I was told that one of the drivers had managed two round trips in a week to Genoa from Poole.
Just one final word, Ian was prone to a little exageration, it was always better to look for independent confirmation of what he said but even when things were really bad, he would pay his drivers a the instant that they produced their time sheet and expenses form.
He also had two trucks on the Herald of Free Enterprise when it capsized and got all sorts of flack from HSE, but he had notified TT of the contents by Telex before loading, I saw the Telex.
i remember working for my last employer in engalnd, daf dealer in bournemouth,
at the time we were looking after ect trucks,one of ians drivers i got to know said he was on the herald the night she went over,awesome guy,cant remember his name,trying to talk to him about it,seemed to send him to another place,i think his name was Tim, something,■■
lespaul1765:
i remember working for my last employer in engalnd, daf dealer in bournemouth,
at the time we were looking after ect trucks,one of ians drivers i got to know said he was on the herald the night she went over,awesome guy,cant remember his name,trying to talk to him about it,seemed to send him to another place,i think his name was Tim, something,■■
You must have been a Morey’s man. I had a little incident in the first DAF he bought, PJT34R, in Tours, a stupid French car driver pulled out in front of me, I was on the N158, heading north, he didn’t even look my way as he drove out of a side road onto 4 lanes. I was loaded with plywood, in a sealed TIR trailer, I hadn’t loaded it and I daren’t swerve so I banaaned him. Johnny Young was right behind me and entertained himself by telling the Gendarmes that I’d been on the pop all night. Best thing was, when we got to Poole, the law was waiting for him and he went straight to Dorchester jail for failure to pay a fine, something to do with a stolen car I was told.
John Young? Strange sense of humour?? I was told by one of the ‘‘old and bold’’ at E.C. some years ago,that he took the boss to court because he fell off the roof of a tilt that he was trying to strip.He lost apparently! Maybe he should have tried taking Isaac Newton to court?He went of to Davies in Southampton,although he was an 01er(Londoner).Last heard of some years ago in Liverpool.Good Luck Liverpool!!!
muhandis89:
John Young? Strange sense of humour?? I was told by one of the ‘‘old and bold’’ at E.C. some years ago,that he took the boss to court because he fell off the roof of a tilt that he was trying to strip.He lost apparently! Maybe he should have tried taking Isaac Newton to court?He went of to Davies in Southampton,although he was an 01er(Londoner).Last heard of some years ago in Liverpool.Good Luck Liverpool!!!
Liverpool? interesting, there’s things I cannot say there. He drove for Presto European out of Olympia Station Yard before working for Ian. He was a good photographer and never missed an opportunity. Last I knew, he was landlord of a pub in Highcliffe? God knows how he got a licence.
muhandis89:
John Young? Strange sense of humour?? I was told by one of the ‘‘old and bold’’ at E.C. some years ago,that he took the boss to court because he fell off the roof of a tilt that he was trying to strip.He lost apparently! Maybe he should have tried taking Isaac Newton to court?He went of to Davies in Southampton,although he was an 01er(Londoner).Last heard of some years ago in Liverpool.Good Luck Liverpool!!!
Liverpool? interesting, there’s things I cannot say there. He drove for Presto European out of Olympia Station Yard before working for Ian. He was a good photographer and never missed an opportunity. Last I knew, he was landlord of a pub in Highcliffe? God knows how he got a licence.
lespaul1765:
i remember working for my last employer in engalnd, daf dealer in bournemouth,
at the time we were looking after ect trucks,one of ians drivers i got to know said he was on the herald the night she went over,awesome guy,cant remember his name,trying to talk to him about it,seemed to send him to another place,i think his name was Tim, something,■■
You must have been a Morey’s man. I had a little incident in the first DAF he bought, PJT34R, in Tours, a stupid French car driver pulled out in front of me, I was on the N158, heading north, he didn’t even look my way as he drove out of a side road onto 4 lanes. I was loaded with plywood, in a sealed TIR trailer, I hadn’t loaded it and I daren’t swerve so I banaaned him. Johnny Young was right behind me and entertained himself by telling the Gendarmes that I’d been on the pop all night. Best thing was, when we got to Poole, the law was waiting for him and he went straight to Dorchester jail for failure to pay a fine, something to do with a stolen car I was told.
