Well good to see you Backsplice , thank for coming on ,looks like you know the latest trucks , how safe are the cameras ? I must admit I could only just pass the artics on the M5 . the bike top speed is about 68 mph makes me feel a bit small , I went in the gararge this morning and my Crash hat was on the floor, . It normally sits on the top shelf ■■? Must have been a squirrel or something is telling me to park up , hope you are keeping OK your old Sadiky Ron
Dear Ron,
Hope I don’t disturb too much…nowadays Kenworth is on my radar and perhaps
you could/would dig up some essentials as TransArabia had some.
What on the number of chassis, some specs, adventures, high and lows…well, no
hurry, take your time and have a wonderful after-summer…
Best regards,
A-J (no family of AJS by the way)
Hello A-J thanks for keeping in touch , What I can say about this " cab over KW " I had left TA and was working in Dammam for GCC in charge of the ■■■■■■■ engine rebuild section , GCC was just off the main rd north of Dammam and commanded a prominent position with an impressive forecourt .The only trucks for sale at this time was 6 Kenworth cab over 6x4 a good looking truck under a spot lighted shaded area very impressive , and now we know that Trans Arabia purchased all 6
My experience with the C 500 KW was one of driving off rd in deep sand one early sunlight morning was brilliant . ■■ Until driving back to Dammam I refused to stop at a police truck curfew and was in big truble with a fleet of Police cars trying to pull me over from the " REAR " I took up all the road and they could not get passed me , ? That’s my only lasting memories of the KENWORTH TRUCK . RON the truck was brand new with no plates and I was on a test drive in deep sand . ? I thought nobody will stop me and I was right , nobody wants truble in Saudi " Backsplice knows what it’s like "
Don,t know anything about Kenworths … I,m a VOLVO man myself 
backsplice:
Don,t know anything about Kenworths … I,m a VOLVO man myself
Backspice you have the right to praise the F89 Volvo that truck got you through the heat and many dangers of KSA to live in a truck that keeps going is life itself in that country , you have to have lived there to appreciate the carnage of the drivers in Saudi .i know what it’s like to travel out for days to Dead trucks and thankfully return back to Jeddah exhausted . Ready for a good meal ,No phone having beans and warm water to live on your on your own in the land of sand .
AJ you have just pressed the starter on The KENWORTH it just takes me back to that monster KW this brand new C 500 had a gear box fault ,the Allison transmission would not select second on investigation I found the air pipe that selected this gear had. Not been drilled out in the floor ? That ment a "ROAD TEST "I could not wait to try it out as the story goes blar blar blar . early one morning I woke up the gaurd and drove out under the barrier . " to be continued ". Well this drive was different to anything I had driven befor , i.e. SCamal contractor , Diomond T etc etc it was like driving a "cloud " very smooth on the tarmac with the preselect air change very bouncy if you put to much on the power like driving a bouncey castle . It needed a drilling rig behind it , turning off into the desert it was fab gears changing simple mainly in 1st 2nd 3rd out of sight of the Abqake rd over the dunes , what a fabulous truck , it was the ultimate drive on my time in KSA . The return to GCC was even more exciting . Ron
Ronald,
Good to see you active…and the Kenworth did look TOP!
I assume a ■■■■■■■ (and when,…what type) was under the hood…
…and I also guess it did a good job in KSA for TransArabia, despite
the fact you had left the building to join GCC.
Have a TOP weekend with autumn on its way
A-J
ERF-Continental:
Ronald,Good to see you active…and the Kenworth did look TOP!
