This is a picture of negotiating the overhang, on the road back from the copper mine to Belgrade. As I said in “Trucking Magic”, I had gone there to deliver a consignment of cleaning equipment and cleaning fluid, for the medals that they made for the 84 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo. Why they were making the medals there I do not know. Unless of course they made them out of copper and then painted them to look like gold, silver and bronze.
As far as I remember, I took the last load of five to the mine. I cannot remember who took the other four.
I had cleared the goods in Belgrade Central Customs, dropped off groupage and then run to the mine.
Having messed around with the overhang I wished that the medal equipment had come off in Belgrade as well.
It was actually a gold mine (as well as a copper mine) at Majdanpek. I took the coin minting machine there which was to create gold medals for the Sarajevo Olympics. What your photo’ does not show is the sheer drop on what would be on the right and the wheel had to be right on the edge to get around the corner otherwise the trailer would hit the overhang. Vodka: Did you manage to hit the overhang?
On the way to Majdanpek - and driving a right hand drive vehicle - you could look out the driver’s side window to ensure the front wheel was literally on the edge. It had to be otherwise you wouldn’t make it round the corner.
Driving home (in a right hand drive vehicle) was a very, very different matter and you had to go round the corner with the overhang very, very carefully (and anxiously) indeed. A very unpleasant senstion of having the left wheel as close to the edge as one could guess without actually being able to see it - a tiny bit too far to the left would mean disappearing over the edge of the gorge.
This is a picture of negotiating the overhang, on the road back from the copper mine to Belgrade. As I said in “Trucking Magic”, I had gone there to deliver a consignment of cleaning equipment and cleaning fluid, for the medals that they made for the 84 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo. Why they were making the medals there I do not know. Unless of course they made them out of copper and then painted them to look like gold, silver and bronze.
As far as I remember, I took the last load of five to the mine. I cannot remember who took the other four.
I had cleared the goods in Belgrade Central Customs, dropped off groupage and then run to the mine.
Having messed around with the overhang I wished that the medal equipment had come off in Belgrade as well.
It was actually a gold mine (as well as a copper mine) at Majdanpek. I took the coin minting machine there which was to create gold medals for the Sarajevo Olympics. What your photo’ does not show is the sheer drop on what would be on the right and the wheel had to be right on the edge to get around the corner otherwise the trailer would hit the overhang. Vodka: Did you manage to hit the overhang?
On the way to Majdanpek - and driving a right hand drive vehicle - you could look out the driver’s side window to ensure the front wheel was literally on the edge. It had to be otherwise you wouldn’t make it round the corner.
Driving home (in a right hand drive vehicle) was a very, very different matter and you had to go round the corner with the overhang very, very carefully (and anxiously) indeed. A very unpleasant senstion of having the left wheel as close to the edge as one could guess without actually being able to see it - a tiny bit too far to the left would mean disappearing over the edge of the gorge.
I only did one of the loads to Majdanpek but had been forewarned in advance.
Hi Efes. No, I just missed it. I remember that drop on the other side of the road though. You would not want to go over that. And yes, it was tight. Very tight. Not helped by the Yugo car drivers flying into the bend.
mushroomman:
Hello Brian and all the other posters, keep posting the great photos and there are some really interesting stories coming out which are great to read.
Anyway, when kmills uploaded this photo last week I had a bit of trouble seeing it properly as it seemed to be slightly out of focus. Although I did notice the guy with the beard before I could make out who the Dow driver was so I went back through the early pages of this thread only to find that the photo of him has now disappeared.
So what do you think ? does this look like the same guy in both of the photos.
B.T.W. I was fascinated by Efes tale of the inflatable pub but I have just got to ask “did it have a dart board”.
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Morning mushroomman. The only guy In the main picture that I thought I recognised was perhaps Promotor driver John Mantle. He is the chap on the right with the unkempt beard. Cannonhaul put some photos a few days ago and one of them also looks like John. There must also be another Promotor driver somewhere in the main picture as we have heard that Promotor hired lorries from BVH and the red Transcon is one of theirs.
