Mappo I did not believe Charlie when he told me you were a bit of a back seat driver, and here we have the proof in the last post, cheers Buzzer.
Hi Richard.Thank Angie very much for her kind offer re sarnies.Can I have two cheese and onion.Two well done bacon and two beef and horsradish? Should last until I get on the boat.What about you Tony? I`ve started training already.Every night I go to the Swan Hotel and have a couple of pastis {Not pasties} A litre of red and three cafe calvas.Its a start Regards Charlie 
Ps Just seen the pic.With a bit of luck yes.
I would like to be considered for any future forays to the continent
with you Richard. I do realise there is a question of my reliability
vis a vis the layby at Saulieu but reliable sources inform me that
Valerie healed over some years ago and sold her moped but to be sure
we could always take the A6 from Auxerre sud
Regards GAZ
charlie one:
Hi Richard.Thank Angie very much for her kind offer re sarnies.Can I have two cheese and onion.Two well done bacon and two beef and horsradish? Should last until I get on the boat.What about you Tony? I`ve started training already.Every night I go to the Swan Hotel and have a couple of pastis {Not pasties} A litre of red and three cafe calvas.Its a start Regards Charlie
Hope you have had all your inoculation’s Charlie, they have some funny diseases over there Cheers Buzzer.
mappo:
Charlie…I,ve been road testing this with Paul Nichols.
I reckon it,ll just get us over Cenis.
John,
A rare photo if you look Mappo is wearing shoes,and long trousers !!!
Here’s a photo taken from the buggy as Tone and Charlie try to keep up with the big boys whilst out on road test 
Regards
Richard
Richard that must have been the other side of the ditch for that shot, do you know where you took that ? don’t worry mate there are a few Davies spotters now you wont be frowned upon, JD.
If you post 100 “in action” Davies photos, do you get a Davies silk bomber jacket?
Buzzer:
2Now then you old boys do you remember this place you used to go through on your way to Italy over Mont Cenis, it used to have a square with a font and water fountain, you could park a few artics and a restaurant was on on the corner. When you went on towards Italy you ran by the side of the rail track and crossed it on the way out past the Rio Tinto Ally mill, also a river ran alongside the road and in the autumn remember the beautiful colours of the tree’s as they were turning. We used to anoy the old ladies when we cleaned our teeth in the morning in that fountain, don’t think they liked us for that. Suspect there is an autoroute today cutting all that out, another Mary Hopkin moment, cheers Buzzer.
Gentlemen, (and ladies), Good Evening… I do enjoy this thread, even though I am a stranger to you all…
Buzzer, back in my day there were few British registered lorries doing this route…though I do remember one sunny mid morning stopping at St Jean De Maurienne with a lad driving a (new), Bedford TK to discuss our forward route…boy, could we earn a living in Europe with such little lorries!
Richard , if you are “overnighting” at George Cinque, then your taste buds will de sorley dilapodated…I once refered one of their Chefs to a job vacancy at “Chez Joes” Hautvilliers, (22 24 26 20…if my memory is still correct)…caused a hell of an apoplectic stink…pompous arse that he was…should have refered him to the Hollies at Cannock…that was his level…
Tunnel Du Chat…once frightene the life out of Pascal Stich who worked for “Camion” Magazine by taking him through there in a 356hp Berliet the same way I used to take it in a Gardner 150 Foden artic…Happy days
That is what I enjoy about this thread, you all still remember the (best) days…
Im away to my Bollinger…(if I can remember where I left it)…
Cheerio for now.
robthedog:
Doing paperwork at swiss border
PS trailer wheels could do with a lick of paint
Rob you should know Horry does’nt paint wheels on trailers he just fits new one’s, it’s cheaper and far more cost effective Buzzer.
Buzzer:
Richard that must have been the other side of the ditch for that shot, do you know where you took that ? don’t worry mate there are a few Davies spotters now you wont be frowned upon, JD.
Hi John,
It was going up the A13 towards Le Havre from Paris close to the Rouen turn off,I just checked in my Davies spotters book
I think GazIOW knew the Rouen turn off,she was a big girl 
Regards to you and The Boss
Richard
Saviem:
Buzzer:
2Now then you old boys do you remember this place you used to go through on your way to Italy over Mont Cenis, it used to have a square with a font and water fountain, you could park a few artics and a restaurant was on on the corner. When you went on towards Italy you ran by the side of the rail track and crossed it on the way out past the Rio Tinto Ally mill, also a river ran alongside the road and in the autumn remember the beautiful colours of the tree’s as they were turning. We used to anoy the old ladies when we cleaned our teeth in the morning in that fountain, don’t think they liked us for that. Suspect there is an autoroute today cutting all that out, another Mary Hopkin moment, cheers Buzzer.Gentlemen, (and ladies), Good Evening… I do enjoy this thread, even though I am a stranger to you all…
Buzzer, back in my day there were few British registered lorries doing this route…though I do remember one sunny mid morning stopping at St Jean De Maurienne with a lad driving a (new), Bedford TK to discuss our forward route…boy, could we earn a living in Europe with such little lorries!
Richard , if you are “overnighting” at George Cinque, then your taste buds will de sorley dilapodated…I once refered one of their Chefs to a job vacancy at “Chez Joes” Hautvilliers, (22 24 26 20…if my memory is still correct)…caused a hell of an apoplectic stink…pompous arse that he was…should have refered him to the Hollies at Cannock…that was his level…
Tunnel Du Chat…once frightene the life out of Pascal Stich who worked for “Camion” Magazine by taking him through there in a 356hp Berliet the same way I used to take it in a Gardner 150 Foden artic…Happy days
That is what I enjoy about this thread, you all still remember the (best) days…
Im away to my Bollinger…(if I can remember where I left it)…
Cheerio for now.
