A-J. Matt Philo I sat with him for two nights waiting for Jimmie Wells to come back from Ryhad to piggy back his truck !this was the saucepan Man, ?in the photo far left also Mannie , ■■? Jerry Cook far right, I am sure there names will be recalled Ron
K Broster GM this very brave man came down Tief mountain in a road train loaded 95 tons gross , I know it takes some believing but apparently it true , its in black and white I can only say Blimie KB I take my hat of to you ! that’s a record that will never be Broken , mind your nose on the wind screen , getting back to the AC
Ron
What was he driving, Ron? Robert
Hi A-J, Ron & Ken among other contributors to this fascinating thread. I have added pieces which have nothing to do with TA, but were very much of that time when we were all out there - the same goes to backsplice - who could forget Saramat? Robert’s knowledge of the trucks at TA and also Caravan, which was my workplace for 10 years, brings back memories, forgotten for so many years.
I will add some potted biographies of the names that A-J has figured were TA drivers, but actually were more involved with Caravan.
Meanwhile, a few thoughts on double bottoms. At Caravan, we acquired a ‘Dolly’ - I can’t even begin to remember where from. We all wanted to have a go with 2 trailers. This would be about 1980. At the time I had a Saviem. I think it was about 240 BHP. Mainly very reliable, but with s*** brakes! By the time it was loaded with two trailers and four Twenty foot containers, it was pretty close to thirty two tons - that’s without any load!
I found that the extra braking power of the back three axles was a big help, it took a few seconds for a reaction but then everything bit. Unfortunately it was prone to overheating in the summer with only one trailer, so the double bottom was only an option for winter.
I think that the 600 mile round trip to Riyadh from Dammam was too short to work well for a double bottom. I took 4 x 20’s one time, but the trailers had headboards, so I had to go to a company whose name escapes me to swap the containers around with their forklift. They charged a fortune and by the time I paid them I was no better off than doing 2 trips! On the next trip I did take a pair of those sleeping masks that BA used to give you on their flights, cutting out eyeholes and telling them that it was a ‘■■■■ Turpin’ mask, but as they were Phillipinos, I think the joke fell a bit flat!
Would I have liked to go down Taif with it? Nooooo! Actually Taif was nowhere near the worst mountain road in the Asir mountains. We’ve read many a hair raising tale from RH and KB about their trucks on the road to Khamis. I can tell you from personal experience that these were ‘challenging’.
Imagine old shap, which I drove over for about a year before the motorway opened - but multiply it by about 10! And there were many of these huge climbs and drops on that road.
I still wake up 40 odd years later in a sweat, pressing unresponsive brakes in a truck that’s running away!
I’m sure it was nothing like being in a Lancaster over the Ruhr some 30 odd years earlier, but it certainly made my a*** go Half crown - Tanner!
John.
@John…feel free to continue your experiences…my possible ‘excluding’ you
from the register was merely to get the TA-staff clear…but for sure your stories
as well as from dbp give a superb view on M/E-business and transportation. Perhaps
the day comes to make a register on Caravan, Saramat, Taseco, CAMEL, Crescent,
etc…time will tell.
Meanwhile a general question…when did the Volvo’s and MAN’s came into the TA-fleet?
I remember a remark that the Volvo’s were assembled in KSA or at least in the M/E-region.
John West:
Hi A-J, Ron & Ken among other contributors to this fascinating thread. I have added pieces which have nothing to do with TA, but were very much of that time when we were all out there - the same goes to backsplice - who could forget Saramat? Robert’s knowledge of the trucks at TA and also Caravan, which was my workplace for 10 years, brings back memories, forgotten for so many years.I will add some potted biographies of the names that A-J has figured were TA drivers, but actually were more involved with Caravan.
Meanwhile, a few thoughts on double bottoms. At Caravan, we acquired a ‘Dolly’ - I can’t even begin to remember where from. We all wanted to have a go with 2 trailers. This would be about 1980. At the time I had a Saviem. I think it was about 240 BHP. Mainly very reliable, but with s*** brakes! By the time it was loaded with two trailers and four Twenty foot containers, it was pretty close to thirty two tons - that’s without any load!
