Homo Faber's collection - truckspotting

OUT OF HOURS TRANSPORT PHOTO FORUM (MEMBERS ONLY)
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Here’s (part of?) my photo collection: pics taken at various occassions at various places.
The pics are mutiliated by watermark; should anybody be interested in full size watermark-free version just contact me.

Starting today with the 2003 Nitra Motor Show (Autosalon Nitra).
This show typically takes place in Sep/Oct every year and is #1 motor show in Slovakia (there’s another “autosalon” every year in Bratislava and a small exhibition in Kosice). Some visitors (as well as exhibitors) come from abroad as well.
Autosalon Nitra - that’s cars, buses and trucks all mixed together, 30-35,000 sq m, some 150,000 visitors - quite an event.
It’s biggest competitors are similar fairs in Brno, CZ, where they have Autosalon for cars & bikes every odd year and Autotec for trucks and buses every even year. Autotec certainly has an international importance (~70,000 sq m, ~60,000 visitors).
Just for comparison, CV Show in Birmingham has ~30,000 sq m and welcomes ~30,000 people.

Why the 2003 vintage? Well, I’m processing my stuff from oldest to newest and 2003 is about the oldest I have digitalized :slight_smile:

I did not attend the 2008 show; I may go to the 2009 one - they are recording some low interest from exhibitors, but instead of cancelling the show they have gone the other way and are offering exhibition areas free of charge!

Enough said, the pics:

Actros 3354/33LS, 6x4 tractor delivered to co. Kulacs, earthworks, plant & heavy transports;

Another new Actros, this time 3544 for Stugel Trans; not a big company, they’ve got several vans, an Atego, 3 Actroses and one or two Ivecos,

Iveco Stralis, Scuderia Ferrari theme;

One-off Tatra “showtruck” (which I quite like),it pulls their promo trailer to all shows;

Volvo also displayed this FM12-420 8x4 with hooklift and grab/crane for a scrap metal merchant;

…and this swap-box carrier FH12-420 6x2.

Scania, Renault, MAN and DAF exhibited typical demo trucks, in uninspiring blunt colours, so skipping those.

Few buses:
Novoplan TC-12MB, Made in Slovakia on Mercedes chassis.

SOR B-12, a novelty back then, promptly nicknamed “hunchback”. Now you can see a lot of them around Bratislava; Slovaklines are running large fleet of them on commuter services.

Irizar Century, then voted Coach of the Season by Trucker magazine readers.

There was also a “Most beatiful truck” competiton, here are some of the entrants (they are all working trucks in case you wonder):

Chlebik, that company has quite a few paintbrushed trucks in the fleet; they do fridge work mainly.

What I like about all those new-motors-show is that there are also some classic and vintage vehicles… The 2003 Autosalon’s highlights (for me) were:

  • this beautifully restored Tatra 111N, that certainly is a Sir Truck,

  • Barkas V901 (Made in GDR),

  • Garant (Made in GDR), restored by and promoting body-maker Hustra.

  • DAF fire ladder

…and that’s about it for today… Thanks for your attention.

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Interesting photos. I’m not sure i’d call any of those entrants ‘beautiful’!

A blinged up Renault Premium is an unusual sight!!!

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Paulson: well, that’s matter of your taste what you like and what you don’t. I for example like those Chlebik’s Volvos.

Anyway, few more pics.
First a scan that reminds me of a small album with real paper photos that I somehow cannot localize… :confused:
The pic was taken in July 2003 in Visnove village near Nove Mesto nad Vahom. The Liaz 150series 3way tipper worked (and still works) daily, the two Tatra 805’s were awaiting restoration.

Typical Slovak road maintenance truck - about 20yrs old Skoda 706MTSP, still hard at it. The gritter body is replaced by tipper for summer. Seen on 3.10.2003 somewhere in High Tatras.

One wreck for today: IFA S4000 (I think), relatively rare crane version. Seen in a garden in a village near Nove Mesto n.V. on 23.9.2003.

