We have only just laid Bob Paul to rest and idiots on this thread say they never heard of Astran ,having been a subbie on Astran for 12 years completed over 90 trips to the ME to every destination including taking the first load into the Oman to Muscat ,I feel offended by some of the remarks ,all Kent hauliers knew of Astran they also shipped out of Sheerness dover east and west ,and Ramsgate so lets get the facts right ,this tread is an insult to a great Man who devoted his life to Transport and opened up the Middle East for Hauliers from the UK who shipped Millions of pounds worth of goods to the Far and Middle East ,Ashleys book was a minute part of over 50 years ,I could ramble on for hours but I am now wound up so I will close
I’m sorry you feel like that, but the fact remains although I was working as a continental driver from the mid 80s onwards based first in Thanet and then Canterbury, I hadn’t heard of them until recently. It most certainly was not meant as an insult to Mr Paul who was clearly a cut above the rest.
However I do not deserve to be called an idiot by someone because I haven’t heard of something. So keep your opinions to yourself.
We have only just laid Bob Paul to rest and idiots on this thread say they never heard of Astran ,having been a subbie on Astran for 12 years completed over 90 trips to the ME to every destination including taking the first load into the Oman to Muscat ,I feel offended by some of the remarks ,all Kent hauliers knew of Astran they also shipped out of Sheerness dover east and west ,and Ramsgate so lets get the facts right ,this tread is an insult to a great Man who devoted his life to Transport and opened up the Middle East for Hauliers from the UK who shipped Millions of pounds worth of goods to the Far and Middle East ,Ashleys book was a minute part of over 50 years ,I could ramble on for hours but I am now wound up so I will close
Roger Haywood
Roger, calm down I think Lonewolf had just asked a question as to why Astran didn’t stand out for him. save your vitriol for the other poster, but some of the models that Lonewolf Yorks has built shows he was around at the time and definitely has an interest in trucks.
I didn’t read his post as an insult. It seems from your own and other brilliant stories about Bob Paul that he was quite an unassuming gentleman. I wonder why after your 90 trips and 12 years as a sub contractor.I didn’t bump into you, Not that I would dream of suggesting you were not there, just that you were not there when I was. Although your name was familiar I never met you, as far as I know.
I would of thought they were instantly recognisable and and didnt scania use one of there scania 142s in advertising in the trade press when they launched the 112/142
We have only just laid Bob Paul to rest and idiots on this thread say they never heard of Astran ,having been a subbie on Astran for 12 years completed over 90 trips to the ME to every destination including taking the first load into the Oman to Muscat ,I feel offended by some of the remarks ,all Kent hauliers knew of Astran they also shipped out of Sheerness dover east and west ,and Ramsgate so lets get the facts right ,this tread is an insult to a great Man who devoted his life to Transport and opened up the Middle East for Hauliers from the UK who shipped Millions of pounds worth of goods to the Far and Middle East ,Ashleys book was a minute part of over 50 years ,I could ramble on for hours but I am now wound up so I will close
Roger Haywood
Hi Roger, I never knew that you were the first driver to go to Oman, I thought that it was John Martin didn’t he get a medal for it from The Sultan ?.
To be fair to Lone Wolf it was probably a case of ships passing in the night. I wonder how many drivers on here can remember actually seeing an Astran unit and trailer in the U.K back in the eighties as most of their time was spent outside the country. I.M.H.O. if you were based Up North then you were more likely to notice companies like Taffy Davies, David Duxbury, Falcongate, Whittles, Davis Turner etc as they made their way towards Dover.
First of all for a pipqueek who states I did not know Astran, he should know it was a ex sas driver from Astran that took Brs drivers to Iran, also I was about when they was filming a journey about a trip about Astran drivers, and was told about them having problems with the customs in Turkey who kept opening film cannisters and spoiling their shots, a simular thing happen to Brs Overland when they was filmed for TV, they ended up at a sand pit to finish the shots, and just to educate Boris, there was another firm about that a lot of drivers steered clear of and parked away from Cantrell Raiders was their name, and most M/E drivers have heard of them, so Boris go and repair some lorries, you might know what you are talking about on that subject.
