Saviem's fan club (Part 1)

[erf-ngc-european]

nei1:
Hello all,

I do hope you forgive my intrusion into your forum and I hope you’ll excuse the preamble. Like a good many folk over the last 12 months, the pandemic has caused me to live life a little differently, and as a keen walker, having hiked many hundreds of miles with my wife before we had children, over the last 12 months with the purchase of suitable slings for our young children we’ve ever increased the distance we can now go from our home up to about seven miles round trip or so carrying the ever growing beasts.

With the beautiful weather this weekend we took the opportunity to catch up with my parents by going for a (socially distanced) walk around the local countryside, along a route I did once last year but was unfortunate enough to get caught in a thunderstorm with my three year old, resulting in a fairly forced march by myself with my head down, hood up at a pace, grumpy, wet and cold child on back.

Doing the same route yesterday with the glorious sunshine, I was able to take in the beautiful countryside, wildlife and other things we tend not to notice with the pace of life in this day and age and came across a memorial plaque down a small track with a cottage and yard nearby, with the name John Goodreid. I took a snap of the plaque as I was intrigued by the touching verse written on it and decided to see if I could discover a bit about this man, who was “Killed here in the place he loved most” and my research has led me to your forums where I seem to have discovered the legacy of a man who was very much larger than life and loved by many.

I’ve very much enjoyed reading some of his posts and have found his character and charisma shine through the internet, Saviem or John, comes alive in this place and I was amazed to discover that his fan club thread lives on and is still active. I certainly share his love of Laphroiag, but alas, not Bollinger!

Given the high regard he was held here, and how his unfortunate passing a few years ago met with such sadness and touching tributes by many of the members here I thought you might find some comfort in the memorial and in knowing that even after his death, his posts have been making a stranger smile today.

I’m sorry for the loss so many of you felt, Saviem does indeed sound like the sort of chap I would very much have enjoyed meeting in one of our local pubs and getting to know, and the little insights I’ve gleaned into his life and interests here made me feel it was appropriate to make the effort to register here and post, once again I do hope you don’t mind, as my knowledge of any sort of motor vehicle is limited to filling the fuel tank, changing a tyre or battery and checking the oil!

All the best.

Neil

(I did intend to post on his other thread here but it appears to have been locked or I don’t possess the ability to post in it, perhaps a moderator may link this post back to that thread.)
0

Welcome to TruckNet Neil; and thank you for your thoughtful contribution to a thread that continues to celebrate John’s place in the world of road transport. He was one of the most respected men on this forum and we remember his wonderful input with affection. Take care.

Ro

[kevmac47]

I started the thread, although I never had the good fortune to meet him his insight and depth of knowledge of our industry was second to none. He input is still missed, but his legacy lives on in this thread, although I don’t contribute much to the content now, ( due to my lack of experience of European Tranport) I read the contents regularly. I think John would be very happy with the direction his “Fan Club” has taken. Regards Kev.

[froggy55]

Fergie47:

Eddie Heaton:
[q
in my specific locality we have a word that perfectly describes the looks of this particular Bernard truck.
.

You Sir, are a Philistine, That Bernard, is one of my favorite French Camions…The British were running around in piles of absolute ■■■ in the late 50’s and early '60’s compared to that beautiful piece of kit.
In comparison to any British wagon it was miles ahead of its time, the famous 8 wheeler they built had air suspension and disc brakes too…in 1960 !!

So Mr Heaton, I demand satisfaction for your scandalous disregard for beauty, a duel sir, yes a duel…A French duel at that, seeing as you’ve insulted a French icon, and a thing of beauty.

We will eat plates of escargot,. with garlic bread,until one of us is sick…that’sir, when you lose, will teach you a lesson not to insult that magnificent Bernad…

Congratulations, Dave, for your excellent retort, full of humour and so far ahead of the recent thread between two respectable seniors about a futile disagreement. I discovered it when it had already been locked, but it really sounded like teenager squabbling! As I said, I agree with both of you (you and Eddie). That cab was a tremendous innovation in matter of space and comfort, but esthetically very “discutable”, as we say in French! Anyway, their drivers must have made other truckers envious, especially those who had to do with a cab of the '40s! And there were still a lot of them on the roads in 1960.

[michel]

Well restored Saviem ‘Tancarville’ tipper with underfloor engine .

[pv83]

Fergie47:

Eddie Heaton:
[q
in my specific locality we have a word that perfectly describes the looks of this particular Bernard truck.
.

