Aksaray Tank farm

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS OLD TIME LORRIES, COMPANIES AND DRIVERS (INTERACT
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I moved some pics over from the photo forum, because they seemed more appropriate here…
Hi guys heres a nice pic of Black Billy posing between our two trucks in Doha.

and heres one of my 141 at Taspinar tank farm, Aksaray, while taking my Bellytank off on my way down to Doha.

Heres a rare pic.
Me and an Indian friend, with Mark Stewarts S reg 141 in Doha, outside Al Kulaifi Garage.

It didnt last long, caught fire on the way home in Bulgaria…Gutted for him.

This one is me in Kuwait .

And this one is my buddy Johnny Neville, with Ritchie Thornes Volvo at Kaf in Saudi, on our way back from Kuwait. ( John drew the cartoon that I posted on the Old drivers forum)

This one is me and Nick King, coming home from Nicks first trip to Doha, on the TAP Line at Hafar al Batin, in Saudi.

This one is of my 112 in Kuwait waiting to clear customs after the war, when Saddam had set the oil wells on fire. Check out the black cloud from the burning oil. It didnt half give you a sore throat, breathing in that ■■■■!!
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Heres one on the TAP Line, on our way home from Doha. Anyone thats been down that way will know that we were homeward bound, because the oil pipeline ( TAP Line) is on the lefthandside of the road.

Heres a different trip, parked up in the desert near Hafar Al Batin. I used to try to get here in one hit, from Haditha. But sometimes I could only make it to the Petrol station at Rafha.

And this one is of my 141 at Khafji border, waiting for the Arab weekend to finish so that I could clear customs into Saudi.

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This one is me and Nick King, coming home from Nicks first trip to Doha, on the TAP Line at Hafar al Batin, in Saudi.

Known to some of us as “The Mirrors”.
I remember on one trip coming up from Dammam,and on reaching “The Mirrors”,saw my mate Kenny Searle,driving a 141 for Grangewoods at the time,bogged down and in kip just off the crossroads.I knocked him up and broke out my 40’ by 1" steel tow rope and managed to tow him out.But then I made the fatal mistake of putting the rope away while NOT wearing gloves,and a broken wire in the rope tore my right index finger full length down to the bone!
I managed to bandage it as best I could,but driving a left ■■■■■■ with my right hand like a boxing glove was not much fun,but of course,once in top gear that was it.We made it to a pumping station on the Tapline with a first aid post,would that be Rafa? A Jordanian Male nurse made an excellent job of stitching my digit,after which I stood up and promtly fainted,Kenny standing behind me,caught me before I hit the deck.
I managed to drive back,calling in the hospital in Belgrade to have my stitches out,but I’ve still got the scar as a reminder.
Where are you now Kenny?

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Great pic`s & Tales you chaps
Please keep em coming :laughing:

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I had forgotten all about Hafar being called the Mirrors, now its all coming flooding back to me. One trip me and Nick King were windsurfing off the beach in Doha and he slipped off the windsurf board and landed on an old half oil drum in the sand, he cut himself right between the toes and had to have about six stitches. Well by the time we left Doha and were on the Tapline at Hafar al Batin, it was time for the stitches to come out. I got out a new razor blade, sterelized it and cut them and whipped them out one by one no fuss. a bit of disifectant and he was right as rain.

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At the time I was running out there,if you turned left at the “mirrors” for Kuwait,the border post was a couple of tents in the desert.
I think it was on my last trip I tipped in Riyhad and the new road from the “mirrors” was open,so it became a crossroads rather than a Tee junction,and saved having to go down to Dammam then back across again.
That would be about '84?

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I only knew that the Mirrors was at Hafar from being told by drivers before I was going that far. By the time I was running down that way, the cross roads was the only set of traffic lights on the TAP Line and it was no longer called the Mirrors. But I remember looking for the place.
The old names live on dont they!

By the way I posted a where am I but nobody has got it, see if you can remember that awful place.
GS

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At the time I was down ther tapline in the '70’s,there were only a couple of places down the whole length where one had to slow down because of a bend in the road.After driving for hours in a straight line,some guys were so mesmerised,they failed to lift off,and that’s where they went over.It was a regular sight to come across one of the bends to find a European truck on its side.
I’m sure that if any of the old guys were to see traffic lights on the tapline,they would think it was a mirage and drive straight through!

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I know what you mean, it was almost a pleasure to stop at the lights and see traffic going across! That was one long boring road, but at times like really early in the morning, around sunrise the scenery was quite nice wasnt it.

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You only made this mistake once.When travelling down the tapline.if you pulled onto the desert to kip for the night,ALWAYS turn and face the rig back up the tapline,(facing West).Otherwise,you wake up in the morning with the sun on your screen and the cab is like an oven!

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Oh yes
Sweating like a ■■■■■■. It was a great alarm clock if you only wanted a few hours. Early start, few hundred clicks before brekky, some of that bacon that you managed to get through the cab control at Haditha…
GS

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Hi Guys
I just came across this pic of one of the old Mercs that I sold down in the Middle East. The trailer went to Doha and the unit ended up in Beirut… what a trip that was, Gearbox failure on the road to Derraa, a week at Derraa sleeping in Nassers office. Made a good profit eventually and the Astran load that I had on got delivered safely in Doha.

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Heres another one of me chained up on the hill at Ullukishlar, after leaving Taspinar Tank farm on the same trip. Oh boy, was I glad I bought those chains in Istanbul.

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Here’s one from the same stretch of road!
After leaving Kuwait in lovely weather,5 days later ran into this drifting snow on the level leading up to Aksaray.3 days and never turned a wheel!