Boris are you from the same stable as Rayluv ( or is he Meritor who tried to spoil the U.C.C. thread ). Why do you keep having a pop at old Norman . As you stated on the B.R.S. thread you were never a driver but I think that 99 % of the drivers reading these pages already worked that one out.
First Astran trailer I saw was in the mid '80’s (when I started), it was with Roly Longs Scania parked up on the A3. Saw lots of others too, but the one that I remember most was Bob Headley’s Transcon parked up every now and then in Ashford Truckstop, I used to clear t forms there, always with lots of mileage dirt covering it! The last one I saw was probably 4 months ago in Newhaven Docks, can’t remember the guys name who owns it, black FH with Euroliner trailer. It was for sale a few months back in Norfolk.
We have only just laid Bob Paul to rest and idiots on this thread say they never heard of Astran ,having been a subbie on Astran for 12 years completed over 90 trips to the ME to every destination including taking the first load into the Oman to Muscat ,I feel offended by some of the remarks ,all Kent hauliers knew of Astran they also shipped out of Sheerness dover east and west ,and Ramsgate so lets get the facts right ,this tread is an insult to a great Man who devoted his life to Transport and opened up the Middle East for Hauliers from the UK who shipped Millions of pounds worth of goods to the Far and Middle East ,Ashleys book was a minute part of over 50 years ,I could ramble on for hours but I am now wound up so I will close
Roger Haywood
Roger, calm down I think Lonewolf had just asked a question as to why Astran didn’t stand out for him. save your vitriol for the other poster, but some of the models that Lonewolf Yorks has built shows he was around at the time and definitely has an interest in trucks.
I didn’t read his post as an insult. It seems from your own and other brilliant stories about Bob Paul that he was quite an unassuming gentleman. I wonder why after your 90 trips and 12 years as a sub contractor.I didn’t bump into you, Not that I would dream of suggesting you were not there, just that you were not there when I was. Although your name was familiar I never met you, as far as I know.
We have only just laid Bob Paul to rest and idiots on this thread say they never heard of Astran ,having been a subbie on Astran for 12 years completed over 90 trips to the ME to every destination including taking the first load into the Oman to Muscat ,I feel offended by some of the remarks ,all Kent hauliers knew of Astran they also shipped out of Sheerness dover east and west ,and Ramsgate so lets get the facts right ,this tread is an insult to a great Man who devoted his life to Transport and opened up the Middle East for Hauliers from the UK who shipped Millions of pounds worth of goods to the Far and Middle East ,Ashleys book was a minute part of over 50 years ,I could ramble on for hours but I am now wound up so I will close
Roger Haywood
Hi Roger, I never knew that you were the first driver to go to Oman, I thought that it was John Martin didn’t he get a medal for it from The Sultan ?.
To be fair to Lone Wolf it was probably a case of ships passing in the night. I wonder how many drivers on here can remember actually seeing an Astran unit and trailer in the U.K back in the eighties as most of their time was spent outside the country. I.M.H.O. if you were based Up North then you were more likely to notice companies like Taffy Davies, David Duxbury, Falcongate, Whittles, Davis Turner etc as they made their way towards Dover.
i drove for john willie in the nineties and i probably only saw him 3 times a year, used to get a lot of messages passed on from other drivers who had seen him the day before, but it was like ships in the night. i always tried to see him because i knew i would have free food and beer all night.(and with john it would have been the best food the resteraunt had) best bloke i ever worked for
Hi all,
I think i must have been blind as well, i had lived in kent for 41 years and i too used to go to Dover on a fairly regular basis but i do not ever remember seeing them there,ships in the night i surpose(no pun intended).I knew where their yard was but was only interested in what was going on in my Transport seen i guess,i even lived next door to a guy that was a subbie for Frieght Force and i did not know that he knew Frank Hook until this year,(see no boasting about where he had been or who he had seen)so i do sort of agree with wolfie.I see rayluv joined in for a ■■■■■ about everybody.Anyway keep up the strange tread.Paul
brookie:
First Astran trailer I saw was in the mid '80’s (when I started), it was with Roly Longs Scania parked up on the A3. Saw lots of others too, but the one that I remember most was Bob Headley’s Transcon parked up every now and then in Ashford Truckstop, I used to clear t forms there, always with lots of mileage dirt covering it! The last one I saw was probably 4 months ago in Newhaven Docks, can’t remember the guys name who owns it, black FH with Euroliner trailer. It was for sale a few months back in Norfolk.
