March 1972, Guadelahara Mountains, Spain.
Picture taken en route to Madrid loaded with production equipment for the unveiling of the new Ford model Consul and Granada in Madrid. Ford chartered about 60 aircraft to bring representatives from all the Main Dealers from all over Europe.
The truck is a Leyland Beaver with 10 speed semi automatic (Coventry Self Changing) gearbox. I was stuck like that for 12 hours worried that if the back end of the tractor slid round any more it would go off the edge of the road and the whole lot would topple over, bearing in mind that it didn’t have a clutch or diff-lock. Happy Days!
When I finally got going again I was happy that I’d waited and not become inpatient. In the first few miles I drove I saw a few Pegaso’s like this one.
This was taken at the Irun-Hendaye border (Hendaye side) on my way back from Madrid
Mercurey, near Beaune, France. Circa 1972.
Loading wine through a small hole in the wall at a vineyard
Sorry about the poor quality of this photo. It’s taken in 1973 in West Germany as it was then, unloading a house onto a base which was basically the cellar. The rest of the building came in the trailer and the builders constructed it almost as it was unloaded. The ERF was a B series but I don’t remember what engine it had. (I did my best to forget it, definitely not a ‘Continental’ motor).
Don’t know Wheel Nut, all of the cars were taken down by Pro Motors as I remember (road foreman was a guy named Chuck I think) but most of the work was done by a production company -Dave Hersey Associates. I was there for for a fortnight and I worked for them, but I don’t remember anyone from Ford being there (although they must have been there somewhere).
Probably not then Dave, Promototor was taken over by Ontime Automotive and Pat never worked for them. I bet he will be here in a moment to put me right
Yep, but that was a long time after this that Pro Motor was taken over, or at least ceased trading in Pro Motor (uck) green. I run with them probably at least up to 75/76
I remember those Beaver semi automatics well. Bunny Hill Motors between Nottingham and Loughborough had half a dozen of them. You could do a racing change on them, very cool with all those others waiting for the revs with their DB 6-speed boxes
Where did you spend the 12 days? Bad enough not to have a sleeper but those ergomatics were hardly a decent kipping cab with that great engine hump in the middle .
Wine through the wall I’ve done too, but the best ever was to drive onto what looked like a weighbridge in the middle of a warehouse, was told to get out, and then watch while the thing disappeared into the floor till the back end was level for loading.
Well it did have a fold down bunk in it but that just about filled the cab area, couldn’t get out for a pee in the night without folding the bed up. Didn’t have much room for a case and a emergency rations either David.
Stayed in the Hotel Cuzco in Madrid, thank God.
Right about the racing change too, solo I reckon you could beat most saloons away from the lights (I didn’t attempt it of course, far too professional).
Trouble with them was like most automatic’s (in those days) there wasn’t much engine braking and the brake drums were shot after 11,000 miles. The fitter at RBT booked them into Jacobs in Slough to have Jake brakes fitted but when the guvnor found out he cancelled them on the grounds that they were designed for 32 ton and so they should be able to safely carry that weight■■? They used to generate a lot of interest from the French Drivers too especially as there wasn’t any sleeper and when they got closer, no clutch peddle either.
Nice super pics, i dont realise Roy Bowles do some european work in some years ago, I seen them often in my home area near - Heathrow Airport. now they do air freight transport not european work anymore
Normally they have old fleet and horrible grey livery
You’re right Betz, they always did do airfreight, that’s how Roy Bowles started. He used to run parcels around in mini busses which was a sort of way around the licencing laws at the time, and the rest is history as they say. I think it was about 1970 that he sold out to Albany Freight or was it Albany was owned by Wilkinsons Transport and they bought RBT. Anyway Albany used to do a lot of airfreight for the film industry and so RBT started doing some of the European road transport operations for them.
I had some good times on there, the first job I done was to Zagreb for ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ and later I went to Sardinia for the Bond Film ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ and two trips to Malta, one for ‘Midnight Express’ (I know that was supposed to be Turkey, but it was filmed in Malta) and the other a kind of Jaws film but with an Octopus called ‘Warlords Of Atlantis’, with loads of other film work to less romantic locations in between. I wish I’d taken more photo’s than I did. They also done some ordinary Int work too, like a regular run from Offenbach nr Frankfurt to East Kilbride with Sunbeam electric toasters.
I think I’ve waffled on enough!
Sorry Betz, I must have had a senior moment when I wrote this:-
‘and later I went to Sardinia for the Bond Film ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ and two trips to Malta, one for ‘Midnight Express’ (I know that was supposed to be Turkey, but it was filmed in Malta) and the other a kind of Jaws film but with an Octopus called ‘Warlords Of Atlantis’, with loads of other film work to less romantic locations in between.’
these jobs were much later when I worked for a firm called LandA Express Freight Carriers, which was in Long Lane Stanwell, near the Heathrow Cargo Terminal. Sorry about that folks…It’s all ebbing away. I don’t think Roy Bowles was running then, as I think it was part of the deal when he sold out to Wilkinsons that he wouldn’t trade for 5 years or something like that.
Rattlesnake Dave You deserve a medal taking those dogs on international work. I had a ERF like that on UK work with tilts out of Harwich. No power steering.// I was lucky. My first trip was a Malta Cross lift axle F88 left ■■■■■■ with all the trimmings. & even better it was containers from London to Marseilles. Later they got tilts & did Italy. It was all down hill after that. I think my first trip was in 69. It looks like you started earlier..?PS. Spain had the same sysem as italy for registering trucks. Guadalajara..? Isnt that part of the Somer Sierras ?// Just had a look its a road I never used much. Just outside Madrid on the Zaragosa /Pamplona road.
Couldnt resist mucking around with that snap. Hope you dont mind
I didn’t know any different Harry, two kids and a mortgage, have truck-will travel. Always chasing the fast buck!! That ERF was a pig though, if you drove it for any longer than an hour or so, when you stopped the engine noise carried on reverberating around the inside of your head for another 20 minutes or so. There was less room in the cab than the Leyland Beaver, and that’s saying something. Like the beaver, it did have a fold down bed, but at 6’3ins tall it was advantageous to sleep with one widow open which had the dual benefit of enabling a full stretch and airing the smelly feet at the same time!
I’m not sure on the mountain range Harry, I’m sure I went via Santander, Burgos and so I may have the wrong mountains. I can’t get to my map at the moment, I’ll look it up later. Come to think of it, I definitely passed through Burgos 'cos I went to watch Real Madrid playing while I was in Madrid, and that’s who they were playing. The RM stadium (then) was just down the road in Avenida Genaralissimo from the Hotel Cuzco where I was staying. No Cab Hotel for me-luxury, two showers a day and someone to make the bed
Harry, the photo didn’t show when I first read your message but it has now I’ve posted. It looks great, That’s what it looked like on your way back from the bar (when you were week ended of course!)
Thanks KW, I just wished I taken more. I’ve had a camera since my 21st birthday but I was always a bit dubious about taking it away in case it got stolen. I wish I’d taken the chance because a camera is no friggin’ good sitting in the draw at home.
Harry, do you remember this bloke? I think I met him in Milan at some time, and no I wasn’t doing dodgies running other peoples trailers about at the week end, honest!
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I don’t think Roy Bowles was running then, as I think it was part of the deal when he sold out to Wilkinsons that he wouldn’t trade for 5 years or something like that.