No idea where this was taken, but it was on 16.10.2004. A Liebherr crane of Slovak branch of Austrian heavy haulage specialist Felbermayr on bungee-jumping work. Not much of a business on a rainy day…

Edit:
found another picture from the same day, looks like it was another Nitra motorshow, crap weather…

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some cracking pictures there mate. i have a feeling them volvos are ex french trucks, they look familiar…

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euromat:
some cracking pictures there mate. i have a feeling them volvos are ex french trucks, they look familiar…

Well mate, I have no idea of their origin. Everything’s possible.

Now, some trucks at work.

Volvo FH12 with Feldbinder silo, 23.9.2003, motorway D1 at junction “Nove Mesto n.V.”

Series of pictures taken a bit further south on the D1 motorway, between Piestany and Hlohovec, on 26.9.2003.

CZ-reg DAF FT95.400ATi

Omega Servis is originally a Czech company that set up a branch in Slovakia (and later in Romania as well). Sizeable fleet, ~100 trucks in each of the three countries; those SK-reg are 100% Actroses, Czechs also have DAFs and Volvos, Romanian are DAF CFs. Trailers are walking floors (like this one, mainly wood chip and scrap paper work) and tankers for ADR work (of the more interesting I’d mention AdBlue distribution, molten sulphur and hot liquid tarmac transports).

Another Actros, this time BIH-registered 1848. Would you advertise your insurer on your curtains (just as this guy is doing)?

Scania R113H380 of Ledos (SK), apparently distributing Corgon lager (not my favourite though) (the Magnum in the background has CZ plates).

Polish Magnum overtaking an old Avia (the fastest truck - always leading the queue).

Volvo FH12 XLGlobbie of a small SK haulier.

Czech MAN F2000 followed by a SK Liaz:

Oh yes, there are still some hard-working Liaz trucks around!

100 or 110 series loaded with some steel bits,

100 series tractor with double-barrel powder tanker,

110 series with more recent grill and bumper loaded with timber from the north,

more recent 230 series, high cab and a fairly modern semitrailer.

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Cracking good pics! :smiley:

Love old eastern european trucks - dirty, rusty trucks and the wobbly dirty tilt trailers :sunglasses: sadly now nowhere to see since they has joined the EU and quick improve on thier trucks & trailer - western standard

had been travelled from Praha - Brno - Bratislava - love the D1 Motorway - hilly, forest and lousy concrete road :laughing: also D2 - long death straight on flat land with worn out concrete lay road - good fun when in the coach - full of bumps & shakes non stop! - very enjoyable travelling to see different from UK’s motorway - will put the pics soon

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Betz: yes the D1 Prague-Brno is real crap, better to avoid. In fact, many truckers avoid CZ motorways completely - because of the toll. Similarly in Germany where the toll systems favours Euro4 and 5 trucks, lots of euro3 and older takes nationals. In CZ you meet foreign lorries all over the place, even on minor roads where you’d think they have lost their way. As a consequence, there are terrible tramlines on roads, potholes…bridges with broken backs…roadworks…

Anyway, some more pics:

There’s a car museum in Bratislava, a small one but you can see there few thigns you won’t see anywhere else, such as prototype of very nice Tatra minibus from 1960s. It’s difficult to take pics inside due to dusk :frowning:
Outside, there are few properly sized exhibits, but the best picture you can take is one with fence :confused:
There is (well, there certainly was, on 12th Nov 2003) this Tatra 138, very special firefighter for a chemical works:

Another specialty is “Devin”. Not the castle, but the truck. It was being developed at BAZ (Bratislava Automobile Works) to replace Praga V3S, but the project was shelved in prototype stage. Only a handful of 4x4 and 6x6 prototypes were built, two of them survived and both are here at the museum. This is one of them:

Two random pics from 10th June 2006:
Tatra 815PJ, low-profile crane chassis, the crane is AD28 (I think) from CKD Slany.

