Here you are YoYo5 a few photos of the road you travelled a while back as it is now.
The road train hook up area at Wubin in your day doubles now triples in my day you wouldn’t be game to leave your dollies unattended lol the middle branch of the Gascoyn Mt Gibson in the distance and the type of loads you meet all the time and the Capricorn Road House 20km south of Newman in your day just a 40foot donga if it was even there.
Cheers DIG
Great photos there DIG. the Capricorn is now just a line of B Double fuel tankers feeding the mines going night and day.
Jeff…
Jelliot:
Great photos there DIG. the Capricorn is now just a line of B Double fuel tankers feeding the mines going night and day.Jeff…
Hi jeff,
We used to love getting our hands on any large pieces of equipment that came in at Dammam Port. Some massive American earthmovers (sorry, can’t remember who built them) came in and we drove them to our yard before onward transit, think we put them on low loaders, they bounced a bit on the highway. You climbed up several steps to reach the cab, at least 10 feet above the ground.
I do remember the large plastic tags on the ignition keys:
‘It’s fun to find out how it works by trying it - but it’s much cheaper to read the handbook first’.
Ok, I confess…
John.
Hi Dig, Fantastic photos but Hey Ho. It all looks so different the Tarmac looks so much better than I remember it. Maybe its a lack of memory but Im sure a lot of the road was just Graded and I cannot remember the Capricorn in fact I cannot remember a road house that close to Newman. What I can remember is the road stops were not Tarmacked at all and you had to keep your windows closed as trucks pulling in would put up a cloud of red dust to add to the lot you already had, Ha Ha . That's just jogged a memory the F serious Mack used to let in dust from around the throttle where it went through the body Bloody nuisance. Keep the photos coming.
Here’s an oldie I came across today. It’s not (yet another) claasic wagon show condition (thank [zb]), but someone’s spent time and a fair amount of wedge getting it to pass NSW RTA inspection.
Coincidentally I came across this old girl parked up at the side of the road a stone’s throw and a half from a yard where three old Fodens are parked. Two have their backs to the road, the one I can see is an old Aboods wagon. Been trying to get photos for weeks but no luck yet.
Hi again all and to ParkRoyal2100 an Abood’s Foden thanks to Richard Mohr, pic taken on the Old Hume Highway at Razorback Mountain nr Picton, dunno about the restored Foden, whose that might have been.
Oily
Thanks for the pics of some old Aboods motors Oily - I can remember seeing their wagons around Sydney in the early 90s, and Razorback is not 15mins drive from me. Still haven’t managed to get a decent snap of the ones I mentioned earlier, but like any doctor I need patients.
In the meantime, came across this at the docks in Port Kembla today:
Couple from Napier, New Zealand last week
You all might be interested to see the scale of logging export from little ole’ N.Z. ?
oiltreader:
Hi again all and to ParkRoyal2100 an Abood’s Foden thanks to Richard Mohr, pic taken on the Old Hume Highway at Razorback Mountain nr Picton, dunno about the restored Foden, whose that might have been.
Oily
Hey Oily,
I finally got round to taking a few snaps of the old Fodens I was on about. Sorry they’re not all that, but given they’re in a fenced-off yard and I don’t want unnecessary grief, they’re the best I can do.
PS I’m no longer convinced the last one is an old Aboods wagon, but don’t know who else would have used that livery.
PPS bigger pics on my flickr page, here Fodens April 2015 | Flickr
ParkRoyal2100:
oiltreader:
Hi again all and to ParkRoyal2100 an Abood’s Foden thanks to Richard Mohr, pic taken on the Old Hume Highway at Razorback Mountain nr Picton, dunno about the restored Foden, whose that might have been.
OilyHey Oily,
I finally got round to taking a few snaps of the old Fodens I was on about. Sorry they’re not all that, but given they’re in a fenced-off yard and I don’t want unnecessary grief, they’re the best I can do.
PS I’m no longer convinced the last one is an old Aboods wagon, but don’t know who else would have used that livery.
