STRAIGHT EIGHT:
Those MW ERF’s would of had the NTC 335 ■■■■■■■■ predesesor to the big-cam 350. Nice old motors, they looked bloody imposing in the rear-view mirrors!! Great pics Bean, love that old B series, always have a walk round it when its at Gaydon.
Is the left ■■■■■■ B series still around?? The last I heard of it was down Bristol way painted green of all things
I know Bill Mills has a RHD B series, in fact it’s the one featured in the photo posted in 'Where am I?"
I took one of the Europeans down to Avonmouth for a tacho check, talk about stepping into another world. From a day cabbed Motor Pannels Seddon into that monster, sat on the wrong side it looked a mile across to the other window, an impression made worse by the fact there was no passenger seat (removed to allow for more storage space.)
They certainly kept going; with an average of three to four weeks per trip and a weeks turnaround they were doing ten trips a year
My mistake Ted, thought that was the one! but ive just noticed that the one on the show circuit has a Rockwell rear-end, not a Kirkstall hub-reduction, oh, and the steering wheel is on the wrong side!!! , i’ll try n find out about the left ■■■■■■ from REVS.
Bet that was a change from that day cab Seddon! those big ■■■■■■■ didnt hang about, i remember Pat Kennet saying what a wonderful thing the old European was to drive when took one round the Trans Euro test in an early TRUCK Magazine, it held some of the record times of that test for about 5 years or more- Prper hill-flattner!!! regards, Chris.
if any other names are remembered give me a shout and I’ll let you know.
For the Record Eric Vicks did Middle East from aroud 1976 to 1981 and North Africa through most of the 80’s withthe odd trip to Russia, Scasndinavia and Italy thrown in for good measure.
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Hi zzarbean (Ted),
Do you recognise either of these drivers, the pic is a friend of mines, he was sure they were Vick’s drivers, en-route to Teheran. He also mentioned to me yesterday that he bumped into a Vick’s late 1970’s M/E regular recently, apparently one of two brothers that drove (although this one still does?) for Eric. Big bushy beard,if that helps. He couldn’t remember his name?
brookie:
if any other names are remembered give me a shout and I’ll let you know.
For the Record Eric Vicks did Middle East from aroud 1976 to 1981 and North Africa through most of the 80’s withthe odd trip to Russia, Scasndinavia and Italy thrown in for good measure.
Hi zzarbean (Ted),
Do you recognise either of these drivers, the pic is a friend of mines, he was sure they were Vick’s drivers, en-route to Teheran. He also mentioned to me yesterday that he bumped into a Vick’s late 1970’s M/E regular recently, apparently one of two brothers that drove (although this one still does?) for Eric. Big bushy beard,if that helps. He couldn’t remember his name?
Regards,
Mark.
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Sorry for being a bit late in answering these.
That looks like Dave and Neal the late little John’s brother. (Both John and Neal did middle east)
Big bushy beard would be Graham the fitter who went down on the original run
wideboybob:
talking of seddons .is this one of them?.bob.
Thank you for posting this photo.
This was my truck from start to finish. It had a rolls 220 eagle and a fuller range change. It also had a Kysor automaic radiator blind which worked most of the time.
£6100 new I was told to look after it as I wouldn’t get another new one and true to his word I didn’t. It lasted about 7 years if I remember with only about 3 engine rebuilds and was eventually parked up when the seat mounting came away from the floor.
wideboybob:
ooooo look i found another one…enjoy. i can still remember the ringing in my ears from those eagle diesels!
No Eagle landed in this one it had a 240 straight eight But to position of the exhaust did leave a ringing in your ears EH?!! . It did actually do a couple of trips to the middle east, not very fast up the mountains and too fast down them. Bob was nervous wreck afterwards.
It saw the end of it’s days in Kidderminster in 1981 when it caught fire with yours truly at the controls.
Well there’s a few more to go on with For the burnt DAF would the name Terry ring a bell 'R Martin??
