pv83:
Retired Old ■■■■:
I trust the nutmeg soufflé was perfection?
probably finished the course with a large Bollinger…
Evening all,
ROF, pv83, Yes, and yes!..and that is why its taken me to now to carry on !..I have always enjoyed my grub, not mountains of it, but good quality. The old Vine leaf is an incredible vegetable, you can actually savour the flavour of the variety you are eating when its cooked…like a vegetable wine, so to speak. ROF, get a vine planted on your allotment, she will become a great friend, and over the years give you fantastic pleasure, the leaves, either cold, or cooked, (boiled, a bit like spinach, but with a “tang”, roasted…that is by far the best one), and the grape itself, young and juicy, into a salad, a desert…Macclesfield is not so far north to preclude growth…you only need sheltered spot, not a hot house…or grow one in a pot in the house…believe me you will never look back!
Patrick, somewhere back on this thread I wrote about TMU, and their background. Like the Trabosa/MOL the TMU came from the hands of the Willeme/PRP design team, look at that Venezualian DAF cab 8x8, its a Willeme TG with a different cab. They also sold well in Chile, (and some are still running today). The whole story of Spains vehicle industry is really interesting, and because of the way its Government post Franco worked, all sorts of businesses sprang up to serve the hispanic markets worldwide. The South American lorry scene is really interesting, many countries have had unstable political regimes, consequently the manufacturers selling/manufacturing in those countries have had to be very quick on their feet to avoid coming a cropper!
But forgive me if I go back to Eduardo Barreiros…
The initial thrust of the TAINO manufacturing project was to create a range of modular power units suitable for automotive, rail, marine, industrial, and agricultural use. Also to design a programme to convert existing petrol engines to diesel operation, (universally of Soviet manufacture), either Zil, (formerly Zis, after Stalin, but when the post Stalin regime took control, renamed after the works manager), or Volga in light commercials.
For this new project Barreiros needed a trusted team, and in 1978 assembled a small team of former companions from Barreiros, all as Eduardo in their late 50s, or early 60s, and as eager as they had been as young men to create a new company, many miles from their native Spain. Non more so than Antonio Guisasola,who left a comfortable, (and high status), Government position as head of Harbours and Channels to decamp to Cuba with his wife and family.
Guisasola was to play a major role both in TAINO, and in creating engineering, and manufacturing standards for Cuba, by heading up CATDA, (The centre of technical assistance for automotive development)…a most difficult operation when the workforce was raised not to obey, but to question every instruction that was given to them…and if they could not understand the reason for the instruction…well they simply ignored it!..The eventual compromise was written as, “Socialism`s incorporation of certain technical capatalist labour”…even in English its an odd concept, but it was the first of many subtle changes towards accepting western manufacturing techniques.
The first factory for TAINO was at Amistad Cubano Soviet Port of Havana. Formerly the base in Cuba for the American Rambler operation. Here work began to dieselise the Zis/Zil 6 cylinder petrol commercial vehicle engine.The development of this conversion, was to lead to full scale assembly as the EB 5hc 6 cylinder . 10.01.84 a trial was conducted between a Zil petrol, and a ZIL eb Diesel, between Havana, and Matanzas. The petrol vehicle consumed 34.5 litres per 100kms, the diesel 21.3 litres per 100kms. despite power being reduced to 120 hp against the petrols 146hp. In the conversion the bore was reduced from 100mm to 92mm, the stroke remaining at 95mm. Inline injection equipment from Barreiros`s own CCabsa company design was fitted. At this works The Volga 4 cylinder 2.5 litre petrol engine for cars and Taxis was also dieselised.
During the period 78/82 two further factories were established to produce raw engines, lorries, and buses, plus agricultural equipment, particularly Cane Harvesters. The basic EB/Taino engine followed the design of the trial winning EB260 hp unit. The models were,
EB6 6 cylinder V formation, 126x130mm 9.762 litre direct injection 200hp @ 2500 rpm
EB8 8cylinder V formation 126x130mm 13 litre, 260hp @2500 rpm natural aspirated
EB8 8 cylinder V formation 126x130mm 13 litre 320 hp @2500 rpm Turbo Charged
EB10 10 cylinder V formation 126x130mm 16 litre 500hp @2500 rpm
EB12 12 cylinder V formation 126x130mm 19 litre 550/700hp
For agricultural use ,
L3 3 cylinder 50hp
L4 4cylinder 80hp
L100 turbo 4 cylinder Turbo 100hp
LB112 112hp turbo, only trial built.
Barreiros and his team encountered major problems concerning quality control of subcontract components, both Cuban, and particularly Soviet. The initial EB V6, and V8 engines suffered from the block castings being contaminated with casting sand, as well as dimensional errors.Barreiros had to re organise both acquisition from Narciso Lopez Rosello, and also the method of production, before the product was suitable to be built up into a complete engine. Because of the inadequacy of available tooling Barreiros purchased over $ 400 million value of machine tools from the Basque region to equip the Taino factoies, and also a design/development studio in Madrid toco ordinate production of all products in close liason with Havana.
Initial versions of a local built lorry cab proved not very cost efficient, nor comfortable! Thus began the import of ENASA-Pegaso cabs to fit on the Soviet Zil chassis, equiped with both imported, and TAINO manufactured Russian ORIJEN axles and gearboxes. The actual finished TAINO lorry, in rigid, or articulated form being quite a handsome looker, whether fitted with the early “crinkle” Pegaso cab, or the later square version. Buses and coaches based on agreements with Van Hool and Ikarus, (in turn Berliet designs), were produced for the Cuban market, as well as tractors, and a much loved Sugar Cane Harvester…so well loved for several times Barreiros and his team would find that production staff had simply deserted their posts to go “to the harvest”…and there was simply nothing that they could do about it!
If you have visited Cuba in the past, you may have noted many Pegaso badged lorries, it is worth looking at the engine or gearbox…a favourite trick of Cuban drivers was to" Spanishfy" their TAINO by putting a Pegaso badge on the front!
Castro was keen to export Cuban vehicles to other communist countries to earn currency. To this end TAINO 4x2, and 6x4 rigids were shown at the 1986 Leipzig East German, and Plodiv, Bulgarian Trade fairs. Barreiros was involved in a project to manufacture in Romania, and the Russians had requested that he draw up plans, and move to Russia to reorganise the Zil diesel engine plant. In October 1992 along with his friend and colleague Antonio Guisasola he was preparing to go to Angola to establish a satelite TAINO factory when he suffered a fatal heart attack.
.
Barreiros`s life is full of Incredible achievements for a man with no formal education, and totally self taught engineering and manufacturing skill. A humane man, apolitical, at home with politicians from the right and left, concerned for his workers, never thinking of himself above them, and often working alongside them. Today still revered in Cuba, and recognised in his native Spain. If ever you are in Madrid do try to visit his foundation, its collections are rich in Barreiros lorry history.
To me he is simply the greatest, of those great hands on lorry men.
Cheerio for now.
. Robert