Morning Brian(Sandway), excuse me for correcting you but I think you,re wrong with your assumption that the driver in that picture is Johnny Mantle. I,ve done a little research and in an earlier pic supplied by Cannonhaul, you see John Ward standing in front of the same BVH Transcon AFTER being resprayed into Promotor colours. It is on a “P” plate (1975/6) so the earlier pic in BVH colours would have been around 76/77 and I don,t think Johnny Mantle came till a little later. Its more likely to be Big John McFall. He had an ex-Promotor Scania which was kitted out with a roof rack for his bits and pieces which you can plainly see. I,m almost sure that Peter took a dim view of things like roof-racks,ladders and such like adorning his fleet at that time! But as usual, I stand corrected if somebody can prove otherwise !! Over to you
Hello Nottsnortherner. When I mentioned John Mantle’s name I wasn’t sure it was him. I didn’t know John McFall and in the photo theres definitely a likeness but yes John Mantle started later. Perhaps after me.
Just to give you all an idea, it was bitterly cold out there in Paddock Wood, as the wind was blowing a gale. In fact, the gazeebo was blown over as we were taking it down, on the Sunday afternoon. Andy had me standing there smiling for about 10 minutes and as soon as I stopped smiling he took the photo. Obviously a David Bailey in the making. Either that or he was going for the windswept and interesting image.
But, I sold quite a few books and met some great people, who stopped by for a chat about the old times. So, all in all, we both did well and enjoyed the event.
P.S. John Mantle was still a fitter when I left the company in October 1983. The next time that I saw him he turned up in Moscow about 1993 driving for Kepstowe.
Glad it went well Micky T. Corse you’re used to the cold so shouldn’t affect you. I’m working my way through Trucking Magic. Thoroughly enjoying it. Didn’t realise you did so many Yugo’s though. My trips pale into insignificance compared to yours.
sandway:
Glad it went well Micky T. Corse you’re used to the cold so shouldn’t affect you. I’m working my way through Trucking Magic. Thoroughly enjoying it. Didn’t realise you did so many Yugo’s though. My trips pale into insignificance compared to yours.
Oh I don’t know Sandway. No matter how much you have weathered the cold it is always a bit tricky when it is blowing up the Balkans.
Yes, I did a large number of trips to Yugo’. I think that it was Staggy’s way of getting shot of me for a few weeks at a time. It was a case of “Out of sight and out of Dunton Green” ha ha ha
Efes:
Johnnie Mantle was a fitter first of all. I joined in 1979 and he was a while after me as fiiter then moved to driving.
I hope Vodka did well selling his book over the weekend.
Yes thanks Efes. Not a bad weekend at all. Shame that the weather was not better. And I agree with you about Johnny Mantle
Just to give you all an idea, it was bitterly cold out there in Paddock Wood, as the wind was blowing a gale. In fact, the gazeebo was blown over as we were taking it down, on the Sunday afternoon. Andy had me standing there smiling for about 10 minutes and as soon as I stopped smiling he took the photo. Obviously a David Bailey in the making. Either that or he was going for the windswept and interesting image.
But, I sold quite a few books and met some great people, who stopped by for a chat about the old times. So, all in all, we both did well and enjoyed the event.
P.S. John Mantle was still a fitter when I left the company in October 1983. The next time that I saw him he turned up in Moscow about 1993 driving for Kepstowe.
Micky. You obviously don’t know how to get the best out of Jazzandy. Chick Steadman could handle him ok. Just rough him up a bit and he’ll do whatever you want. The photo taken at the Baghdad Fair. Our office was sandwiched between the Petbow and Coles Cranes stands. Two of our best customers.
Efes:
Johnnie Mantle was a fitter first of all. I joined in 1979 and he was a while after me as fiiter then moved to driving.
I hope Vodka did well selling his book over the weekend.
Yes thanks Efes. Not a bad weekend at all. Shame that the weather was not better. And I agree with you about Johnny Mantle
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Just to give you all an idea, it was bitterly cold out there in Paddock Wood, as the wind was blowing a gale. In fact, the gazeebo was blown over as we were taking it down, on the Sunday afternoon. Andy had me standing there smiling for about 10 minutes and as soon as I stopped smiling he took the photo. Obviously a David Bailey in the making. Either that or he was going for the windswept and interesting image.
But, I sold quite a few books and met some great people, who stopped by for a chat about the old times. So, all in all, we both did well and enjoyed the event.
P.S. John Mantle was still a fitter when I left the company in October 1983. The next time that I saw him he turned up in Moscow about 1993 driving for Kepstowe.
Micky. You obviously don’t know how to get the best out of Jazzandy. Chick Steadman could handle him ok. Just rough him up a bit and he’ll do whatever you want. The photo taken at the Baghdad Fair. Our office was sandwiched between the Petbow and Coles Cranes stands. Two of our best customers.