One of the ERF Europeans suffered a similar fate when a tea towel was left hanging over a gas burner somewhere in the desert, they still drove it home. Memory is not what it was but I think Roger may been close by.
As for names. Bob Saunders, John Matley, Rod Mitchell and Ivor Neal are sadly gone to the International Hotel in the sky.
Irish Chris and Terry are still with us.
For the Record Eric Vicks did Middle East from aroud 1976 to 1981 and North Africa through most of the 80’s withthe odd trip to Russia, Scasndinavia and Italy thrown in for good measure.
If any other names are remembered give me a shout and I’ll let you know.
Here’s a couple of shouts for you zzarbean, Dave from the Gloucester area who must be in his late 60’s by now. He had worked for Eric Vick for, as he said a good few years and always refered to his boss as Old Victor.
Ashley, errr I can’t think of his surname at the moment but it’s on the tip of my tongue.
Ashley had only just left the army as a Paramedic when he joined Eric Vicks, they were on their way back from Turkey when I met them and we all loaded tractors from Brasov in Transylvania for South Cave near Hull.
As the Falklands war had just started, Ashley thought that he might be recalled as he was still on the reserve list so this would of been 1982 and I presume that he would be in his early 50’s by now.
I have just remembered something, I know that Dave definitely had an E.R.F. ( it might of had Rolls Royce engine in it but I am not too sure ) because I helped him change the fuel filter one snowy night and I seem to think that Ashley had a Scania 111. .
Regards Steve.
Dear Mr Bean
I have been thinking about this (no not all the time since Tue April 21 2009 )
The guy who I thought was called Ashley, was like you said actually called Andrew and I think that his surname was Hutchins.
Yes that looks like the Dave who I was thinking of in Brookies photo, he was quite a funny bloke and good to run with. I have just remebered that when we arrived in Rotterdam to get the North Sea Ferry home the ship The Norland had been commandeered by the Royal Navy and was on it’s way to The Falklands Islands. We ended up on an old Greek Freighter with a Greek crew who spoke very little English. It was a really bad crossing as the ship had no stabilisers and it was at the end of January, the cheap duty free was about the highlight of the crossing.
mushroomman:
Dear Mr Bean
I have been thinking about this (no not all the time since Tue April 21 2009 )
The guy who I thought was called Ashley, was like you said actually called Andrew and I think that his surname was Hutchins.
Yes that looks like the Dave who I was thinking of in Brookies photo, he was quite a funny bloke and good to run with. I have just remebered that when we arrived in Rotterdam to get the North Sea Ferry home the ship The Norland had been commandeered by the Royal Navy and was on it’s way to The Falklands Islands. We ended up on an old Greek Freighter with a Greek crew who spoke very little English. It was a really bad crossing as the ship had no stabilisers and it was at the end of January, the cheap duty free was about the highlight of the crossing.
Regards Steve.
Dear Mr Mushroomman let me shine some light on this for you… Yeh I know it’s been a while but they’ve changed my tablets and now THINK I’m safe to be allowed out on my own.
The army guy was Andrew Ashley
Dave as you say a top bloke and ideal running partner
Hutchings? You may be thinking of Norman Hutchinson (Hutch) known to all who knew Vicks although he didn’t go across the water until about 1983.
There’s obviously more I could reminisce but an open forum maybe isn’t the best place to do so, drop me a PM or e-mail if you wish.
I remember going on one of the early trips on the Cologne to Ljubljana train with about 5 of Vicks and Reads. 1976?
Left Cologne lunchtime ish Saturday and arrived Ljubljana late pm Sunday.
It pulled into sidings all the way to let cyclists past.
It was quite a pleasant trip as a one off, to admire the scenery whilst having a few beers on the Saturday, travelling at about 30mph and being in Belgrade Monday breakfast.
Rather like a school trip, looking back on it, not fully appreciated at the time.But it certainly is now!
Been digging through my pic collection and found these; Hope they are of interest…
I was sent them by Phil Read. He said the driver was KEITH BURSON, but I can’t remember which truck Keith was driving.
