Jelliot:
Robert did you ever go onto the salt lake at Aksaray and take photos there? I always wanted to do it but our company had a very strict no camera, no recording devices policy, so it never happened.Jeff…
I remember the salt lake, Jeff: came up on your right as you head south after Gulbashi towards Aksaray. I have no pics but on one trip I did take a fragment of video on that stretch. My God that was a bleak old road in winter, wasn’t it! Robert
backsplice:
1Robert1952 her are another two that I found taken later that day
Great pics Backsplice! Looks like a Salamat (?) F88 in the background. You must have come across Trans Arabia’s ERFs on that work. Robert
robert1952:
Jelliot:
Robert did you ever go onto the salt lake at Aksaray and take photos there? I always wanted to do it but our company had a very strict no camera, no recording devices policy, so it never happened.Jeff…
I remember the salt lake, Jeff: came up on your right as you head south after Gulbashi towards Aksaray. I have no pics but on one trip I did take a fragment of video on that stretch. My God that was a bleak old road in winter, wasn’t it! Robert
Funny how you mention that.When I was a lad growing up in the Scottish Borders a lot of local driver always mentioned that the bleakest road ever was the A 7 over the moor between Branxholme and Langholm. It’s a stretch of about 22 miles and there isn’t much going, but the scenery at most times of year is a bit picturesque, and on most days you could get it out of the way it in about half an hour.
Later on in my driving career I would often chuckle to my self as I was driving along such roads as some of the higher altitude Yolas through Turkey, the Tap line, the P3 down through Tunisia,the A 4 Moscow to Vladivostok across Russia, and of course the daddy of them all the 1100 unsealed k’s of M32 across Kazakhstan.
Have a look at Dave Mackies website Long haul trucking or Colinfwhitetrans links on here.
Jeff…
Jelliot:
robert1952:
Jelliot:
Robert did you ever go onto the salt lake at Aksaray and take photos there? I always wanted to do it but our company had a very strict no camera, no recording devices policy, so it never happened.Jeff…
I remember the salt lake, Jeff: came up on your right as you head south after Gulbashi towards Aksaray. I have no pics but on one trip I did take a fragment of video on that stretch. My God that was a bleak old road in winter, wasn’t it! Robert
Funny how you mention that.When I was a lad growing up in the Scottish Borders a lot of local driver always mentioned that the bleakest road ever was the A 7 over the moor between Branxholme and Langholm. It’s a stretch of about 22 miles and there isn’t much going, but the scenery at most times of year is a bit picturesque, and on most days you could get it out of the way it in about half an hour.
Later on in my driving career I would often chuckle to my self as I was driving along such roads as some of the higher altitude Yolas through Turkey, the Tap line, the P3 down through Tunisia,the A 4 Moscow to Vladivostok across Russia, and of course the daddy of them all the 1100 unsealed k’s of M32 across Kazakhstan.Have a look at Dave Mackies website Long haul trucking or Colinfwhitetrans links on here.
Jeff…
I always thought Russia and the ‘stans’ were a bit on the scary side and never got beyond Azerbaijan. For overlanders the Chinese border was the last frontier in a way. But I’ve met a few drivers who did your line of work. One was an East German driver I met in Romania (at Bors waiting to clear) whose name I think was Tom. He had driven right the way across southern Russia to Chita in Russia’s far east (not quite as far as Vladivostok). I met a Dutch driver who claimed to have driven to Calcutta for Shell. You may have met Robert Cantrill who did Kazakhstan in a mark 1 Sed-Atki strato - he’d been about a bit too. Quite a few ex-Russia / mid-East drivers ended up on North Africa work in their dotage! Robert
At the time the farthest east we could go in Russia was Citta as the road officially stopped there, but the Russian government was in the early stages of building it on to Vlad. My regular runs were the transfer station on the China/Kaz border at Chorgos which is north east of Almaty, and Muscat in the other direction.
Dave Mackie has documented his and his friends trips very well, and his wed site is well worth a look, but be warned if you get involved in it you’ll loose the best part of half a day.
Jeff…
Just a couple of shots of the M32 desert road across Kazakstan, in the Summer time.
Regards Jamie.
A Scot Lost in the Valley’s.
On the way back from Saudi one trip,in the winter,came up into Turkey no problem,over Taurus no problem,and I thought if I get to Aksaray tonight that will do me!
Don’t count your chickens!
Just north of Taurus on the straight flat run,someone stopped,the wind was blowing a gale and in minutes we were all snowed to a standstill.
We were there for three ■■■■■■■ days!
Great shot there Jamie, that looks about average for the M32. That photo must have been taken about 96 because I remember the crater on the right. One of the reasons we were reluctant to run through the night.
One of the guys I used to drive with told me that he usually took photos at the start of the bad bit, and once it got really bad there wasn’t any opportunity to take any photos as you were just trying to keep it going. A lot of the time we used to run along he side of the road as it was smoother.
In the winter time it was all frozen like concrete, unless the craters were filled with snow and ice it was almost impossible, but that never stopped our company trying to get us to do Italy China in 12 days.
Good photo there BB I hope you spent the most of days stuck in the snow making fetching snow men for the entertainment of passing and local children. I got snowed in for a day and half on the climb up to there in 97, they might have sorted the road but the weather was just the same.