yes sir i was a moreys man,proud of it,awesome bosses and awesome products,
muhandis89:
John Young? Strange sense of humour?? I was told by one of the ‘‘old and bold’’ at E.C. some years ago,that he took the boss to court because he fell off the roof of a tilt that he was trying to strip.He lost apparently! Maybe he should have tried taking Isaac Newton to court?He went of to Davies in Southampton,although he was an 01er(Londoner).Last heard of some years ago in Liverpool.Good Luck Liverpool!!!
Liverpool? interesting, there’s things I cannot say there. He drove for Presto European out of Olympia Station Yard before working for Ian. He was a good photographer and never missed an opportunity. Last I knew, he was landlord of a pub in Highcliffe? God knows how he got a licence.
Hey jj72, I Remember Transoman quite well ‘Good to hear them mentioned on here’ I Remember it was run by a guy called Lenny Smith and remember a driver on there A GOOD LAD called Shamus… Think he was based in Mark Comptons yard for a while. Think Lenny went off to Ireland to retire Ha Ha
SB
I remember the 142 /3 that Transoman had well, I often wondered how they put the cab over with the Luton head the body had on it,I once saw it in the shed in Poole loaded with reed thatch and the Customs unloading it ■■■■■■ by ■■■■■■.
SB139:
Hey jj72, I Remember Transoman quite well ‘Good to hear them mentioned on here’ I Remember it was run by a guy called Lenny Smith and remember a driver on there A GOOD LAD called Shamus… Think he was based in Mark Comptons yard for a while. Think Lenny went off to Ireland to retire Ha Ha
Regards Kev
Even more memories, do you remember FCF International? wasn’t it run by Compton’s son-in-law? There were some funny (as in strange) stories there.
Years ago I drove a BMC(lot a years) with a luton head like that and to tilt the cab you had to lift the floor up in the Luton,Great ,no problem in the garage when it’s empty but not much good on the road when your loaded. The BMC wasn’t a proper tilt cab like we have now,you had to undo the steering uj and there were two big bolts that held the cab down at the back(BMC Mastiff I think).
You could get to the engine by unclipping a section of the cab floor if you wanted to say bleed the pump,this was the way they were made by BMC not a conversion or anything. A real beast.
I was on the Westlink in Belfast last week and there was a Transoman rigid in front of me with if IRC a southern irish reg.
regrds derek
muhandis89:
From what I have heard,Mr Frank Flower,Mr Compton and Mr Mike Furnell are all dead.
kerbut:
SB
For FCF ,read Flower,Compton, Furnell
It was Ken Flowers who is still alive also he owns a lot of property the industrial estate at Three Legged Cross is one.
The C was Cecil Compton who died many years ago.
The F was Furnell can’t remember his first name but he too died many years ago as did his son Mike a couple of years ago.
As for Transoman Lenny Smith did move to Ireland and was driving a truck again but he too died a few years ago and Seamus unfortunately he is dead too died very very young.
muhandis89:
From what I have heard,Mr Frank Flower,Mr Compton and Mr Mike Furnell are all dead.
kerbut:
SB
For FCF ,read Flower,Compton, Furnell
It was Ken Flowers who is still alive also he owns a lot of property the industrial estate at Three Legged Cross is one.
The C was Cecil Compton who died many years ago.
The F was Furnell can’t remember his first name but he too died many years ago as did his son Mike a couple of years ago.
As for Transoman Lenny Smith did move to Ireland and was driving a truck again but he too died a few years ago and Seamus unfortunately he is dead too died very very young.
Regards Pat
I thought it was Frank Flowers, he did a lot of traction work, Kenny, his brother was the used truck dealer who made a lot of money. He had a yard at Longham. Frank’s yard was in Wheelers Lane? I did couple of trips for him to Marseilles.