The grey f88 was run into the early 2000s, used to see it crossing the m62 regularly, think it was based in east Yorkshire, it could catch you unaware when you caught it up windy hill as it was much slower than the trucks of the day.
it ended up with the sleeper section chopped off in to a homemade day cab, i got a photo of it in truck and drivers “picture post” many years ago, let me have a look round it, remember he had chains and ropes in the passenger footwell, proper old school.
Didn’t have the spoiler on the trailer when i used to see it.
It was on eBay when the guy finished and went to Ireland where it was painted green and red but don’t know who has it now.
oiltreader:
Eyecatcher, all credit to Rab Lawrence for the photo.
Oily
Is that an example of what the youngsters would call “old school/skool” Oily?
Hi Patrick, “youngsters” or todays cabmen would have little in common with old skool and I don’t mean that in a derogatory way. Supervision was nil compared to all the electronic communication and surveillance there is today. My time on lorries was cartransporters which compared to general haulage was a doddle, for myself a typical day would have been a 5.00am start, a stop for breakfast, sausage, bacon, egg, tomato ,fried slice, mug of tea and couple of buttered slices(drool if you want ), that would sometimes get you a second cuppa for nowt and kept me going all day. No compulsory breaks or driving limit hours, if there was they went unheeded. Night out money was thirty one shillings and and sixpence which could be subbed before setting off, I also had in pocket an extra fiver just in case. The old skool cameraderie among lorry men meant help was always at hand if needed, changing our own punctures, also minor repairs on route, finding digs and loads without a cell phone, a cab heater was a coat , a windscreen washer was a squirty bottle . I could go on but enough ramble other than there is no comparison of then and now. I look back and it was without doubt the best time of my life I would do it again
Oily
oiltreader:
Eyecatcher, all credit to Rab Lawrence for the photo.
Oily
Is that an example of what the youngsters would call “old school/skool” Oily?
Hi Patrick, “youngsters” or todays cabmen would have little in common with old skool and I don’t mean that in a derogatory way. Supervision was nil compared to all the electronic communication and surveillance there is today. My time on lorries was cartransporters which compared to general haulage was a doddle, for myself a typical day would have been a 5.00am start, a stop for breakfast, sausage, bacon, egg, tomato ,fried slice, mug of tea and couple of buttered slices(drool if you want ), that would sometimes get you a second cuppa for nowt and kept me going all day. No compulsory breaks or driving limit hours, if there was they went unheeded. Night out money was thirty one shillings and and sixpence which could be subbed before setting off, I also had in pocket an extra fiver just in case. The old skool cameraderie among lorry men meant help was always at hand if needed, changing our own punctures, also minor repairs on route, finding digs and loads without a cell phone, a cab heater was a coat , a windscreen washer was a squirty bottle . I could go on but enough ramble other than there is no comparison of then and now. I look back and it was without doubt the best time of my life I would do it again
Oily
oiltreader:
Eyecatcher, all credit to Rab Lawrence for the photo.
Oily
Is that an example of what the youngsters would call “old school/skool” Oily?
Hi Patrick, “youngsters” or todays cabmen would have little in common with old skool and I don’t mean that in a derogatory way. Supervision was nil compared to all the electronic communication and surveillance there is today. My time on lorries was cartransporters which compared to general haulage was a doddle, for myself a typical day would have been a 5.00am start, a stop for breakfast, sausage, bacon, egg, tomato ,fried slice, mug of tea and couple of buttered slices(drool if you want ), that would sometimes get you a second cuppa for nowt and kept me going all day. No compulsory breaks or driving limit hours, if there was they went unheeded. Night out money was thirty one shillings and and sixpence which could be subbed before setting off, I also had in pocket an extra fiver just in case. The old skool cameraderie among lorry men meant help was always at hand if needed, changing our own punctures, also minor repairs on route, finding digs and loads without a cell phone, a cab heater was a coat , a windscreen washer was a squirty bottle . I could go on but enough ramble other than there is no comparison of then and now. I look back and it was without doubt the best time of my life I would do it again
Oily
oiltreader:
Eyecatcher, all credit to Rab Lawrence for the photo.
Oily
Is that an example of what the youngsters would call “old school/skool” Oily?
Hi Patrick, “youngsters” or todays cabmen would have little in common with old skool and I don’t mean that in a derogatory way. Supervision was nil compared to all the electronic communication and surveillance there is today. My time on lorries was cartransporters which compared to general haulage was a doddle, for myself a typical day would have been a 5.00am start, a stop for breakfast, sausage, bacon, egg, tomato ,fried slice, mug of tea and couple of buttered slices(drool if you want ), that would sometimes get you a second cuppa for nowt and kept me going all day. No compulsory breaks or driving limit hours, if there was they went unheeded. Night out money was thirty one shillings and and sixpence which could be subbed before setting off, I also had in pocket an extra fiver just in case. The old skool cameraderie among lorry men meant help was always at hand if needed, changing our own punctures, also minor repairs on route, finding digs and loads without a cell phone, a cab heater was a coat , a windscreen washer was a squirty bottle . I could go on but enough ramble other than there is no comparison of then and now. I look back and it was without doubt the best time of my life I would do it again
Oily
Me too. .
Can I join this club? I can relate to all that has been said. One of the worst things about the pre mobile phone days was a) finding a public call box that actually worked, an b) getting a pocket full of change to feed the aforementioned call box.
And you would put an extra few miles in to get to your favourite digs. Mrs Riley, Berwick on Tweed, spotlessly clean, top class food, what a woman, what a place, fabulous.
And if you didn’t ‘respect’ the place and Mrs Riley…don’t bother ringing again.
grumpy old man:
Can I join this club? I can relate to all that has been said. One of the worst things about the pre mobile phone days was a) finding a public call box that actually worked, an b) getting a pocket full of change to feed the aforementioned call box.
And you would put an extra few miles in to get to your favourite digs. Mrs Riley, Berwick on Tweed, spotlessly clean, top class food, what a woman, what a place, fabulous.
And if you didn’t ‘respect’ the place and Mrs Riley…don’t bother ringing again.
Can’t have been too hard a life, seeing as this club is so large, with so many of us still around. But it did seem hard at the time, wet ropes, wet sheets, rusty chains, no power steering, useless heaters etc. etc. etc…
But I loved every minute of it as I worked my way up from Commer to Albion to the pinnacle of the day, an Atki. Along with a few ERFs, Fodens, Scammells, AECs and Leylands along the way. Later I did taste the heady luxury of the Swedes when they arrived but by then it was beginning to change.
Funnily enough I did regain the camaraderie in my final 3 years working here in France. Yes, I had the luxury of a Magnum with heating, cooling and a comfy bed, but French drivers had not lost the esprit du corps that we once had in Blighty, and that was a fitting way to end my career.
Reversing an ERF artic into a tight spot with no power steering Bloody hell that’s brought back a few memories
And a TS 3 de-coking itself in the middle of a cold winters night.
And an old Army greatcoat before heaters were invented.
And Liverpool Docks.
Happy days.
grumpy old man:
Reversing an ERF artic into a tight spot with no power steering Bloody hell that’s brought back a few memories
And a TS 3 de-coking itself in the middle of a cold winters night.
And an old Army greatcoat before heaters were invented.
And Liverpool Docks.
Happy days.
I was just reminiscing with a smile , feeling all happy and contented and then you go and mention that bloody place . One of the sour memories for anyone of a certain vintage .
I well remember those Golden Circle Leaders with the Alison boxes. Their eight leggers flew away from the lights. There used to be quite a few leaders around back on the 70’s but then seemed to just disappear.