I’ll bear that in mind in future Sandway. Lucky that he is shorter than me. But to be fair, Chic could rough anybody up. I did not realise that Pro-Motor had such magnificent office space allocated to them in Baghdad. Mind you, I normally only saw the JCB stand.
Micky. It may have been small and insignificant but it was the most popular place in the whole pavilion. One… we had the coffee machine and two… we played the Promotor darts tournament there and three… its where we collected the return air tickets from the exhibitors to get them reconfirmed and for some of them that was the most important thing we did for them. You could see a sigh of relief when we handed their tickets back.
sandway:
Micky. It may have been small and insignificant but it was the most popular place in the whole pavilion. One… we had the coffee machine and two… we played the Promotor darts tournament there and three… its where we collected the return air tickets from the exhibitors to get them reconfirmed and for some of them that was the most important thing we did for them. You could see a sigh of relief when we handed their tickets back.
Well Sandway, as a lot of ladies say, “Size isn’t everything” I do not doubt for one minute that the Pro-Motor staff made everybody happy. Especially when they doled out the tickets to get out of that place.
Had a text from Steve Lacey last night. He is en route to Mallorca with landing gear for a Lufthansa plane that has broken theirs. I expect that the plane’s captain is brushing off his C.V. ready for a spot of job hunting.
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the one and only Bobby Keene. A very good, true friend of mine from back in the day.
And he was a very good friend of one of my other very good mates, Stevie Smith, as well.
This vignette of the charismatic Bobby was captured in a layby, in Yugoslavia. It took a long time to take the photo.
That was because we needed to wait until there were not any Yugo rats the size of Rottweiler dogs visible.
Note the very 80s trousers. Bobby always was a dedicated follower of fashion.
I think that he had won them from a Yugoslav’ in a game of cards.
Either that, or he was wearing them for a bet.
Note how the PM T 'shirt blends in with the colour scheme of the truck.
Nice picture of Bob Keene there Micky T. Yes, must have taken a lot of setting up that picture as Bobby was never a poser!!! was he. As for the Promotor office at the Baghdad Fair in the early to mid 80’s. The area we used was always in a corner which the BOTB couldn’t use for anything else. We got it for free and sometimes had to share it, like with Hammond’s, but as the main service provider for the British companies exhibiting there it was effectively ours. It was like an oasis of calm after the frantic goings on out on the stands. At least in our office the door could be shut and the hoards kept at bay. The exhibitors loved it.
I have a couple of pictures of the office from the early days when Peter Calderwood flew out pose and have a bit of fun. I of course drove the lorry in those days and thats when I did the eleven week trips. I remember Peter borrowed the lorry one evening to take some of his mates around town. The trip almost ended in catastophy at the very low bridge on Abu Nawas, the road that ran alongside the river. It was only at the very last second that somebody shouted a warning and Peter was able to stop with a few feet to spare. He was boasting about it at breakfast next morning. I was not impressed.
Hello Mick, I was looking at some old photos and came across this one. The lad at the front is Irish John Conneely but I wonder who the other guy is, maybe you might know him.
mushroomman:
Hello Mick, I was looking at some old photos and came across this one. The lad at the front is Irish John Conneely but I wonder who the other guy is, maybe you might know him.
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Hi Steve. Yeah, I recognise John. I have a sneaking suspicion that the other driver might be Efes. No doubt he will confirm it if it is.
Hope that all’s well for you down in sunny Oz mate
Hi Mick, all is well down here, how are the hospital appointments going, all good I hope.
Irish John used to come on Trucknet a few years ago and he should of retired by now. It’s about time that he spent some time laying in the sun, he had plenty of practice over the years.
mushroomman:
Hello Mick, I was looking at some old photos and came across this one. The lad at the front is Irish John Conneely but I wonder who the other guy is, maybe you might know him.
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Hi Steve. Yeah, I recognise John. I have a sneaking suspicion that the other driver might be Efes. No doubt he will confirm it if it is.
Hope that all’s well for you down in sunny Oz mate
You could be right about Efes Micky T. Can’t be many around with those boyish good looks.
![DSCF1096[1].JPG](https://europe1.discourse-cdn.com/business20/uploads/trucknetuk/original/3X/6/e/6e2ba32d3c5a7a4d7db0d0858daf7160dc6f1319.jpeg)
I do not doubt for one minute that the Pro-Motor staff made everybody happy. Especially when they doled out the tickets to get out of that place.