You Sir, are a Philistine, That Bernard, is one of my favorite French Camions…The British were running around in piles of absolute ■■■ in the late 50’s and early '60’s compared to that beautiful piece of kit.
In comparison to any British wagon it was miles ahead of its time, the famous 8 wheeler they built had air suspension and disc brakes too…in 1960 !!

So Mr Heaton, I demand satisfaction for your scandalous disregard for beauty, a duel sir, yes a duel…A French duel at that, seeing as you’ve insulted a French icon, and a thing of beauty.

We will eat plates of escargot,. with garlic bread,until one of us is sick…that’sir, when you lose, will teach you a lesson not to insult that magnificent Bernad…

Well, now you’ve done it Eddie, you’ve upset the Duke of Brittany! Best advice I can give you is to run for cover!

[pv83]

Froggy55:

Fergie47:

Eddie Heaton:
[q
in my specific locality we have a word that perfectly describes the looks of this particular Bernard truck.
.

You Sir, are a Philistine, That Bernard, is one of my favorite French Camions…The British were running around in piles of absolute ■■■ in the late 50’s and early '60’s compared to that beautiful piece of kit.
In comparison to any British wagon it was miles ahead of its time, the famous 8 wheeler they built had air suspension and disc brakes too…in 1960 !!

So Mr Heaton, I demand satisfaction for your scandalous disregard for beauty, a duel sir, yes a duel…A French duel at that, seeing as you’ve insulted a French icon, and a thing of beauty.

We will eat plates of escargot,. with garlic bread,until one of us is sick…that’sir, when you lose, will teach you a lesson not to insult that magnificent Bernad…

Congratulations, Dave, for your excellent retort, full of humour and so far ahead of the recent thread between two respectable seniors about a futile disagreement. I discovered it when it had already been locked, but it really sounded like teenager squabbling! As I said, I agree with both of you (you and Eddie). That cab was a tremendous innovation in matter of space and comfort, but esthetically very “discutable”, as we say in French! Anyway, their drivers must have made other truckers envious, especially those who had to do with a cab of the '40s! And there were still a lot of them on the roads in 1960.

Head on nail Paul, that other “discussion” turned into a ■■■■■■■ contest rapidly!

I’m probably digging my own grave here, but I too find the styling of the TV cab a bit too much for my taste, but interesting and certainly a highlight in those days nonetheless!

[pv83]

Fergie47:
Synchronization…

Welti-Furrer and Straumann I believe Senior.

[pv83]

nei1:
Hello all,

I do hope you forgive my intrusion into your forum and I hope you’ll excuse the preamble. Like a good many folk over the last 12 months, the pandemic has caused me to live life a little differently, and as a keen walker, having hiked many hundreds of miles with my wife before we had children, over the last 12 months with the purchase of suitable slings for our young children we’ve ever increased the distance we can now go from our home up to about seven miles round trip or so carrying the ever growing beasts.

With the beautiful weather this weekend we took the opportunity to catch up with my parents by going for a (socially distanced) walk around the local countryside, along a route I did once last year but was unfortunate enough to get caught in a thunderstorm with my three year old, resulting in a fairly forced march by myself with my head down, hood up at a pace, grumpy, wet and cold child on back.

Doing the same route yesterday with the glorious sunshine, I was able to take in the beautiful countryside, wildlife and other things we tend not to notice with the pace of life in this day and age and came across a memorial plaque down a small track with a cottage and yard nearby, with the name John Goodreid. I took a snap of the plaque as I was intrigued by the touching verse written on it and decided to see if I could discover a bit about this man, who was “Killed here in the place he loved most” and my research has led me to your forums where I seem to have discovered the legacy of a man who was very much larger than life and loved by many.

I’ve very much enjoyed reading some of his posts and have found his character and charisma shine through the internet, Saviem or John, comes alive in this place and I was amazed to discover that his fan club thread lives on and is still active. I certainly share his love of Laphroiag, but alas, not Bollinger!

Given the high regard he was held here, and how his unfortunate passing a few years ago met with such sadness and touching tributes by many of the members here I thought you might find some comfort in the memorial and in knowing that even after his death, his posts have been making a stranger smile today.

I’m sorry for the loss so many of you felt, Saviem does indeed sound like the sort of chap I would very much have enjoyed meeting in one of our local pubs and getting to know, and the little insights I’ve gleaned into his life and interests here made me feel it was appropriate to make the effort to register here and post, once again I do hope you don’t mind, as my knowledge of any sort of motor vehicle is limited to filling the fuel tank, changing a tyre or battery and checking the oil!

