Hello all and Archie wherever you are in OZ just to wish you all a Merry Christmas from the US of A looks like you’ve all got snow in UK while we’ve got sunny days and mild weather here on the west coast.
Have decided to hang up the old HGV and sell Toyota cars instead and believe me when I say the car markets good over here these yanks don’t go without, our dealership is selling on average 250 cars, suv’s and pickups a month so the moneys good and I’m home every night rather than being on the road for 2-3 weeks at a time, only downside is I have to wear a collar and tie.
Roll on the New Year and may it be a good one for one and all.
Just on another note if any of you are considering moving to the states send me a PM and I’ll fill you in on the pitfalls you’ll encounter, cos threre’s a few.
Christmas Greetings Chazzer
Flysheet is that picture by any chance parked opposite Pannioti’s bar in St Nick’s square cos if it is the old Transcon had it’s own reserved spot under the trees when I owned it reason being you could be out on the ■■■■ till the early hours in Glyfada, crash in the bunk till at least 10 am before the sun appeared over the top of the buildings then dissappeared over the trees after a couple of hours so nice and cool in the summer. Pity about the pedestrians who wanted to use the crossing.
On another story most greek regulars will remember Tiny Lee R.I.P who was always full of bluster and BS, having known Tiny since the early seventies when he was ducking and diving out of Leighton Buzzard it was surprising to meet up with him in Piraeus in the early eighties and Tiny being the entreprenurial Tiny soon got involved with some of the local forwarders and started subbing loads out to brits with EEC books. For good or bad he was one of the international transport industries characters who would be lost in todays world of digital tacho’s and drivers CPCs.
A literally larger than life person I remember getting into a small lift in Patras with Tiny and Dave Johnson who worked for Don Alexander (Dave went a good 18 stone ) while trying to book a ferry after the greek drivers strike about 1982 and on the way down the lift stopped about 4 inches past the level of the doors with the result that they would’nt open. I remarked that it was good none of us suffered from claustrophobia in such a confined space, unfortunately Tiny did and proceeded to kick the crap out of the doors, Dave said stand back and I’ll charge them, as we were literally standing shoulder to shoulder I asked him where we should stand back to at which point Tiny’s door kicking must have done some good because a voice informed us that the fire brigade were on their way to release us. Never got in a lift with Tiny again always used the stairs.
Chazzer
chazzer:
Flysheet is that picture by any chance parked opposite Pannioti’s bar in St Nick’s square cos if it is the old Transcon had it’s own reserved spot under the trees when I owned it reason being you could be out on the ■■■■ till the early hours in Glyfada, crash in the bunk till at least 10 am before the sun appeared over the top of the buildings then dissappeared over the trees after a couple of hours so nice and cool in the summer. Pity about the pedestrians who wanted to use the crossing.
On another story most greek regulars will remember Tiny Lee R.I.P who was always full of bluster and BS, having known Tiny since the early seventies when he was ducking and diving out of Leighton Buzzard it was surprising to meet up with him in Piraeus in the early eighties and Tiny being the entreprenurial Tiny soon got involved with some of the local forwarders and started subbing loads out to brits with EEC books. For good or bad he was one of the international transport industries characters who would be lost in todays world of digital tacho’s and drivers CPCs.
A literally larger than life person I remember getting into a small lift in Patras with Tiny and Dave Johnson who worked for Don Alexander (Dave went a good 18 stone ) while trying to book a ferry after the greek drivers strike about 1982 and on the way down the lift stopped about 4 inches past the level of the doors with the result that they would’nt open. I remarked that it was good none of us suffered from claustrophobia in such a confined space, unfortunately Tiny did and proceeded to kick the crap out of the doors, Dave said stand back and I’ll charge them, as we were literally standing shoulder to shoulder I asked him where we should stand back to at which point Tiny’s door kicking must have done some good because a voice informed us that the fire brigade were on their way to release us. Never got in a lift with Tiny again always used the stairs.
Chazzer
Hullo Charlie,
Good tale, although I’m sorry to hear about Tiny (R.I.P.) I thought that he was probably just enjoying retirement now. As you so rightly say, one of lifes true characters. Dave Johnson, as you know when I was doing work for Don, Dave was there, another really top bloke. Whatever happened to him I wonder. The last time I saw him was in Dover. Apparently him and Nick the Greek were working on Tankers, uk only. He was I believe parted from Muriel and living in xxxxx, Do you believe I’ve forgotten where, It’ll come back to me and I’ll fill in the space .
Cheers, Archie.
Hello Archie, guess you and I are the only ones on here at this time of day god knows how many hours in front or behind each other we are but I’m sure plenty of people will have some memories of Tiny , good or bad, to share on here; he probably deserves a thread of his own.
Charlie
Not quite in St Nicks Chazzer just before there though near the telephone kiosk thing. I do know the spot you mean outside Pannis gaff though nice & cool with a sea breeze to cool the ouzo haze
I’d forgotten all about Tiny & did’nt realise he was RIP I loaded a few times for him & despite his reputation I always found him alright to deal with & he paid up on time. I seem to remember the cab falling off that Transcon roadtrain he had too whilst it was being tilted.
