As posted elsewhere on here, a 1969 Commer 6x2, re-engined with a CAT of some sort and a Fuller box. It’s still at work, I saw it last week on Sydney’s western orbital toll road:
(Short vid here: flickr.com/photos/56546711@N03/8719141403/)
I’ve also spotted a TK 6-legger with a tautliner at work around SW Sydney this last week or two, it’s eluded my camera so far but persistence is everything.
Better watch here cause Mr Mushroom is called Steve as well, it could get confusing.
Up until at leas 2004 the bridge at Copper ■■■■ was only wide enough for one truck so if you met anything coming the other way you had to stop.That included caravans. I can’t remember how many times I called "B Double north bound " over the CB. I think the post office trucks were exempt to that call as they just kept coming no matter what.
The Copper ■■■■ bridge was on the Pacific Highway about 50k’s north of Taree which is the main road from Sydney to Brisbane ( Brisvagas )
The first few times I crossed the Nullarbor I was frightened to shut the truck down when I stopped as it was so remote. If for some reason it wouldn’t start I’d be there a long time before help… I wandered down to the sea to have a look at the ocean and there was only white sand either way as far as the eye could see must have been the best part of 15k’s each way. No other human in sight, not a sound other than the ocean.
On another trip from Karratha I managed to cover 340k’s before met another vehicle coming the other way. It was pretty busy that day. lol…
Jeff…
Hi Jelliot, some cracking pics, and with 1500 odd of them to come, looks like you’ll be going for a while. I’ve a few contacts in Oz and can add a few now and again.
This classic from Trucker Dan (hometown Townsville Queensland) his truck for the day(recently) and snapped at Laverton Nth Melbourne.
Oily
He’s pretty keen if he’s driven a day cab Merc from Townsville to Laverton with a load of Chep Pallets, that’s about 3.5 days each way. Good photo.
Jeff…
Jelliot:
He’s pretty keen if he’s driven a day cab Merc from Townsville to Laverton with a load of Chep Pallets, that’s about 3.5 days each way. Good photo.Jeff…
He’s currently working out of Sunbury Victoria.
Oily
edit…just had a message from Dan the Merc is in good nick and registered to cart 68t.
Cheers
Oily
This is his normal steed, his own T600.
Oily
There are still a few SK Mercs working down here, no one seems to have a problem pulling a B-Double with them. If I were doing Townsville Laverton I would probably use the KW.
Jeff…
Here’s some photos of a widening trailer we use them for moving wide plant Dozers etc.
This one can widen up to 3.8 meters . When it’s in it’s 2.4 meters. It runs 8 oscillating bogies and is plated for 70 tons.
[/img][
And the Jeep dolly widens as well, with an added 4 oscillating bogies
Drag it with a Mack, and push it with a Kenworth.
Similar trailer but running closed.
](http://s743.photobucket.com/user/belstonefox/media/Australian%20trucks/DSCF4612_zps24b0024a.jpg.html)
Times have changed in WA since I came here in the 60s. Note the average transport café, a fire at the side of the road was a magnet for any truck or car to stop at just to break the monotony of a long boring trip. Then take a look at modern transport.
I was just looking at those photos and thought that it looked like the docks at Freemantel, than I saw you had it tagged it as Freemantle, I should have been a detective !!!
Pretty sophisticated looking billy you have going there. The guy in the middle without the shirt looks like a young John Preston, I used to haul grain and fertilizer with him.
I assume that big round thing is something to do with digging big holes.
Jeff…
That guy is the only one whose name I can’t remember, the one in the white tee-shirt is John (lofty) Sharp. He came from BRS Bedford along with Ray Johnson and myself in the early 60s. Sadly, both have now passed on as has Reg Golding who is squatting down. We used to think Lofty Sharp was tall at 6’ 10" but John on the left was taller. He couldn’t fit into the bunks in the old Mercs and Fodens. The post hole digger is actually a ‘rotary car dumper’ used for unloading two railway wagons of iron ore without uncoupling them. Freemantle is in Southampton, its Fremantle in WA. However, this shot was taken in Port Hedland.