All the best.

Neil

(I did intend to post on his other thread here but it appears to have been locked or I don’t possess the ability to post in it, perhaps a moderator may link this post back to that thread.)
0

Cheers for sharing that Neil, a fitting tribute to a man that’s still being missed on here.

[pv83]

Old advert, I’ve never heard of it before.

[pv83]

michel:
Well restored Saviem ‘Tancarville’ tipper with underfloor engine .

Long before Büssing started using underfloor engines then?

[froggy55]

pv83:
Old advert, I’ve never heard of it before.

In fact, Labourier still exists. Initially, they were gear wheel manufacturers, and havec gone back to that production. Between WW I and the mid-seventies, they produced tractors ans trucks, the latter being mostly all-wheel drive (4x4 or 6x6), usually powered by Berliet engines. A glance to their production here:

fondationberliet.org/ressou … wd-camion/

Here’s a 6x6 belonging to Colas, a big roadwork contractor.

[froggy55]

pv83:

michel:
Well restored Saviem ‘Tancarville’ tipper with underfloor engine .

Long before Büssing started using underfloor engines then?

The underfloor-engined Saviems were produced from 1949 to 1967. Maybe prior to Büssing, but did Albion not produce such trucks in the '50s?

[fergie47]

Froggy55:
[
Congratulations, Dave, for your excellent retort, full of humour and so far ahead of the recent thread between two respectable seniors about a futile disagreement. I discovered it when it had already been locked, but it really sounded like teenager squabbling! As I said, I agree with both of you (you and Eddie). That cab was a tremendous innovation in matter of space and comfort, but esthetically very “discutable”, as we say in French! Anyway, their drivers must have made other truckers envious, especially those who had to do with a cab of the '40s! And there were still a lot of them on the roads in 1960.

HI Paul and Whippersnapper…Hope this finds you both well.
With the last year and all these lock downs the humorous side of things has slowly eroded away, which isn’t really surprising considering, depressing times eh…its nice to bring back a little fun without giving offence, life is too short ( at my age) to get into churlish and acrimonious debates like others on this forum have.

The other day I read back starting at page 10-ish of this thread, when John Saviem was going to be the new President of France, and we regulars all had various jobs in his new government, it was a really good laugh, and everyone who submitted to it (sadly, some of those have passed on ) had a great sense of humor, perhaps one day it’ll happen again, subjects like Whippersnappers with manual gearboxes perhaps ?

As a foot note :- The other Sunday we were out on the pushbikes taking in a few local lanes, and in the middle of nowhere, up a driveway, was parked a Pink coach, had to grin, reminded me of Pat (Ainacs RIP ) trying to find us a cheap mobile brothel…in pink I’ll get a photo of it next time out… If you’re new-ish to this thread, have a look back, it may cheer you up…

It was nice of Neil to photograph the plaque outside of Johns farm… then find out about TN, take the trouble to join, and then put it up on here, there are some really nice people out there, I’m sure ever one who checks out this thread regularly appreciates it.

Just one nostalgic old pic…not sure what he’s doing, pumping something in or out of that man hole …it doesn’t look like a council gully wagon, any ideas ?

[dipster]

My wild guesses to what is the old Berliet up to. Delivering diesel or taking away waste oil from a quayside drop-off point for boats. Probably quite wrong…

[eddie_heaton]

Fergie47:

Eddie Heaton:
[q
in my specific locality we have a word that perfectly describes the looks of this particular Bernard truck.
.

You Sir, are a Philistine, That Bernard, is one of my favorite French Camions…The British were running around in piles of absolute ■■■ in the late 50’s and early '60’s compared to that beautiful piece of kit.
In comparison to any British wagon it was miles ahead of its time, the famous 8 wheeler they built had air suspension and disc brakes too…in 1960 !!

So Mr Heaton, I demand satisfaction for your scandalous disregard for beauty, a duel sir, yes a duel…A French duel at that, seeing as you’ve insulted a French icon, and a thing of beauty.

We will eat plates of escargot,. with garlic bread,until one of us is sick…that’sir, when you lose, will teach you a lesson not to insult that magnificent Bernad…

Apologies Fergie, but I’ve only just seen your post , as there would appear to have been a flurry of activity on this thread since I last looked in.

