I once loaded biscuits at a place in Edinburgh, I.I.R.C. it was about ten tons of Custard Creams which was all handball. I had a Ford D series with a 36-foot single axle trailer at the time and I was told to take the load down to King George 5th dock in London. The final destination for the load was to Lagos, Nigeria and as it was a Wednesday afternoon, I knew that I would be getting at least my Saturday morning in.
I arrived at the docks at about 10 a.m. on the Friday morning and much to my dismay, I found out that there were several trucks in front of me. I parked up at the back of the queue and walked to the front to hand my delivery notes into the loading office.
There was a forkie unloading a flat trailer that was delivering a load of steel and he asked me what I had got on. When I said a load of biscuits, his face lit up and he replied “pull around to the front driver, we are waiting for those”.
I have never seen as many dockers appear from nowhere who all wanted to help to off load me and I lost count of how many cartons were opened to be taken away for ‘inspection’. Still, I was tipped by lunch time so it turned out to be a good job
essexpete:
I was going to ask about the very smart looking twin steer ERF unit, back up the page. On close look it seems it was fitted with a Gardner 100? Which engine was that? It must have been woefully underpowered even by the standards of the day?
I’m pretty sure it said 180. I thought it might have been a 240 which is why I blew the photo up.
Yes you are right, 180. Must have still been hard work.
Had one of these for 2 years, needed the climbing skills of a monkey, narrow catwalk top deck on the offside only and not above the cab, chaining down the front top deck car was acrobatics par excellance, enjoyed every minute of it specially with a good mate.
Oily
Thanks Buzzer yes a neat job I did some of the nitrate loads myself early on to the Mt Tom Price and Parapado Iron ore mines in those days we carried them without tarps then they insisted we use gates front rear and both sides that resulted in bags chafing against the gates and us leaving a trail on the highway and where we camped a few piles, the next solution was to have 15 sheets of ply per trailer between the gates and the bags that worked out ok but it doubled the time to load and unload plus making sure all the sheets of ply remained on each trailer not always possible with some of the loads we returned with.
Next solution bearing in mind no one who was doing the job was consulted in any way to resolve the problem the govern mines depart were the ones who made the rules anyhow eventually some suggested we tarp and strap each load like your photo which was pretty much how we started. I got fed up with all the changes and as usual there was always someone who did it cheaper so I went and found other things to do.
Below is a pic I have posted before when I was carting drill muds gel and barite plus the odd pallets of different chemicals from Pt Hedland to Darwin the load in the photo was getting a retarp in the truck bay as i had made a dogs dinner of the first go.
Cheers Dig
I’m not sure when it was built, but it’s between Hedland and Newman, about 200k short of Newman. I’ve only dived in to grab a cold drink once or twice, but regularly used the pad to leave a couple of trailers in. There was an Aboriginal Community, at Wittonoom that I delivered fuel to, on the return from Whaleback.
I’m not sure when it was built, but it’s between Hedland and Newman, about 200k short of Newman. I’ve only dived in to grab a cold drink once or twice, but regularly used the pad to leave a couple of trailers in. There was an Aboriginal Community, at Wittonoom that I delivered fuel to, on the return from Whaleback.
That would be the Auski Road house mate ,the road from there to Mt Newman would have been finished during the late 1980s the roadhouse opened a year or so later., we were carting Concrete Culverts from the concrete works in Darwin to various locations on that section [pic below] If you want to really test your truck for power hang 3 trailers of those culverts behind it that sorted out the men from the boys.
I.m surprised you were delivering fuel into Whitnoon as the West OZ state gov had withdrawn all services to Whitnoon to force people to leave because of the risk of asbestosis from the mine just a couple of kms from the town.
The track to the east went to Nullagine actually still does and years before from there went west through the through the range on a notorious section known as Rio Tinto George,the track winds around inside the heart of the range my first taste of it was with 2 mt cattle trailers and a lead loaded with unbroken horses,I had to break up the road train and proceed through one at a time quite a time consuming venture which took the best part of the day.It has now been tided up a bit all the big boulders that were the truck stoppers and it has been sealed dont want the tourist hordes trying to back their caravan 5 or 6 kms ,There is now signs at each end with instructions which channel to use on their CB radio to let the people know when they are about the enter the george. If you haven’t got a CB wait until someone who has turns up and can let you know what’s what.
We have it on a movie we took somewhere not sure if I can load it onto the HH site. I will try.
This track goes through to Mt Tom Price.