I assume a ■■■■■■■ (and when,…what type) was under the hood…
…and I also guess it did a good job in KSA for TransArabia, despite
the fact you had left the building to join GCC.Have a TOP weekend with autumn on its way
A-J
AJ This KENWORTH had a ■■■■■■■ 10.8 l I think ? Ron
Ronnie the only ■■■■■■■ I had the chance to drive was a tractor unit off one of the SARAMAT ferries Can,t remember but it may have been a KW ■■? anyway was,nt familiar with the American Handbrake had a job sorting it out did in the end … remember these round knobs ( Push Pull ) Red and yellow from memory anyway eventually bounced it all the way to customs compound
I must confess my F89 never missed a beat during my year there did a lot of hot fast dusty K,s in that time …great days they were regardless … plenty practice problem solving on the job no place for the faint hearted in them days anyway stay upright my old sadiq
I must confess my F89 never missed a beat during my year there did a lot of hot fast dusty K,s in that time …great days they were regardless … plenty practice problem solving on the job no place for the faint hearted in them days anyway stay upright my old sadiq
ronhawk:
Hello A-J thanks for keeping in touch , What I can say about this " cab over KW " I had left TA and was working in Dammam for GCC in charge of the ■■■■■■■ engine rebuild section , GCC was just off the main rd north of Dammam and commanded a prominent position with an impressive forecourt .The only trucks for sale at this time was 6 Kenworth cab over 6x4 a good looking truck under a spot lighted shaded area very impressive , and now we know that Trans Arabia purchased all 6
Good morning - Good to see you both are presumably well and kicking? as so many of our old colleges have and are passing upwards.
Those 6 Kenworths were purchased by myself on behalf of Trans Arabia - it certainly stirred things up with ERF. Those Kenworths were £10,000 each cheaper than the ERFs, mainly down to currency exchange rates. Not sure how they ended up service wise, I know the Philippinos loved them - trucks from home.
As I said at the beginning - good to hear you are both alive and kicking.
Best regards
Ken B
Backsplice the Mac s had a similar set up on the dash pulland push operating the air brakes . It’s when they pop out you are in trouble ? Like one or two I remember well on the downhill mountain roads Aramco old Tap line truck looks brill ? Makes Tesco contract look insignificant but then again we took pipes all over Saudi the ERF did well This truck bellow .Interesting to see the radiator 1/2 blanked off . ? Then again it may be winter time from the look of there dress , our ERFs ran at about 190 f the Dynair fan sometimes in would not kick in until pulling hard ithe sound of the air blasting under the bonnet made you sit up for a seconded as if to say what was that . Even when the outside temp was in the 40%
Thanks for all reactions…not sure if BIG is always beautiful though 
General Contracting Company (where Ron worked after TransArabia) started in 1947 by Mr. Olayan importing Kenworth…some years later
followed by ■■■■■■■ and Scania, Atlas Copco (mobile generators with air-power) and possibly more nowadays.
Keep sound, safe and happy!
ronhawk:
Backsplice the Mac s had a similar set up on the dash pulland push operating the air brakes . It’s when they pop out you are in trouble ? Like one or two I remember well on the downhill mountain roads Aramco old Tap line truck looks brill ? Makes Tesco contract look insignificant but then again we took pipes all over Saudi the ERF did well This truck bellow .Interesting to see the radiator 1/2 blanked off . ? Then again it may be winter time from the look of there dress , our ERFs ran at about 190 f the Dynair fan sometimes in would not kick in until pulling hard ithe sound of the air blasting under the bonnet made you sit up for a seconded as if to say what was that . Even when the outside temp was in the 40%
Are these huge trucks/Road trains in Saudi or somewhere else!? Doesn’t look like Saudi to me! Although I accept ARAMCO did operate these oil rig vehicles.
Both companies you mention Ron were much much bigger than Trans Arabia but set up for different reasons and capital requirement. That’s why the Sudan operation was never going to get off the ground - to much capital required for not only equipment but structure.
KenB
ronhawk:
Tap line truck
Thanks 1950s !! A long time ago. Would they have he ■■■■■■■ engines?
Ken
The TAP line was started in 1947 and in service from 1950 to 1976. Here’s a convenient history of it:
Loaded 50,000tons of crude from it on an offshore mooring at Sidon in 1965.
Never dreamt at the time that 10 years later I would be driving along the pipe in Saudi.
whisperingsmith:
Loaded 50,000tons of crude from it on an offshore mooring at Sidon in 1965.
Never dreamt at the time that 10 years later I would be driving along the pipe in Saudi.
So what were you driving a car or truck?
Ken b
1 - Supertanker
2 - Truck, drops in Dammam, Riyadh & Jeddah