Regards,
Mark.
You’ll still see Astans trailers (albeit curtainsiders) because of them being owned by Seymours…who have been swallowed up by the green monster of Evans of Barnstaple.
We have only just laid Bob Paul to rest and idiots on this thread say they never heard of Astran ,having been a subbie on Astran for 12 years completed over 90 trips to the ME to every destination including taking the first load into the Oman to Muscat ,I feel offended by some of the remarks ,all Kent hauliers knew of Astran they also shipped out of Sheerness dover east and west ,and Ramsgate so lets get the facts right ,this tread is an insult to a great Man who devoted his life to Transport and opened up the Middle East for Hauliers from the UK who shipped Millions of pounds worth of goods to the Far and Middle East ,Ashleys book was a minute part of over 50 years ,I could ramble on for hours but I am now wound up so I will close
Roger Haywood
Hi Roger, I gather when you said “including taking the first load into the Oman to Muscat” you did intend to say the first load for Astran. To my knowledge others including Mick Moody went to Muscat before Astran had the Royal Dutch Shell contract for PDO-Oman…
Norman Ingram:
First of all for a pipqueek who states I did not know Astran, he should know it was a ex sas driver from Astran that took Brs drivers to Iran, also I was about when they was filming a journey about a trip about Astran drivers, and was told about them having problems with the customs in Turkey who kept opening film cannisters and spoiling their shots, a simular thing happen to Brs Overland when they was filmed for TV, they ended up at a sand pit to finish the shots, and just to educate Boris, there was another firm about that a lot of drivers steered clear of and parked away from Cantrell Raiders was their name, and most M/E drivers have heard of them, so Boris go and repair some lorries, you might know what you are talking about on that subject.
Well… i must have got to you this time… eh Norma?
& theres me thinking you weren’t interested in my comments …In case you didn’t realise
I was taken the ‘wee wee’
p.s …what’s a “pipqueek”■■
Love Boris x
Boris I know you was having fun, but you should never! state that someone has said something that they never did, on the other point " pipsqueak" as it should be, but for a slip of the finger, means insignificant or contemptible person, I am very sorry if this is true? but true to my word I am educating you.
You do not see any Astran trailers anymore. The curtainsiders belong to Seymour Transport (now owned by Evans) who are NOTHING to do with Astran.
Astran paid for new curtains to be put on them so we could raise the company profile and advertise that wewere still operating.
Astrankev:
You do not see any Astran trailers anymore. The curtainsiders belong to Seymour Transport (now owned by Evans) who are NOTHING to do with Astran.
Astran paid for new curtains to be put on them so we could raise the company profile and advertise that wewere still operating.
I refer you to a previous post of mine,I saw and took pictures of an Astran trailer on the approach road to the Ferry Terminal in Kyrenia Northern Cyprus,some 2 months ago,fully Astran signwritten,in Astran colours.
Hi, Have a look on ferdy’s toprun site, year 2006, There’s a few photo’s taken by Paul Davis, of an Astran Tri axle tilt parked in Northern Cyprus… If its the same one, its been there a while now.
Jerry
5thwheel:
Astrankev:
You do not see any Astran trailers anymore. The curtainsiders belong to Seymour Transport (now owned by Evans) who are NOTHING to do with Astran.
Astran paid for new curtains to be put on them so we could raise the company profile and advertise that wewere still operating.
I refer you to a previous post of mine,I saw and took pictures of an Astran trailer on the approach road to the Ferry Terminal in Kyrenia Northern Cyprus,some 2 months ago,fully Astran signwritten,in Astran colours.
Hi all,
The trailer in question is the same one as i took photo’s of in 2006 and it has now moved from its previus position to the ferry road in Kyrenia, i took some pic’s of it about 3 weeks ago now it has bits missing and looks well tanned! i will try to put some pic’s on here but my photobucket is playing up look on facebook at “astran trucks and middle east driving”.
Paul.
didn’t he get a medal for it from The Sultan ?.