A note the original inland road turned off the MT Newman acess road about 30 kms north of Kumarina road house and went through to Nullagine Marble Bar and came out on the coast road 60kms north of Port Hedland.In my fledgeling days in road transport here I used this road every time I went from Perth to Derby in those days be ready for anything.
I’m not sure when it was built, but it’s between Hedland and Newman, about 200k short of Newman. I’ve only dived in to grab a cold drink once or twice, but regularly used the pad to leave a couple of trailers in. There was an Aboriginal Community, at Wittonoom that I delivered fuel to, on the return from Whaleback.
That would be the Auski Road house mate ,the road from there to Mt Newman would have been finished during the late 1980s the roadhouse opened a year or so later., we were carting Concrete Culverts from the concrete works in Darwin to various locations on that section [pic below] If you want to really test your truck for power hang 3 trailers of those culverts behind it that sorted out the men from the boys.
I.m surprised you were delivering fuel into Whitnoon as the West OZ state gov had withdrawn all services to Whitnoon to force people to leave because of the risk of asbestosis from the mine just a couple of kms from the town.
The track to the east went to Nullagine actually still does and years before from there went west through the through the range on a notorious section known as Rio Tinto George,the track winds around inside the heart of the range my first taste of it was with 2 mt cattle trailers and a lead loaded with unbroken horses,I had to break up the road train and proceed through one at a time quite a time consuming venture which took the best part of the day.It has now been tided up a bit all the big boulders that were the truck stoppers and it has been sealed dont want the tourist hordes trying to back their caravan 5 or 6 kms ,There is now signs at each end with instructions which channel to use on their CB radio to let the people know when they are about the enter the george. If you haven’t got a CB wait until someone who has turns up and can let you know what’s what.
We have it on a movie we took somewhere not sure if I can load it onto the HH site. I will try.
This track goes through to Mt Tom Price.
A note the original inland road turned off the MT Newman acess road about 30 kms north of Kumarina road house and went through to Nullagine Marble Bar and came out on the coast road 60kms north of Port Hedland.In my fledgeling days in road transport here I used this road every time I went from Perth to Derby in those days be ready for anything.
Dig
It was a bit short of Wittenoom township, Dig. An Aboriginal Community called Youngaleena Bunlima.
That reminds me of another yarn, for the tales thread.
Just looked it up, about half way between Auski and Wittenoom.
oiltreader:
Came upon this when attempting file system tidy up, dunno where I got it most on Trucknet will relate to it, lift it share it.
Oily
WE WERE INVINCIBLE!
The kids of the 70’s. Class one HGV. Kings of the Road, bring it on. We were invincible.
ERF, Seddon, Atki, Foden. TK, Guy Big J, Screaming Dodge. F86! 180, 220. 240 Straight 8. ■■■■■■■■ Rolls Royce, the mighty Gardner. We were invincible.
Sleeping Bags, non sleeper cabs, sleeping boards, newspaper curtains frozen to the windows. Five nights out. Fry ups. Booze ups Fish & Chips, Spare ribs, Chinese, a Kebab on the way back. We were invincible.
Roping and sheeting in rain sun or snow climbing over loads like monkeys. No Gloves, fingers split, dollies, half hitches and pigs ears. Dundee crosses, Chains and dogs and a 3 foot length of scaffold pipe. We were invincible.
Jump up. Jump down run around an PULLLLLL. Rope slips, hold on tight. Soaking wet, dry as you drive. Handball fertilizer, tatties or flour 200lb sacks just drop them on me. We were invincible.
New road, old roads, no place too far or remote. Trailblazers pathfinders, leave it to me. Hammer down keep ‘er lit. Aldgate East, Middle East, East Kilbride. Mind that bridge, look out the ministry’s about. We were invincible.
Forty years on the knees have gone, back aches, hips replaced, stone deaf, diabetes. Stiff neck, kidney stones, arthritis. Absent friends, we’ll meet agains. Going still or keys hung up, pass it on.
WE ARE INVINCIBLE.
Love the last paragraph (Forty years on), that’s about right, I’d struggle to get mounted now. Back in the day I could leap into any cab like a gazelle, not any more, I’ve even had to buy a b loody walking stick.
mushroomman:
Do you remember when you used to jump off the back of a trailer and some old driver would say “you will have bad knees one day”.
Well they were right.
And the young blokes to whom I offer the same advice, take as much notice as I did, forty years ago.
We’re all bulletproof until we’re forty-five.
most on Trucknet will relate to it, lift it share it.