Towards the end of its life Ikarus was also building small numbers of high class coaches such as this double-decker on MAN chassis:

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A triplet of pics taken on a foggy February night, not the best quality but I’m uploading them as they show something you can only see on special occassions, such as Bush - Putin summit (23.2.2005 Bratislava).

Police Tatra 815; water cannon is its main purpose but there’s also tear gas generator on board, some anti-riot gear and first aid kits etc.

Tatrapan 6x6, armoured police carrier on Tatra chassis. One of the earliest, more recent ones look a bit different (more armour, less of a truck look).

Aligator, armoured amphibious 4x4 designed and made in Slovakia. Army ordered 100 units, about 40 were delivered, then the government thought they were a bit expensive at €670k a piece so cancelled the contract. BAe RG32 is strong candidate for substitute.

No riots took place so no at work pics!

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moved from another thread, to keep things neater.

A batch of pictures taken on 16th June 2007 during open day at Perkines Engines in Peterborough. The company was celebrating its 75th birthday. Apart from engines themselves (new and old) you could also see machines with Perkins engines in them. Naturally, lorries as well. Here they come:

Edit:
Few more pics, cars, tractors and other machines powered by Perkins engines

Humber Spitfire

Land Rover

Minor

Humber Heavy Utility 4x4

Perkins engine

McCormick = Landini

Just fit into frame…real beast. Shame I did not picture the Scania that brought it.

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yup, keep them coming please!

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Well, I had a bit of a break but I’m back. (There’s one thread on TNUK with about 60 pages of old mag cutouts, that keeps me busy)

So… few pics from 16th Apr 2005. On this day me and my then gf had went for a walking trip from Bratislava (where we lived back then) to Pottenburg castle ruins, near Austrain village of Berg - the same one the SK-A border crossing is named after.
At one stage the cycle/pedestrain path runs along the D2 motorway where you can spot mostly Hungarians, such as this all yellow FH.
I know, it’s not the best photo but this is probably first pic of the new shape FH in service I took.

Perhaps you’d like this sort of pic more?

I did some spotting also at the border crossing itself; seeing there this R144G460 6x4 pulling 8-axle hydraulic lowloader Capperi with some heavy&oversize load from Italy whoknowswhere.

Then as we walked along the Austrian B9 that brings all the traffic to the border:

  • saw this R124L360 swap-box carrier, SK numberplates, haulier unknown, Paris-theme paintbrush on the cab:

  • this Dutch R124G420 with empty 5axle lowloader, Zwaar Transporte,

  • SK-reg Actros 1843 on furniture transport,

  • another Actros, this time SK branch of German co., lo-profile hi-vol on automotive logistics,

… and that’s about it for today!

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nice pics

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great pics!

Charles Russell - seen in Slovakia, does they drving to Eastern European as regulars?

any chance for turks, iranian and willi betz photos pls :smiley:

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Thanks for interest chaps.

I have it Charles Russell’s will take anything anywhere provided there’s profit to be made on the trip. It also seems to me they are (much more) into awkward loads (not super heavy but oversize, dodgy shapes), machine installations etc rather than gen cargo.

And just for you Betz, because you asked so nicely, I did it. I jumped the queue and…

seen these two Turks on 3rd Jan 2009 in Wells in Austria (that fuel station opposite the RoLa terminal):

…and this BG-reg Betz Actros in Medway Services following day:

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thanks for nice pics!

Wels - RoLa Terminal - full of turkish trucks - good place for photos :smiley:

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Now a triplet of pics shot on 25.10.2005 in Thorpe St. Andrew (Norwich). Complete strangers to me, could somebody identify them for me please?

(Again, moved from another thread, I’m trying to tidy up as I go along)

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It’s terrible how the time speeds up as you get older… I went on to show you few pics from an event that “recently” took place in Bratislava and realized that it was 4.5yrs ago…
The event was “May Day Tatra Rallye 2005”, an oldtimer rallye, happened on the 1st. May 2005 in and around Bratislava.