Anyone know Keith, or give any more details on these pics?
This pic taken at Zeebrugge
The Richard Read European cab is reg; KFH 250P. Can’t make out the reg of the Vijore one.
These pics taken in Saudi. Can’t make out reg of A series.
Love the sleeper!
Who’s that man leaning out?
truckerash:
Been digging through my pic collection and found these; Hope they are of interest…
I was sent them by Phil Read. He said the driver was KEITH BURSON, but I can’t remember which truck Keith was driving.
Anyone know Keith, or give any more details on these pics?
This pic taken at Zeebrugge
The Richard Read European cab is reg; KFH 250P. Can’t make out the reg of the Vijore one.
These pics taken in Saudi. Can’t make out reg of A series.
Love the sleeper!
Who’s that man leaning out?
The driver leaning out of the cab is KEITH BURSON.The vehicle is an ERF European NFH 251P powered by a ■■■■■■■ 335. Keith did 18 Middle East runs.He also drove the ERF A-series ODG 666M powered by a ■■■■■■■ 220 on his first trip to Baghdad in 1974.I remember him returning to the yard after that trip dressed in full Arab head gear, robes,sandals and sunglasses getting out of the cab going down on his hands and knees kissing the concrete!.We thought he was an Arab at first as he was tanned and really looked the part. He also fooled them in his local pub dressed in the same kit and speaking a few Arabian words he`d learnt.Always game for a laugh Keith !
I love this thread, especially after being told that Eric Vick, Read or Vijore never did the middle east, despite being parked with one of EV in Oktay.
I couldn’t argue at the time because the prick who was telling me was a “Road Foreman” and parked in Meer, ■■■■■■ out of his tree
truckerash:
Been digging through my pic collection and found these; Hope they are of interest…
I was sent them by Phil Read. He said the driver was KEITH BURSON, but I can’t remember which truck Keith was driving.
Anyone know Keith, or give any more details on these pics?
This pic taken at Zeebrugge
The Richard Read European cab is reg; KFH 250P. Can’t make out the reg of the Vijore one.
These pics taken in Saudi. Can’t make out reg of A series.
Love the sleeper!
Who’s that man leaning out?
The driver leaning out of the cab is KEITH BURSON.The vehicle is an ERF European NFH 251P powered by a ■■■■■■■ 335. Keith did 18 Middle East runs.He also drove the ERF A-series ODG 666M powered by a ■■■■■■■ 220 on his first trip to Baghdad in 1974.I remember him returning to the yard after that trip dressed in full Arab head gear, robes,sandals and sunglasses getting out of the cab going down on his hands and knees kissing the concrete!.We thought he was an Arab at first as he was tanned and really looked the part. He also fooled them in his local pub dressed in the same kit and speaking a few Arabian words he`d learnt.Always game for a laugh keith!
hi,
love these photos.down to saudi in an a series with a rabbit hutch,gentlemen,i salute you
regards andrew.
HUMMIN ■■■■■■■■
.The vehicle is an ERF European NFH 251P powered by a ■■■■■■■ 335. Keith did 18 Middle East runs.He also drove the ERF A-series ODG 666M powered by a ■■■■■■■ 220 on his first trip to Baghdad in 1974.I remember him returning to the yard after that trip dressed in full Arab head gear, robes,sandals and sunglasses getting out of the cab going down on his hands and knees kissing the concrete!.We thought he was an Arab at first as he was tanned and really looked the part. He also fooled them in his local pub dressed in the same kit and speaking a few Arabian words he`d learnt.Always game for a laugh keith!
hi,
love these photos.down to saudi in an a series with a rabbit hutch,gentlemen,i salute you
regards andrew.
And even more so in the case of the day cab Eric Vick Seddon mentioned above!
, i’ll try n find out about the left ■■■■■■ from REVS.
regards, Chris.
errr I can’t think of his surname at the moment but it’s on the tip of my tongue.