I found that the extra braking power of the back three axles was a big help, it took a few seconds for a reaction but then everything bit. Unfortunately it was prone to overheating in the summer with only one trailer, so the double bottom was only an option for winter.
I think that the 600 mile round trip to Riyadh from Dammam was too short to work well for a double bottom. I took 4 x 20’s one time, but the trailers had headboards, so I had to go to a company whose name escapes me to swap the containers around with their forklift. They charged a fortune and by the time I paid them I was no better off than doing 2 trips! On the next trip I did take a pair of those sleeping masks that BA used to give you on their flights, cutting out eyeholes and telling them that it was a ‘■■■■ Turpin’ mask, but as they were Phillipinos, I think the joke fell a bit flat!
Would I have liked to go down Taif with it? Nooooo! Actually Taif was nowhere near the worst mountain road in the Asir mountains. We’ve read many a hair raising tale from RH and KB about their trucks on the road to Khamis. I can tell you from personal experience that these were ‘challenging’.
Imagine old shap, which I drove over for about a year before the motorway opened - but multiply it by about 10! And there were many of these huge climbs and drops on that road.
I still wake up 40 odd years later in a sweat, pressing unresponsive brakes in a truck that’s running away!
I’m sure it was nothing like being in a Lancaster over the Ruhr some 30 odd years earlier, but it certainly made my a*** go Half crown - Tanner!
John.
A great post, John! Thank you. Robert
Thanks John , there’s nothing like story’s from the shop floor that where it all happens ,I know I have gone on a bit trying to keep this thread of Mirlinmerlin going to the interest of us all , not forgetting Backsplice And A-J even R 52 all that is told be tween us has been brilliant and sometimes really funny , I think I have gone over the top with KB but ■■■■■■■■ I’m am not having him judging our lads , and then trying to make BELIVE he has done that was impossible and live to tell the tail , none of our drivers had " L" plates on and just to go out in the Sunshine with a empty trailer was enough and when the load comes on in Jeddah dock ,!! made you say bloody hell that’s feels like bloody heavy no wonder the diff housing on the A Series was scared with the 5th wheel rubbing the axel case !! And the mountains down SW where fantastic !!! It would have been brilliant in a tent for 10days ? With food as well ,the Bedowin had got it made .your discription of the mountain and roads from top to bottom is something to treasure Thanks John for your memories Ron
I notice that Andy Andrews is on the top of A-J’s list. Now I used to know an Andy Andrews who had spent seven years doing Saudi ‘internals’. He was a really good bloke and I used to run with him sometimes on North Africa work when he worked for DTS. He subsequently worked for the international agricultural equipment hauliers, Longs. I wonder if this is the same chap. Anyone remember him? Robert
With all respect to Jerry Cooke and his thorough research…would it be a good idea to share bits
of a register (for example TA #101 to #110, and so on) with Jerry, Ron, John Davies, Robert1952 to
handle posts and input? I am convinced that a lot (with sincere compliments to Jerry Cooke with his
top-article in Arabian Knights) has been written and we could continue… shame on us when this so
rich history (1976-1997/1998) would be not highlighted…ready for a book
ronhawk:
K Broster GM this very brave man came down Tief mountain in a road train loaded 95 tons gross , I know it takes some believing but apparently it true , its in black and white I can only say Blimie KB I take my hat of to you ! that’s a record that will never be Broken , mind your nose on the wind screen , getting back to the AC
Ron
I’m a bit confused by this story. Is it true narrative? In which case I’d love to know what Ken was driving and how it all panned out. Or is this an oblique settling of old scores that mean nothing to us on TNUK? I do hope it’s a straight forward story that needs passing on. 
Robert
I agree with Robert…when old pain is the case, Ron and Ken have (offered) possibilities
to meet and have a beer on it with a positive move on what was…old times. However
let’s hope it is a steep hill to have us all being eager for the ultimate M/E-experiences on this
superb thread!