PPS bigger pics on my flickr page, here Fodens April 2015 | Flickr
Hi ParkRoyal2100, nice one, bet they could tell a tale or two.
Another Foden, 1960 vintage and RR power.
Oily
This Foden looks like an old Gascoyne Traders unit from WA maybe cut down to single drive,its paint scheme and fuel tank across the chassis is similar to theirs of that era.I know they had a number of Fodens in their fleet.
I see its chained to a tree to stop it from escaping.
Cheers Dig
DIG:
This Foden looks like an old Gascoyne Traders unit from WA maybe cut down to single drive,its paint scheme and fuel tank across the chassis is similar to theirs of that era.I know they had a number of Fodens in their fleet.
I see its chained to a tree to stop it from escaping.Cheers Dig
Thanks Dig. I’ve had a look at the original and though the paint is well faded I can just make out “Charles E. Lowe” on the side. Dunno if that means owt to you. The one next to it (in the same colours) is a tandem axle, which lends weight to your theory.
The name Charles E Lowe docent ring any bells Park Royal 2100 I think the man who might know is BRS FH66 he worked for Gassies during their Foden days and I think he posted a pic on this Thread showing one of them ,just had a look Page 2 its in black and white but tropical roof is the same.
Cheers DIG
DIG:
The name Charles E Lowe docent ring any bells Park Royal 2100 I think the man who might know is BRS FH66 he worked for Gassies during their Foden days and I think he posted a pic on this Thread showing one of them ,just had a look Page 2 its in black and white but tropical roof is the same.
Cheers DIG
Good catch Dig, looks very similar.
ParkRoyal2100:
DIG:
The name Charles E Lowe docent ring any bells Park Royal 2100 I think the man who might know is BRS FH66 he worked for Gassies during their Foden days and I think he posted a pic on this Thread showing one of them ,just had a look Page 2 its in black and white but tropical roof is the same.
Cheers DIGGood catch Dig, looks very similar.
Guesty44:
ParkRoyal2100:
DIG:
The name Charles E Lowe docent ring any bells Park Royal 2100 I think the man who might know is BRS FH66 he worked for Gassies during their Foden days and I think he posted a pic on this Thread showing one of them ,just had a look Page 2 its in black and white but tropical roof is the same.
Cheers DIGGood catch Dig, looks very similar.
It turns out this was an Aboods wagon, the name on the door is probably one of their drivers who turned subbie.
@ Dig, I did some mooching around on the interwebz and I think you’re right, the old Fodens are ex-Gascoynes, though what they’re doing (rotting?) in a yard near Sydney is another question.
Hi PR2100
Just had a look at these other pics you posted and the old Leyland was branded a Mastiff here in Aus
I bought one brand spanking in 1973 powered by a mighty 185hp V8 Perkins it leaked more oil than it used but reliable always got me home and I owned it for some 10years operating out of Derby in the West Kimberly servicing Fitzroy Xing and places as far away a Kalumbaru,that old girl went there long before Outback Truckers were a twinkle in a TV producers eye.
There was another gentleman operator in Derby who ran a number of the Butterbox Inters and he pioneered the Gibb River road ,his Inters were alway immaculately maintained and they all ran ■■■■■■■ V8 as I recall .
There were no Graders and front end loaders to come to our rescue in those days I spent 2 days once bogged in the Gibb river an axe shovel and 20ton Lake and Elliot jack plus some armstrong power with a liberal dose of bad language extracted me from the mire.lol
Cheers DIG
No idea how /why the old Fodens ended up your side of the planet possibly a several sold as a lot deal and shipped across.
I just found this PR2100 ,apparently the Fodens were relegated to yard shunters before they were disposed of.
This photo was taken in the early 90s I believe and the gentleman is the depot manager and former driver Ron Biok. Ron and his partner/offsider Rodney Oliver did 11 years together on the Kimberly run for Gascoynes,in those days a 2 week run if all went according to plan ,these days 4 to 5 days.Surprizing what a few bridges and some tar macadam and 600hp can do.
Is this old girl one of the two in your pics I wonder .
Cheers DIG
