Hi all,
anybody got any old General Express Services photos to add to here, i see they are still going like Myers,
cheers Alan.
hi jim hope you are well click the link that i put on here it is to truckblog there is a guy talking about a trip to span in a david abbotts truck look for the pic of a gray and red berliet commercialmotor.com/big-lorr … ter-a-shor
ironfist:
0
does anyone recocnise this old bus. remember picking up a yung old boy in Northampton, David Abbott
said take him with you to Spain he wants to take some photos of trucks. So I did and he did.
On the way home we were overtaken by a fancy Dutch truck he hung out of the window to get his pics,
The Dutchmans seat cover handed him a pic of there truck as they went by and vanished into the distants.
I wonder if he remembers ? Jim
Thanks for the link Volvo runner, I will see if I can contact him Jim
I remember running italy with a driver from off here he wore beads around his neck ,i drove a Transcon along with Bob on the same firm from Wolverhampton
Little Al:
Anybody Remember me, Alan Godfrey, I drove for George Francis out of Surrey Docks in London, with Scanias 111’s never a dull moment with George, He was the one who shot the customs officer in Rotherhithe, over some Cannabis he had hidden in a 20ft container, so we changed the name of the firm to Hilldyke, just to kid them on that it wasn’t us. Yeh right!!! one time I get back to the yard on a Saturday morning, and it’s burnt down, my car that was parked there was nearly melted, George was going round hitting the Firemen, as they where doing to good a job, and putting it out, last thing he wanted, was it out.There where only two of us on the Continent, Bobby Lardner and me, one did Germany and the other Italy, although we had the Blue Permit Books, that allowed us to go anywhere, I always thought they were forged anyway knowing him. He got shot dead a couple of years ago outside his yard in Rotherhithe, after doing 16 years in jail. Happy days, seeing all these 80’s motors again.
Nutters on the Peripherique.
Little Al.
We pulled for FF in the late 70s early 80s ran with Jimmy, Stuart and Bill a few times, bottom photo is me and Jimmy filling up at St Omer
Archie Paice:
harry:
Billy Moore loved working for F/F. I can see why now since their HQ is next door to a pub. He said,’ The wages are £100 per week & all you can drink.’ He reckoned he was quids in!!
Hullo Harry,
Billy Moore ( R.I.P), What a fantastic bloke to run or work with. As you say he was quids in eh? Could’nt he put it away, but without getting nasty with it, mind you he could if needed settle a Row. After all he was big enough was’nt he. The others on there were good as well, Stuart Booth and Ronnie Evans plus of course Jimmy Mcauliffe in the Office. A good outfit that was.
Cheers, Archie.
For many years I new and worked along side many of the drivers on Howe European, when it finished the transport manager Des Lacy set up the London depot for Hercock & Simpsons, many of his old drivers went with him to Hercocks, I know we sadly lost one or two along the way, Steve Anderson sadly killed in a road accident down near Macon, Dave Coupe died very suddenly of cancer, I know Roy Harper went with Roba out of Harlow and Alf Milton went with ACH of Aylesbury, Shirley Temple done a vanishing act, Alan Haydon comes on here occasionally, Keith Philips last see him on Tony Bradfield’s, but other names I remember and would be nice to know how they are, first the mayor of Barking John Whitbread always good for a tale or two or three or more, Alf Kosky, the only man I know who was set upon by six drunk Swiss drivers, on being offered assistance, said no sweat their out numbered and proceeded to surround them by himself ending up with two of them in hospital, a gentle giant but not a man to get on the wrong side of, and the man who kept them all together Des Lacy, there will be many more I have forgotten just hope they are all still with us and doing well.
Happy days.
Ossie
newmercman:
460MC:
harry:
courmayeur is in the Aosta Valley which happens to be in Italy. Your snap is approaching Monte Bianco from the Italian side.Top ones spot on but that bottom ones been taken from the national that runs alongside the a40 and looks like he’s heading away from the Blanc towards nantua then up over the old cerdon past the lady of cerdon
That is definitely Nantua and he’s heading home
It’s been a long time, but was the routiers down there called the Monkey House
Funnily enough the only time I ran that national through the new weight limit was to have a look at this legendary monkey house but never I never saw it or if I did I didn’t know it.
I don’t know if you’ve seen spaghetti junction when args had camera crew follow them to Italy.
They stopped at restaurant I’m sure they said that was the monkey house
My mates been running Italy for years and still is he speaks fondly of the place and its owners and he reckons the buildings still there and you can actually see it from the motorway but its shut now.
460MC:
newmercman:
460MC:
harry:
courmayeur is in the Aosta Valley which happens to be in Italy. Your snap is approaching Monte Bianco from the Italian side.Top ones spot on but that bottom ones been taken from the national that runs alongside the a40 and looks like he’s heading away from the Blanc towards nantua then up over the old cerdon past the lady of cerdon
That is definitely Nantua and he’s heading home
It’s been a long time, but was the routiers down there called the Monkey House
Funnily enough the only time I ran that national through the new weight limit was to have a look at this legendary monkey house but never I never saw it or if I did I didn’t know it.
I don’t know if you’ve seen spaghetti junction when args had camera crew follow them to Italy.
They stopped at restaurant I’m sure they said that was the monkey house
My mates been running Italy for years and still is he speaks fondly of the place and its owners and he reckons the buildings still there and you can actually see it from the motorway but its shut now.