ERF-Continental:
With all respect to Jerry Cooke and his thorough research…would it be a good idea to share bits
of a register (for example TA #101 to #110, and so on) with Jerry, Ron, John Davies, Robert1952 to
handle posts and input? I am convinced that a lot (with sincere compliments to Jerry Cooke with his
top-article in Arabian Knights) has been written and we could continue… shame on us when this so
rich history (1976-1997/1998) would be not highlighted…ready for a book
You have a very good point A-J. However, there is already quite a lot of history out there. Earlier, I gave a list of publications serving the TA history. Excluding my own publications for a moment, there is a whole, rich chapter (Chapter 11) in Beyond the Bosphorus given over to Trans Arabia and other Saudi ‘internals’ operators, along with some really good photographs. Likewise Staffordshire Hauliers Two, has whole sections dedicated to Trans Arabia and S Jones, complete with photographs. The others you already know about. These are very recent publications, otherwise I’d scan some of it for the benefit of overseas bloggers. These books are very reasonably priced, so there should be no reluctance to buying them! Happy reading! Robert 
PS. To address A-J’s point about Jerry Cooke’s fleet list, I’ll contact him to find out what progress he has made. Robert
ERF-Continental:
I agree with Robert…when old pain is the case, Ron and Ken have (offered) possibilities
to meet and have a beer on it with a positive move on what was…old times. However
let’s hope it is a steep hill to have us all being eager for the ultimate M/E-experiences on this
superb thread!
Point well made! Even A-J and I have fallen out from time to time, but we have kept body and soul together to maintain the momentum of good quality shared historical knowledge. I am aware that neither A-J nor I can ‘take sides’ because neither of us knows personally either Ron or Ken. Let’s bless them both on their way: both have made fantastic contributions to this thread. From time to time I attend reunions of Middle-East / North Africa drivers. Perhaps there ought (as A-J hinted) to be a reunion of those drivers who did ‘Saudi internals’. I don’t qualify, but I’d love to be a fly on the wall! Keep the stuff coming lads. Robert
To all on this thread I ofer my sincere apologise , but you must realise , that I have ridden down a very steep hill on a fixed wheel bicycle and when the brakes gave way ! I nearly had my legs chopped off , you have to have done it , to understand ,Trans Arabia would not be the same with out KB at the helm ■■ That’s a fact Ron
ronhawk:
To all on this thread I ofer my sincere apologise , but you must realise , that I have ridden down a very steep hill on a fixed wheel bicycle and when the brakes gave way ! I nearly had my legs chopped off , you have to have done it , to understand ,Trans Arabia would not be the same with out KB at the helm ■■ That’s a fact Ron
Good man! We look forward to your continued, most entertaining posts mate. Robert 
Hey Walsall-devil, get on your bicycle and meet JD to gather more stories or is he involved
behind the screens? ttached some input which will give a smile on your face I hope!
Sunny regards, A-J
WELL ■■?!!! A-J you are incredible Walsall Bus Corporation that’s where my mechanical life started in 1951 as an apprentice to The main man Herbert Wolf ,compleatly over hauling Gardener 5 LW & latter the 6 LW & LX B s you photo showed Mr Cox , I was involved with him on developing a 6 Wheel trolly bus chassis !!! The same one in you article !!! Which was latter completed , " what a small world " He put in an order for 6 ??Daimler double. decker Buses!! the next thing was he had delivered a brand New Daimler conquest convertible see photo , very true Story Ron
@Ron, glad you enjoy old times and Daimlers were top…we both share a similar (hi-)story…
attached the first motor of Van Steenbergen a Daimler from the CJ-CK-Cl-serie bought in 1919
after WW1-activities for why this chassis was made…the great-grandfather of (current manager)
Marc bought this for frequent loads to Maubeuge in France in charge of Philips-Eindhoven.
I was in frequent contact with Mr. Brian E. Smith (L.L.B.) from Romford-Essex (Daimler & Lanchester
Owners Club) for more information and the register, quite rare…it ended in the steel-work-furness.
Good memories for and from you…it was before you went to Streetly, tinkering on Fodens/Gardners?
A-J