Jeff…
robert1952:
backsplice:
1Robert1952 her are another two that I found taken later that dayGreat pics Backsplice! Looks like a Salamat (?) F88 in the background. You must have come across Trans Arabia’s ERFs on that work. Robert
SARAMAT, Robert
“Saudi Arabian Road And Maritime Transport” - basically a partnership between Saudi Royal Family (through Saudi Royal Bank) and Aristotle Onasis with basic intention to monopolise oil supply with Onasis’s shipping tankers. Onasis side got scuppered after running few ships and ferries and SARAMAT did mainly internal. I had some trailers working for them and did a few other bits and pieces for them.
There are some brilliant photos there Robert 1952 thanks for sharing them with us. 
Hi Hugh, I worked with a guy who said that he was working for P.and O. based in Jeddah doing Saudi internals for a couple of years in the early seventies. He was always telling me what a cracking job it was great money, good accommodation and a fleet of brand new motors but I can’t remember him telling me what motors they had. Does anybody remember seeing P.and O. back then or are there any photos knocking about of their lorries.
Regards Steve.
robert1952 … yes that was SARAMAT F89 parked up with the ERF the Trans Arabia mob had dark red colored Macks from memory I knew a bloke from Dundee who went overland to Saudi in an older model ERF and i think he stayed on and subbied for Trans Arabia then either sold or abandoned it don,t know which… his name was Bill (Willie) Kaye another worthy who has parked up stairs . I don,t know if this other tale might strike a cord ■■? When I was with D&D trans Dundee before going to Saudi there was a bloke Tony Rizza ■■ who worked with us anyway he bought a brand new DAF (1975) this was then vanished never heard about him again at the time he breezed into our yard in Dundee and showed off his new acquisition complete with tilt funny how you remember these things
mushroomman:
There are some brilliant photos there Robert 1952 thanks for sharing them with us.
Hi Hugh, I worked with a guy who said that he was working for P.and O. based in Jeddah doing Saudi internals for a couple of years in the early seventies. He was always telling me what a cracking job it was great money, good accommodation and a fleet of brand new motors but I can’t remember him telling me what motors they had. Does anybody remember seeing P.and O. back then or are there any photos knocking about of their lorries.Regards Steve.
Now I come to think of it there’s a driver called Ian Tyler who drove those LHD 6x4 B-series for P & O in Jeddah. By the way their 18 ERF fleet was called CAMEL, which stood for Cunard Arabian Middle East Line because they ran their own container ships into Jeddah. I’ve written about this outfit in ‘Lorries of Arabia: ERF NGC 420’ (when it comes out this spring). Robert
OzzyHugh:
Some more SARAMAT photo’s -you all might have seen them before - or not ?
These are great, Hugh! There are some recent Trans Arabia pics posted by Cookie on a parallel thread called ERF European. You could devote a whole volume to the subject of Saudi ‘internals’! Robert
robert1952:
mushroomman:
There are some brilliant photos there Robert 1952 thanks for sharing them with us.
Hi Hugh, I worked with a guy who said that he was working for P.and O. based in Jeddah doing Saudi internals for a couple of years in the early seventies. He was always telling me what a cracking job it was great money, good accommodation and a fleet of brand new motors but I can’t remember him telling me what motors they had. Does anybody remember seeing P.and O. back then or are there any photos knocking about of their lorries.Regards Steve.
Now I come to think of it there’s a driver called Ian Tyler who drove those LHD 6x4 B-series for P & O in Jeddah. By the way their 18 ERF fleet was called CAMEL, which stood for Cunard Arabian Middle East Line because they ran their own container ships into Jeddah. I’ve written about this outfit in ‘Lorries of Arabia: ERF NGC 420’ (when it comes out this spring). Robert
Ian Tyler was a next door neighbour of mine when we were teenagers. People often get confused as our names are so similar.
After doing middle east for Chapman and Ball,Ian was working internal for P&O I believe.
There is quite a mention of his career in the locally based book, “North Staffordshire Hauliers”,as there is a mention of me in the subsequent book.
truckerash:
PanX:
Waiting for the ferry at Ostende 1980 . I seem to remember I was taking this machine to Rhymney /Rhumney in Welsh Wales Mick
Well…Well…Well…Thanks for posting this picture Mick. The truck has been a topic of conversation between Robert Dods Brown and myself for many years! He took the photo below but cannot remember who’s the F88 belonged to and it’s been driving him nuts for around 8 years now!
Thanks to you, the mystery has been solved and I can happily tell him who’s it was.
By the way, is that you standing by the F88 Mick ?
Hi Ash
Glad I have been able to help, yes the Old F88, “Jubilee Queen” It was owned by John Bull Shipping from Godalming,based just outside Guildford. I have another photo of it somewhere, I’ll put it on here shortly. It was a great truck and it’s nice to see it in such good company parked up in the desert. I wondered if that Grangewood motor was Fred’s. By the way It’s not me posing in front of the motor in your photo but I’ll put one on with me and my old 141. (much slimmer and a bit more hair in those days)
I’ve not looked on the thread for a week or two and the number of new quality photo’s that have landed are amazing. Thanks to Robert and everyone else who has put them on.
Mick
Hi Mick. No mate that is not me with the Grangewood F12, I can’t recognise the driver positively but it may be Johnny Holland at a guess, perhaps David Miller will know, I had a 141
Fred
backsplice:
This was me pickin up a few pallets of rice Jeddah docks 1200 kgs a pallet
Hi, not overloaded then, 
Les.