Is this what your looking for?
Thanks il run that route again and have another look, would do it more reguarly but that old cerdons a bit hard on the motor.
460MC:
Thanks il run that route again and have another look, would do it more reguarly but that old cerdons a bit hard on the motor.
Here’s another view from above of where the monkey house is, as your mate says the people that owned it were nice people I think they were from Belgium, many going’s on there, It’s said one of Lowe’s drivers got taken short one night, got out the cab stepped over the barrier and through the bushes at the back of the lorry park to relieve him self and fell down the gorge at the back, they had to get the fire brigade to get him up. Coming back from Italy one Friday evening myself and Ian Gibbs, we stopped for the evening there, after a shower and clean up went to the bar to start the evening with a couple of beers followed by a couple of aperitif’s plus the customary couple of bottles of house red with the meal, ending with a couple of coffee Calver’s, closely followed by forget the coffee just keep the Caverdos glasses full, staggered back to the motors for bed about 1 in the morning, woke about 8 in the morning found my self parked in the middle lane of the three lane road facing back to Italy with engine running and lights on windows wide open and me asleep in the bunk and snow piled up both sides of the motor, still cant figure out how that happened.
Happy but lucky days.
Ossie
truckerash:
jj72:
you mean you’ve got Wilson & Haigh photos ash?here ya go mate. A nice F10 from W&H. got some of their Dafs and MANs, ill post um soon.
a truck from my home town
Coming down Mont Censio on Italian Side…About 1983 -1984?
I looked on the back of this photo it said Mont Cenis but can’t for the life of me remember where it was taken…
Halibut and Silverfish… took my brother aged 16 to West Berlin, this was the first time he got out of the truck for nearly a week…only because he needed a leak…Kept saying I can’t believe it’s so cold…
Daf at the bottom of Somma Sierra somewhere between Vittoria and Madrid. If this Daf was a left ■■■■■■ I think it would be good night Vienna.
I wish I had stopped and taken some proper phots all mine seem to have a sun visor in them, out of focus or dead flies i them…somewhere between Irun to Madrid
I thinks it is heading for the “the steps” ,loved going that way in the summer
The foto with the river on the right and a parking on the left in front of the tunnel: I stopped and replaced a front wheel on my F12 but what I remember most is kicking the wheel in my trainers and hitting a wheel nut and badly bruising my big toe…Rule 1: Don’t take it out on the truck!
I think they imposed a weight restriction on going over Mont Cenis, but you could go over empty, I took the good Lady on a trip out to Rosetta Del Abruzzo for peaches one summer. Not very good with heights, nightmare…
With regard to kicking an inanimate object, you usually come off worse, but it makes you feel better at the time. Then guilt, then remorse. Look after your truck and it usually looks after you…
P.s. Who were you on for at the time Gazza?
At one time Cenis had a 19t gross limit.
harry:
At one time Cenis had a 19t gross limit.
There still is, iv been over empty without being stopped but some drivers are adamant I was just lucky not to be stopped at the hut at the top
I looked on the back of this photo it said Mont Cenis but can’t for the life of me remember where it was taken…
!(http://i1323.photobucket.com/albums/u590/MickBuckingham/Mick%20Trucking/SomewheretowardsMontCensio_zpse91eabcf.jpg[/img
Evening Gentlemen, you know I`ve spent all day cleaning out ditches, b… wet, and very cold, (the HyMac cab has no heater), come back feeling a little low…take a look at this site, and in particular this thread…and bingo, this old man is back to 1964, feeling the sun on his back, relieved to be out of the “■■■■■■■”, that only the aluminium cab of a little Foden could be, having manfully struggled up Cenis from Italy, and parked on that shale ground by the old tunnel, while the little Gardner ticked and pinged away, relieved at the respite! Not realising that there was much more to come!!
I loved that route, the heat at the bottom, then the cool of the top, looking over the reservoir, either the oncoming excitement of Italia, or the prospect of “civilised” France, whichever way I was going. Not forgetting every drivers "friend "…“fingers”, at the customs, did he really do that job for so long…or were they younger editions later on? The digits always looked the same to me…was it tiredness??
That tunnel was a relic from the British designed, built, and operated “Fell” system railway, (can you believe that a railway ran that terrain)!! But it did, up untill the tunnels were built, and it was a vital link in our Empire Red Route for mail. An incredible achievement, and even when no longer needed, was dismantled, shipped to Brazil, and ran up to the 60s!!
In the 60s, and early 70s, bits of the route were easily identified, but the bridges had, (if I remember correctly…but I had to concentrate hard on the road, either going down, or on counting the revolutions of my wheel nuts going up), all gone by then. Mind you the road surface was nothing to get excited about…looks a lot smoother on your photographs than I remember!
When I graduated to a big power vehicle, (Foden S21, 12speed, Gardner 150), it felt like nothing would stop me in the mountains, so great was the power!!!
Thanks for the post, fair made a poor day great, I shall away to the Bollinger, and remember Cenis, and the Petit Grand St Bernard et al, they were great days when we could choose our own routes.
A bientot, Cheerio for now.)
PanX I was working as an owner driver then (that’s why I kicked the wheel) probably for one of the following…STS, AS Rawlings, Louis Bull, ROBA…I don’t think I went over there for Chingford’s.