Back then this Tatra 141 appeared first time in the public after a long restoration process:

T141 was a heavy load prime mover derived from T111 - shorter wheelbase, hub reductions, crew cab, plated for 100t. Many were exported to GDR, Hungary, Romania; Auto Kern Linz and Schollp of West Germany operated few units too. Many T141s went to China were they pulled their road trains from industrial cities on the coast to big projects inland, 100t on the hook, walking pace on dirt tracks.
These machines worked their arses off, very few have been preserved (1 in SK, 2 in CZ, a handful in D and maybe 2 in FIN).

Tatra 813 8x8 with Rosenbauer fire body, still active in 2005:

Tatra 805, small 4x4 universal lorry from 1950’s, air cooled V8 petrol engine, 1.5t payload; here so called “commando” version with canvass roof and folding windscreen to make it fit into planes and helicopters:

Tatra 128 - a 3t payload 4x4 derived from T111 - they were rather heavy for their payload, not many were delivered for civilian use:

Tatra 813 8x8 VVN - military carrier in Desert Storm livery:

Tatra 111s had to be there:

Many T805 ended with voluntary fire brigades after they were discharged from the army:

Tatra 138 NT 4x4 - again, absolute majority of 138s were 6x6, 4x4 tractors were used in the army to pull command units, infirmaries, etc. Few had civilian use in compressed gas distribution.

Skoda 706RTO-CAR, suburban version but for some reason the owner wants it to look like a long-distance coach (wheel trims, paint scheme). That big red star on the grill… I can remember such ones on heads of locomotives, but not on buses…

All those things could and had to move, of course:

Surely there were some small cars, but who would get excited by something like this:

Tatra 613, VIP carrier of the 1980s

Tatra 603 for Rally Monte Carlo

This did not take part in the rallye, just went past: Tatra 815 concrete mixer:

And this stood nearby, one of the last “old style” Karosa coaches, rather gay colour:

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:blush: bit of a stupid question but why do they all have so much positive camber ■■

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keith-jennings:
:oops: bit of a stupid question but why do they all have so much positive camber ■■

That’s because Tatras have centre tube chassis with swinging half-axles - large tube runs down the middle of the lorry, everything mounts to it, drive shafts and differentials hidden inside. Axles perpendicular and swinging around it, torsion bars at the front, leaf springs at the rear. The camber is not so pronounced on more recent model with KingFrame suspension where a spring is hidden inside an air bag positioned above the halfaxle and connected to it via large L-bracket. Check the design concept here: tatra.cz/web_en/koncept_en.asp
There are many unusual thing on Tatras - air cooled V engine (these days with SCR to meet Euro5), because of the gears in the final drive wheel on one side are little bit further front/rear than those on the other side :wink: Vehicles for the UAE army were fitted with Deutz engines and an automatic gearbox that was hidden inside the centre tube… That T613 limo was/is rear engine rear wheel drive - engine right above the axle, final drive with diff inside the crankcase…
Cool stuff, lots of fans

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…and few more pics from the same session, perhaps some of them are of interest.

Few for those who get excited by those small cars:

Tatra 57A, late 1930’s

Another 57, this time roadster

Tatra 57B

Tatra 603, VIP limo of the 1960’s. The only users of these in the west were Czechoslovak embassies.

Air cooled V8 under the rear bonnet of a T603

Tatra 11 I’d say… 1920’s then. Air cooled flat 2-cylinder. Note the absence of fan (ram air does the cooling) and the vertical carburettor.

Tatra 11 or 12…

erm…don’t know… 11 or 12 or 30

The Yankees have to be everywhere

Kissel - I believe there’s only a handful of these preserved around the world

For those who get excite by even smaller things - Jawa 250 with sidecar and trailer

erm… ladies, start the engines…

…and the ugliest of all participants