Depart at 0700hrs, stopped for breakfast at 1000hrs and stopped again at 1300hrs for repairs to tyre. Had to buy new inner tube. Frank Hook passed on the way home. Road from Urfa is now very bad again due to heavy traffic and rain. Arrived Habur at 1830hrs very long queue. Looks like a long night ahead!
Parked up: Habur/Zakho, IRQ.
Left again at 0530hrs nice warm morning. Stopped in Tarsus mountains for breakfast. Arrived Adana telex home to Bob Paul. Met Trevor Long going home. Left at 1530hrs. Repaired puncture and arrived Birecek at 2115hrs.
Parked up: Birecek, TR.
Wednesday 08/02/1984
Crossed into Greece but cannot make it to the border before it closes, so a nice quiet run down. Stop at Kavala for eats and again at Port Lagos for nice fish meal. 1000 Drachs and then on to the border. Arrived at midnight.
Parked up: Ipsala, TR.
Thursday 09/02/1984
Cleared for transit at 1100hrs and proceeded to Istanbul. Dropped of a couple of hikers and then onto Tuzla. Brake drums overheating so stop for half hour. Reached Düzce where I am parking for the night at 2045hrs. In company with Tony Soameson. Good weather, dry and warm. Some rain earlier.
Parked up: Düzce, TR.
Friday 10/02/1984
Left Düzce at 0530hrs and stopped Ankara. Did washing and had a Turkish bath. Telex Astran about problems in Graz and then proceeded to Askaray. Nice sunny day and looks like getting warmer.
Parked up: Askaray, TR.
Sunday 05/02/1984
Late getting up 0930hrs. Cleaned cabin and did various other jobs. Had a shower and washed some clothes. Tried trailers on 2nd pin but to close to cabin. Had dinner at 1830hrs and then went to bed at 2100hrs. Can drive in 1 hours time, temp +2’C so there shouldn’t be too much black ice. I hope!!
Parked up: Liezen, A.
Monday 06/02/1984
Had repairs done by Scania Graz and then carried on to Yugoslavia with Tony. He is running much quicker than me because my speedo is reading about 7km high, needs calibrating. Road very bad and trailer is “whipping”. I parked near Ruma but Tony has gone on.
Parked up: Ruma, YU.
Tuesday 07/02/1984
Departed Ruma at 0600hrs can’t see any point in working day and night when Astran don’t appreciate it, they only want more. Stop to see if I can help John Paxton 1130hrs, caught Tony again. Stop Nis for washing / eat. Crossed into Bulgaria and drove until midnight. That seems to much for me but Tony must make it to Riyhad in 14 days or loose money.
Parked up: Nr Bulgarian / Greek Border, BG.
Thursday 02/02/1984
Sailed at 1900hrs Dover to Zeebrugge, enroute to Mosul & Baghdad.
Possibly get weekended in Austria?
Parked up: Gent, B.
Friday 03/02/1984
Arrived Zeebrugge 0100hrs. Parked at Gent until 0930hrs. Crossed into Germany at 1230hrs and break whilst doing paperwork. Very strong crosswinds all day. At junction of U61/U89 the autobahn was blocked for sometime by overturned trailer. At Brohltal temp was 2’C. Sleet at 1620hrs Mosel temp 1’C. 1630hrs 0’C. 1700hrs 2’C, rain and strong winds again. Not one of my good days. Possibly get weekended Germany / Austria.
Parked up: Hockenheimring, D.
Saturday 04/02/1984
Away at 0300hrs and drive to Greding, fill up with Diesel and park until 0800hrs. Checked wheel nuts. Passed Tony Soamesen at 1040hrs parked at Hochfellen. Into Austria and had two hours only to drive. Tacho packed up just before Liezen, where Tony and I parked for the weekend. Very Tired.
Parked up: Liezen, A.
For me this is the best truck I have seen in 2014. It might not be the newest, it might not be most practical for most of Europe and it certainly won’t be everyones taste but for me, spot on.