Jelliot:
I was just looking at those photos and thought that it looked like the docks at Freemantel, than I saw you had it tagged it as Freemantle, I should have been a detective !!!Pretty sophisticated looking billy you have going there. The guy in the middle without the shirt looks like a young John Preston, I used to haul grain and fertilizer with him.
I assume that big round thing is something to do with digging big holes.
Jeff…
BRS FH66:
its Fremantle in WA. However, this shot was taken in Port Hedland.Jelliot:
I was just looking at those photos and thought that it looked like the docks at Freemantel, than I saw you had it tagged it as Freemantle,
To the tourist it was Fremantle.
Yes Fremantle, I’m sitting here with bog roll up my nose and have been taking Demazon for a couple of day so Freemantle got past me.
When I first came to Australia in the 80’s I landed a job driving a Loiusville out of Adelaide and one of the bosses mate was John Perston who had a Mule with a bucket on the back running grain and fertilizer. I don’t know if that guy is John but if you add 20 years and a couple of million K’s it’s not far of and he told me used to drive mail for Gascoyne. My training ground was the farms down the Ayre peninsular, the guy that had the truck was well in with NTFS and IPEC so before long I was pulling trains north and west.
Jeff
Hi BRS FH66 and Jelliot.I lived in Australia in the mid 60’s,working around the country doing a variety of jobs,I had a hgv license and did some lorry driving jobs.When i got to Perth i worked for The Department Of The Interior as a chainman.We did a survey between Carnavon and Onslo in the outback living in tents,we were suplied with fresh food monthly by Gascoyne Transport,we met them on the main road,mostly Fodens and a AEC mk5 Mamoth Major artics.Did you do that run,when i came back to the UK in 68 i started at BRS Bridgend day tramping,happy days.This is me overnight digs bush style.
Regards Tony
A lot of guys in the 60’s and 70’s seemed to have honed in on WA and Perth, was that cause it was cheaper/ easier to get to ?
I never had any plans so I went to Adelaida as the travel agent had some kind of flight and accommodation deal going, seamed as good a place as any to start.
That looks like a fairly good spot you found there, nice and smooth. What time of year were you there?
I have a mate that does fly in fly out rail track maintenance in the Pilbera area and was telling me last week it was 47, but the worst part was that was still 38 at 2 in the morning. He was pretty cranky when he got back.
Jeff…
The photo was taken in october 67,I started of in Adelaide in 65 and lived in Glenelg then went east then north ending up in WA.Tony
They don’t show you photos like this in tourist brochures.
]
Jeff…
Yes mate, I remember supplying all the government camps with food and supplies when I drove for Gascoyne Trading. How those old Fodens held together on the dirt roads north of Carnarvon, I’ll never know. We also delivered supplies to the Main Roads grader drivers who towed a caravan behind their grader and were in a different place every week often taking cartons of grog to them. As we were on regular weekly runs, these old guys used to give us a shopping list and the cash for their personal supplies as they would be on the road for over a month. Our bosses didn’t know about this, though. One grader driver used to start from his base in Carnarvon and grade nearly 500 kms of the Northwest Coastal Highway to Roebourne, then grade across to Wittenoom before going on to Roy Hill station and back down the Great Northern Highway to Meekatharra and then across to Gascoyne Junction and back to his base in Carnarvon. Interesting you then worked for Bridgend BRS because we used to do a trunk with them when I was at BRS Bedford changing trailers at Gloucester.
beaver 680:
Hi BRS FH66 and Jelliot.I lived in Australia in the mid 60’s,working around the country doing a variety of jobs,I had a hgv license and did some lorry driving jobs.When i got to Perth i worked for The Department Of The Interior as a chainman.We did a survey between Carnavon and Onslo in the outback living in tents,we were suplied with fresh food monthly by Gascoyne Transport,we met them on the main road,mostly Fodens and a AEC mk5 Mamoth Major artics.Did you do that run,when i came back to the UK in 68 i started at BRS Bridgend day tramping,happy days.This is me overnight digs bush style.
Regards Tony
