Remember these “suicide” roads, use to scare the crap out of me…
gingerfold:
Fergie47:
However, there is normally a supermarket or two in every town which all have have 24h pumps…the one advantage of supermarket stations, plus they’ll be a hell of a lot cheaper.…The reason supermarket fuel is cheaper, apart from them selling it as a “loss leader” is that it doesn’t contain any of the costly additives that give cleaner burning and less gummy deposits on valves etc. When I was researching my oil company transport book back in the late 1990s I spent a day at the Total fuel terminal at Colwick, Nottingham. All the major fuel companies pool their base products from the refinery into a terminal and whilst, for example, Colwick was a Total terminal, all the other companies send their tankers into there to draw fuel. What is in the tanks at the terminal is base fuel and each company drawing from there, such as Shell. Texaco, etc. has it own additives supply that is metered into the tanker when it loads. Supermarket fuel is the base fuel without additives and much of it is bought on the spot market in Rotterdam.
Hi gingerfold, you are right, I buy supermarket fuel and use Miller’s additive, 100ml to a tankful(120litres), usually fill up at half a tank, so additive every second fill approx, a gallon(£60 plus last time I bought it) lasts a long time and IMHO is worth it.
Oily
Off topic…but…
Mrs Fergie has been running in charity events for over 30 years now, she thinks that this may be her last year…she’s running two events, one in Brest in September, and the other in Lorient in October, raising funds for Marie Curie
She has a target of £100, if any of you Saveim watchers could spare a pound or two, that would be much appreciated…a lot of the lads on here over the years have donated and it makes the running really worth while…I’m pretty sure that nearly all of us have had either family or friends that have needed specialist care nurses that these organizations provide, they do a fantastic job…
You can donate here… justgiving.com/Liz-Phillips-Brittany….
Thanks for reading… 
Fergie47:
Remember these “suicide” roads, use to scare the crap out of me…
My late father used to tell of himself and two workmates racing each other on the 3-lane A38 when returning empty from delivering milk in churns to Cadbury’s depot at Frampton on Severn. He reckoned they would be three abreast for several miles, a feat which would have been possible given the low volumes of traffic in the wartime years.
Fergie47:
A few abandoned garages…so many long gone now, they were always handy, enough space to get a wagon in, and and a coffee and snack…
What a shame they have been left to rot. They would make stylish cafés or even houses. The design of those garages carries the same optimism for the future as the cabs of the lorries of the post-war period, in my view at least (although I think that big symmetrical one might be pre-war). The smaller ones appear to have been built around a similar template, with the large glass frontage to the left, and doors big enough to accommodate a lorry to the right. Are there any architects on here, who may better inform us?
Saviem, that is an amazing post!! I hope you are not in the bad books for too long. Johnny
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I had a similar card issue in Belgium. I was saved by someone who filled up on their card and I paid them cash. I was certainly very grateful. I gave them 5 Euros for their good deed.
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[zb]
anorak:Fergie47:
A few abandoned garages…so many long gone now, they were always handy, enough space to get a wagon in, and and a coffee and snack…What a shame they have been left to rot. They would make stylish cafés or even houses. The design of those garages carries the same optimism for the future as the cabs of the lorries of the post-war period, in my view at least (although I think that big symmetrical one might be pre-war). The smaller ones appear to have been built around a similar template, with the large glass frontage to the left, and doors big enough to accommodate a lorry to the right. Are there any architects on here, who may better inform us?
Evening all,
Anorak, you are right, the structures, (as any structure), could be adapted easily…but in many instances it is the location that is wrong, both in terms of its original use as a Garage/Filling station, or as any proposed redevelopment…you need to be either near a community/in it/ or a “destination”, the fact that tey are unused would suggest that they do not satisfy any of these criteria.
French planning laws are far easier in terms of friendliness to the proposer, than our own UK ones…“the answer is no…what was your question”.
I was always fascinated by the fact that many urban Routiers were used by local people just as much as by us drivers. The lines of parked lorries almost a sign of the quality of the cooking within. But again behaviour within the walls was always good, creating an ambiance rarely seen in the UK Transport Café`s. These were eating establishments, where the quality of the repas was valued.
There were exceptions of course…(and I can think of several… sadly, .mainly frequented by UK drivers…out of school ), and there were the real odd balls, do any of you recall the chain of US Themed “Diners”, the first of which was an elaborate operation at Chambrey les Tours, near the RN 10/RN24 intersection, supposed to be the first of many…was it?
Personally I preferred the old style ones, (even if you parked on the road), like Chez Pierre, the Relais D Argenteuil @ Pezou , (north of Vendame). Anyone else enjoy the faded splendour of "Café des Sports", Sainte Mave de Tourane, previously the "Hotel de LEtoile", again on the RN10…(most of my driving seems to have been along the RN10.7.24,20,23, 6), …lovely faded splendour establishment, with cheap rooms that were clean…and antique plumbing, that was…interesting to say the least…after all it was built just after the end of WW1…
It was always the architecture that caught my imagination, and envariably made me stop to sample the food…and I’m struggling to remember the name of the establishment on the downgrade before Saint Avaud…“La Celle” ■■?..nice food…beautiful statuesque waitresses…
Cheerio for now.