Now I suppose it was inevitable that someone was bound to take umbrage at my remarks, but unfortunately I’m afraid I feel duty bound to inform you that I cannot find it within myself to retract my comments…after all, far is far, so I suppose this seems destined to end in Camembert at 12 paces at l’aube…( as the challenged party, I believe I have the right to choose the weapon.)
Had it been garlic bread and La Vache qui Rit, it may quite well have been ’ game on ', but the mere mention of escargot had me running for the bog.

The French have a remarkable aptitude for innovation, of that there can be little doubt, and if proof were needed, then one need look no further than the Déesse, the deux cheveaux, ( is that two horses or two hairs ? , I always had trouble with that one )… or even my own motor, the C15 champ. All brilliant and bomb proof, and all beautiful…And those 4 wheeler half cabs that can be seen running around France carrying loads of steel girders along each side of the cab. How brilliant a concept is that ?..it may not be beautiful , but it’s certainly cool…But that Bernard ?..beautiful ?..well, they do say that it’s in the eye of the beholder don’t they ?

I’m obliged to admit Fergie, that I have no hesitation whatsoever in conceding to your superior knowledge regarding the ugly Bernard, as I’ve never ever seen one of these motors, or even a photograph of one, as far as I’m aware, until now that is, let alone driven one, or even seen the inside of the cab of one, so as far as my knowledge of the Bernard extends, then it all boils down to aesthetics, and from an aesthetic point of view, if I’m being true to myself, then I feel obliged to reiterate that I find it ’ far '.

With regards to running about in piles of absolute ■■■, then I would find it practically impossible to disagree on that score, as I’ve spent almost half a century running about in piles of ■■■. Some of the ■■■ I’ve driven could be deemed as being marginally more palatable than other piles, but it was mostly ■■■ for all that. In fact, if you care to look at the thread about kipping in the cab, you’ll find a couple of prize exhibits of the examples of ■■■ that I’ve had to contend with in order to keep the bailiffs from the door over the years.

In fact, feel free to look through all my previous posts. I feel fairly confident that if you find any photos of the motors that I’ve had over the years, they will all, or mostly all, be ■■■ oriented.

So to conclude, I guess you’re probably right, I probably am a Philistine…

…But that Bernard is one ugly mother…

See you on the duelling field at six heures demain…a bientôt …All the best Fergie…Eddie.

[eddie_heaton]

Strange is it not, how the most trivial of things in life can often be inter-linked ?

For an example of what I mean, take this simple brass tally. I have a number of these things knocking about the place. They were probably sourced from a benne in some déchetterie or other, somewhere in France, as were many of my now most treasured possessions

I’ve had them for quite a number of years without giving them much thought and only quite recently attached one of them to my garage keys.

The recent light hearted difference of opinion regarding beautiful vehicles however prompted me to google Joseph Besset of Annonay. Now I do know that in the centre of Annonay there stands a memorial dedicated to the memory of the brothers Montgolfier, as I’ve physically stood before it, but as for Joseph Besset, until now, I knew nothing.

My ancient iPad will no longer allow me to access Wikipedia , but I did manage to get a fair amount of information from a French site, although my talent for translating the French language into one that I can readily understand, leaves much to be desired. I really should have paid a little more attention at school shouldn’t I ? …they did try to tell me at the time I seem to recall…but I of course knew better. Either way, it’s a bit too late now malheureusement.

So I’m posting these pictures in the hope that someone, quite possibly some member of the French contingent,…maybe even the Duke of Brittany himself, could enlighten me with a few details regarding the company Besset.

Incidentally the picture of the Citroën omnibus was taken from the French site that I mentioned previously and depicts just one example of what to me personifies beauty in a commercial vehicle.

[froggy55]

Fergie47:
Just one nostalgic old pic…not sure what he’s doing, pumping something in or out of that man hole …it doesn’t look like a council gully wagon, any ideas ?

Strangely, that Berliet GAK’s tank bears the purple colour often used for wine tankers. Perhaps carrying waste oil one way, and red wine back to be loaded on barges. That may explain the dreadful taste of standard red wines of the time.

[michel]

Renault-Saviem underfloor engine half-cab.

[erf-ngc-european]

michel:
Renault-Saviem underfloor engine half-cab.

I expect they built those with a 1/3 size cab in the middle so the drivers wouldn’t get vertigo driving over the Tancarville bridge

[pv83]

Does this ring any bells?