All you Anglo Greek drivers met, a bloke today who had been looking at a Transcon to buy, whose was it? Chinky Neville’s £4000 was the asking price,too much Ouzo me thinks
Please dont bump Tiny Lee up as a great guy who did no wrong,I know its not nice to talk bad of the dead but he had an evil side like we all do,Tiny had a money fetish ,your money I did a load for Tiny and never got paid the full amount for the job,bad move on my part taking a load from him when I could have gone direct to the Greek ,when the Greek failed to pay the full amount I had to suffer the loss.as an agent he should have taken the loss but Tiny never paid till he got paid anyone can do that I say no more
Roger, I was’nt bumping Tiny up in any way as I had known him for a long time before he turned up in Greece, I was merely pointing out that he was one of the larger than life characters (literally) who turn up in the haulage industry. I had had my set to’s with him back in the uk over money so I treated all my dealings with him with a certain amount of caution and made sure I got my money but in your case I agree he should have shouldered some of the responsibility as he was acting as an agent but then had you gone direct to the greek you would still have been out of pocket and had to waste more time and money trying to extract it from him to no avail.
Charlie
Yes your quite right I suppose I worded it wrong ,Sorry ,Maybe I would have had the problem with the Greek but Tiny had a bullish attitude to the greeks ,I always wondered how he got the loads,nevermind it was so many years ago the loss is gone ,Tiny is gone ,we will all be gone ,and this will not matter
biffo:
All you Anglo Greek drivers met, a bloke today who had been looking at a Transcon to buy, whose was it? Chinky Neville’s £4000 was the asking price,too much Ouzo me thinks
Hullo Hughie,
Well if that Transcon for sale was Nev´s Truck, and the bloke buys it, I should say he´s got himself a good deal. When I worked with ■■■■■, he´s truck was always kept immaculate inside, he was almost like a tart in his fussiness about his truck. He was also a trained mechanic on ■■■■■■■ Engines, so that would also be in good shape. There may be a few things that would need attention, but the price seems fair to me for an almost unobtainable truck.
Hullo Charlie,
I am now in Argentina, I came here instead of Chile because of the earthquake. I shall be back in Brasil for the weekend, I´m there till the end of May, so I´ll PM you when I get there.
biffo:
All you Anglo Greek drivers met, a bloke today who had been looking at a Transcon to buy, whose was it? Chinky Neville’s £4000 was the asking price,too much Ouzo me thinks
Hullo Hughie,
Well if that Transcon for sale was Nev´s Truck, and the bloke buys it, I should say he´s got himself a good deal. When I worked with ■■■■■, he´s truck was always kept immaculate inside, he was almost like a tart in his fussiness about his truck. He was also a trained mechanic on ■■■■■■■ Engines, so that would also be in good shape. There may be a few things that would need attention, but the price seems fair to me for an almost unobtainable truck.
Hullo Charlie,
I am now in Argentina, I came here instead of Chile because of the earthquake. I shall be back in Brasil for the weekend, I´m there till the end of May, so I´ll PM you when I get there.
Cheers, Archie.
Archie, have known ■■■■■ a good few years and knew of his ability to wield a spanner especially with a ■■■■■■■■■■ had that engine running to perfection and then he changed the diff as he wanted more speed, boy could that fly, he told me he was to scared to take it to the limit. The guy who was looking at it said the cab was pretty rotten and would need a load of work , Regards Hughie
Biffo, I don’t know what Chinkie’s transcon would do but when I owned the one further up on this page before Fly Sheet bought it we clocked it at 96 mph tractor only one day, rattled and bounced around a bit, good job I did’nt have to stop quickly, wedge brakes eh could’nt if I wanted to . I suppose that’ll bring out a few cries of stupid bugger.
Chazzer
Hullo Hughie,
Well I suppose that if there is a bit of rot on the cab then that is to be expected, more especially a vehicle built in that era. Of course it very much depends on what the bloke wants to do with it. If he wants to go to work with it then yes it´s far too much to pay, but if he wants to do it up and show it, then that´s a different kettle of fish. Most people that restore vehicles find this. Panels for the cab can still be bought, but it´s the doing it, creating a new vehicles that turn these people on, and they do pay good prices for the vehicle to start with. As we have both said we know that the working parts will be tip top. Still I suppose it´s all down to what New values it at and how much the bloke can afford to pay.
Cheers, Archie.
chazzer:
Biffo, I don’t know what Chinkie’s transcon would do but when I owned the one further up on this page before Fly Sheet bought it we clocked it at 96 mph tractor only one day, rattled and bounced around a bit, good job I did’nt have to stop quickly, wedge brakes eh could’nt if I wanted to . I suppose that’ll bring out a few cries of stupid bugger.
Chazzer
I would’nt be suprised at that Chazzer it was a nightmare trying to stick to the limit in any country, it did’nt like going into overdrive until you where doing 100kph, Nevs X reg was even worse he went eveywhere at 120kph regardless, I did’nt have any seat sponge left from putting it in the tacho to transit Yugo
Thanks to flysheet for posting this elsewhere on this site!
The truck in question, showed this to Chinky on monday night on a night out together & he got all sentimental started reminissing about the ol girl! he also started cracking open more n more beers as we talked, Nev got rid of her in about 2004 when he started on Birds & i believe it has sat in the same scrap yard in Bedford ever since, working with the od git tonight will tell him wots goin on with her!!
It’s about time Chinky got back on here again and shared his stories about the middle east and greece some of which I know would get censored by the moderator especially the one about the yugoslavian train journey and the guard. As to the Transcon, £4000 out of a breakers yard where its been sitting for 6 years, I would have thought half that would have more than enough.
chazzer