Saviem:
[zb]
anorak:Fergie47:
A few abandoned garages…so many long gone now, they were always handy, enough space to get a wagon in, and and a coffee and snack…What a shame they have been left to rot. They would make stylish cafés or even houses. The design of those garages carries the same optimism for the future as the cabs of the lorries of the post-war period, in my view at least (although I think that big symmetrical one might be pre-war). The smaller ones appear to have been built around a similar template, with the large glass frontage to the left, and doors big enough to accommodate a lorry to the right. Are there any architects on here, who may better inform us?
Evening all,
Anorak, you are right, the structures, (as any structure), could be adapted easily…but in many instances it is the location that is wrong, both in terms of its original use as a Garage/Filling station, or as any proposed redevelopment…you need to be either near a community/in it/ or a “destination”, the fact that tey are unused would suggest that they do not satisfy any of these criteria.
French planning laws are far easier in terms of friendliness to the proposer, than our own UK ones…“the answer is no…what was your question”.
I was always fascinated by the fact that many urban Routiers were used by local people just as much as by us drivers. The lines of parked lorries almost a sign of the quality of the cooking within. But again behaviour within the walls was always good, creating an ambiance rarely seen in the UK Transport Café`s. These were eating establishments, where the quality of the repas was valued.
There were exceptions of course…(and I can think of several… sadly, .mainly frequented by UK drivers…out of school ), and there were the real odd balls, do any of you recall the chain of US Themed “Diners”, the first of which was an elaborate operation at Chambrey les Tours, near the RN 10/RN24 intersection, supposed to be the first of many…was it?
Personally I preferred the old style ones, (even if you parked on the road), like Chez Pierre, the Relais D
Argenteuil @ Pezou , (north of Vendame). Anyone else enjoy the faded splendour of "Café des Sports", Sainte Mave de Tourane, previously the "Hotel de LEtoile", again on the RN10…(most of my driving seems to have been along the RN10.7.24,20,23, 6), …lovely faded splendour establishment, with cheap rooms that were clean…and antique plumbing, that was…interesting to say the least…after all it was built just after the end of WW1…It was always the architecture that caught my imagination, and envariably made me stop to sample the food…and I’m struggling to remember the name of the establishment on the downgrade before Saint Avaud…“La Celle” ■■?..nice food…beautiful statuesque waitresses…
Cheerio for now.
I’m a life-long lover of the old French relais/routier watering holes. However, I could never get my head round the penchant for American-style truck stops either here in UK or in Europe. There was one on the RN10 at Bedenac that burnt down (nick-named The Flintstones); and another further up the RN10 called Western Trucks (somewhere between Barbezieu and Couhe IIRC) at Les Minieres. Actually, Western Trucks was a good place to stop despite its yankee aspirations! Frankly, there wasn’t a single Routier on the RN10 twixt Tours and Bordeaux that I wouldn’t love to steer an artic (of my period) into for conviviality and joy at the end of a working day! My favourites up the RN10 were Vivonne and, the very best: Etoile du Sud at Couhe. Robert
Simca, Ozo and Berliet; three deceased makes. I do remember the Ozo petrol stations, when I was a young child, and my dad certainly filled his Beetle’s tank at least once in one of them. Another disappeared petrol brand is Azur.
Here’s a petrol delivery truck badged “Azur”, seen at La Ferté-Alais in 2010.
More on Azur here:
mini.43.free.fr/2018azur.html
Came across these two in the past week, the pair resembley quite a generation gap.
And can I dedicate the last one to Robert1952, I’ve recently discovered he’s quite keen on those “topsleepers” 
Cheers, Patrick
A modern day French “heavy”
And as promised earlier, some pic’s I took last Sunday whilst visiting the classic edition of the 24h of Le Mans.
I’ve got some more up me sleeve like, but that’s mostly of (racing) cars, don’t know if someone is interested in that? 
Cheers, Patrick
Most interesting pictures! Despite its UK registration, the first one (Cobra Ford) looks Italian to me. The Porsch team truck is certainly based on a Mercedes O 321 coach. Did you really see the white Berliet last Sunday? A GLM 10 a initially belonging to Transports ATA, it had been for sale for quite a time for an indecent price…
Froggy55:
Most interesting pictures! Despite its UK registration, the first one (Cobra Ford) looks Italian to me. The Porsch team truck is certainly based on a Mercedes O 321 coach. Did you really see the white Berliet last Sunday? A GLM 10 a initially belonging to Transports ATA, it had been for sale for quite a time for an indecent price…
You are quite right. Without looking it up my memory is not good any more) the first one was used (I think commissioned) by American Lance Reventlow to haul his Scarab racing cars (that his team built) in Europe, then it was moved on and was used by Alan Mann racing and Carroll Shelby to move his Cobras (thus the sign writing), all back in the late 50s and the 60s…
What a sad day for France…R.I.P. to those innocents that were murdered in Nice… 
Fergie47:
What a sad day for France…R.I.P. to those innocents that were murdered in Nice…
I will join with you Dave in your sentiments, absolutely atrocious and heart breaking, deepest condolences to all those families affected. I trust you can imagine my verbal reaction to the news flash we had last night here in the UK ! Regards Dennis.
Fergie47:
What a sad day for France…R.I.P. to those innocents that were murdered in Nice…
Completely agree. France is going through tough times. After the successful European Football Championship I thought they had maybe turned a corner. It was just the lull before the next storm.
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Fergie47:
What a sad day for France…R.I.P. to those innocents that were murdered in Nice…
Another sad day indeed… how much more have the French have to cope with…