Hi Saviem,
Your comments on the George Cinque are duly noted in my Davies Spotters book,thanks for the tip.
I thought of you as I sat outside Victors on top of the Cenis,imagining you in the Foden struggling up to the top all those years ago,it was hard enough with my old Magirus 232 pulling a kangaroo trailer full of skins !! back in the day.
The view southbound once you leave the Tunnel de Chat, of Lac de Bourget is still as good as ever,
It reminds me of the Renault Venissieux factory tour,when we had a day off and they took us to Lake Annecy for lunch on the lake whilst we sailed round,good old days 
Regards
Richard
Richard as Saviem said it is quite amazing how the old memory cells go into overdrive when reading posts on this thread, remember once shipping out tractor unit only with Roy (winky) Talman on a rescue mission. Micky Sanders was driving an F88 of mine on an STS trailer, coming up Cenis out of Italy with Ron Griffiths usual 23 ton’s of wine on board when we were supposed to be 32 ton, anyway I had a call from Micky saying I think a piston has gone. Me and Winky made good progress just south of Paris we had a water leak which we soon had fixed in a Volvo garage (only a broken water hose) I say this as the F88 we were in was only just put together from a scrap chassis from David Layley’s and and an engine and box from another motor all put together by Tony Kimber (remember him). On we went this was on a Saturday and we arrived late found the stricken motor, any way on the Sunday we had a trip down the mountain as we needed power steering fluid for the rescue truck, back we went to investigate the broken truck where we came across another F86 driven by another Soton lad (Ollie was his name, married a gypsie girl from Kent) he had a head gasket gone and was going solo back to Blighty to get it fixed as did not have the brass to fix in Italy (we did things like that back then) of course we had quite a little group by then, we found my 88 only had a broken injector so we ran a pipe back to the tank so as not to cause a mess. Then if you remember there was a tiny café bar just at the bendy road going down the Italien side after the long straight by the lake and we were all camped there, they were shut but the owner got curiouse and we convinced him it would be worthwile opening up, which he did and after many 2ltr bottles of chilled frizzanti and a meal we were ■■■■■■ but set up for a ciesta ready for the off on Sunday evening, got to the border and the guard stopped us , there were 2 English girl hitch hikers and he ordered us to take them back to England, anyways the problem was now controlling Winky cos he was like a totton dog by now all ■■■■ and balls. We made it to the afore mentioned Saint Jean du Maurienne where we planned to stop the night, then came the problem of sleeping arrangements, with Winky hell bent on sorting one if not both girls out before dawn, in the end we broke the seal on the trailer and they had to rough it on top of the load of wine. Now we get to the bit you mentioned about the view of the lake on exit of the tunnel Du Chat, anyways we went along the bottom side of said lake to a little town where there was a Volvo Garage, they fixed the injector and we good to go for home, we parted with the girls on the way up through France to another English truck going through Dover. All in all we had a wonderful weekend on a rescue mission in Europe, definitely a Mary Hopkins moment that one, sorry iv’e gone on a bit but as Saviem said those really were the days, and we still remember them cheerio for now Buzzer.
I remember Tony Kimber.
The first time I met him was in Greenwoods yard at Rownhams when I
was working for Wardell Transport.
I was about to ship out on my first ever trip over the water via Dover to
Belgium / Holland in a Guy Big j.
Tony was making last minute repairs to the Guys exhaust by putting a repair
bandage on it…as soon as he was finished I was off on my adventure.
The load was fencing panels on a flat trailer for Twyford Transport. ( remember them ■■ )
Didn’t Twyford Transport have a link to Skillibeck? Simliar colours?
Dunno Gazzer…I know they had at least one F88. It was white and green.
Evening all, Buzzer, I loved your story…
The first Foden I took to Italy, 4 x2 13 ton, 4LK Gardner, S20 F irst reg 1962…
But it was a 1958 chassis, retro fitted with a (second hand) 4LK goodness knows where it had come from)
plus a `56 Bonallack box body, 5 speed Foden box, (32mph), and bits of gooodness knows where cabs…
And I loved her!!!..but I was so young!
Then the S20 artic, 4LW Gardner, 12 speed “mechanical” split…(41mph…oh how I loved her) Edwardian carriage…and b… “Johnny Foreighner”.
Then there was the S24, (absolute rubbish tilt cab)…smelled like a Portaloo…but with a two stroke, plus 12 speed…a better soundtrack than Jimmi Hendrix could ever produce!!!..And believe me I could make her sing)!!!
S36/S39 boy why did I love Foden?They realluy where totally out of heir depth…or were they? For I always got home…and the South of Italy is truly a long way from Sandbach, let alone Shropshire)!!!
Buzzer, when I think back, like your 88, most of ours were put together with real skill, by people who had no money…but the desire to get the job done…A`int we Lucky!!!
Cheerio for now, and my glass is raised to the South!
My outing today in lovely weather and this is on me doorstep, first time for this horse on his own and went well for twelve miles pulling 3/4 of a ton, Buzzer.
Blimey Horry look at the state of that road ! Hope there’s a polish truck wash nearby ! the tyres are gonna get dirty.
R Jimmer