If you live in the UK and haven’t been to one I strongly advise that you make 2015 your first trip to a European truck show, the standard of trucks is amazing. I can’t deny that the trucks here in the UK are getting better and better but the Europeans just seem to have it right, they all look good. To me the best trucks have always been out of reach of what I could afford or achieve and the T560 is no different. We all joke about winning the lottery but a Tcab would be very close to the top of my list. It’s blue, it’s got two sets of pipes, it’s got a subtle custom interior and enough lights to make it look good but not over the top. As with anything I would make a few subtle changes as I’d want to put my mark on it.
2014 has seen a big rise in the blogs popularity through all mediums, the Facebook page, twitter and the good old fashioned http://www.truckblog.co.uk website. I’m not going to link to any of those this time round as I’m sure you all could do with a break from the ruthless links and plugs for the blog. I have no idea where the blog will be in another 12 months, hopefully you’ll all still send me stuff, photos, info and the odd piece of trucking memorabilia to decorate TBHQ and I’ll keep bugging the TV companies in the vague hope they’ll see that we need Truckblog TV!
Hopefully I’ll be visiting, Truckfest Peterborough, Crowfield Truck Rally, Gathering of the Griffin, Retro Truck Show at Gaydon, more than likely (and hopefully) Truckstar Festival at Assen as my foreign trip, although I have heard on the grapevine that there is quite a convoy of English motors heading to the International Trucker & Country Show held at Interlaken, CH. I have always wanted to go James?? Finally if the offer is still there then I might just make it to Belfast too.
Anyway thank you for following and thank you for making the blog what it is, without your contributions I’m sure you’d all be bored silly of 143’s, MAN TGL LX’s and Mercedes-Benz photos! As we all do secretly say now and again Keep on Trucking!
Who else’s diary has a front page line up like that?! Uncle Dick Snows that’s who’s. It’s kept a rulers length from my head every night and I have to say hardly a week (or a day, Mrs Blog would argue) goes by without me flicking through the pages of the 1969 diary Uncle Dick kept. I never met him as he was always away but I knew why he wasn’t there and I think he’s partly to blame for my crazy obsession with bloody old trucks! If you want to read one of the trips in the diary then all you’ve got to do is buy a copy of Ashley Coghill’s book; The Long Haul Pioneers, all about the history of legendary Middle East trucking company Astran nee Asian Transport.
Back in May last year a small group of trucks left Ireland on their way to Belarus. Not just another European outing for our Irish friends but a humanitarian aid trip to help the Chernobyl Orphans Fund, by delivering aid of all types to the helpless children in the orphanages. The run from Ireland is an annual event and has been since 1999 but last year, 2013, was the first time the ex Astran Scania 143 (now owned by Eoin McGinnity) took part in the run. This year sees the 2nd trip for the “King of the Desert” out to Belarus.
This year Eoin McGinnity is hoping to get more interest in the aid run than last year, not just so we can all enjoy the photos of the trucks journey, but also to try and increase the amount of aid that is donated. There is now a Astran to Belarus Facebook Page about the run that will follow the run as it trucks eastwards. Last year we heard about the run a little too late but this year there is a bit of notice so we can all donate to the cause. Eoin McGinnity himself has purchased and donated 3 x Pallets of baby nappies. There is a PayPal account set up, so if you want to make a donation please do, the PayPal name is; astranbelarus2014@gmail.com so you can donate and the money will go straight to the cause. It seems it’s not just in the UK that the ex Astran Scania 143 raises eyebrows, a Polish journalist will be meeting the convoy as it crosses Poland so he can write about the truck and it’s aid run.
If you want to help while your waiting for the convoy to depart and the photos to start coming, then here are the official website links;
The main fund behind the convoy – www.chernobylorphansfund.ie
Astran to Belarus Facebook page – click HERE
PayPal Account for Monetary donations – astranbelarus2014@gmail.com
I for one will be keeping a close eye on this years run. I’m always keen on aid runs, especially to help children who have no control over their own circumstances (ooh get me!), but also it will be good to see the big Scania once again crossing borders on a long haul run East. The truck has spent it’s working life carrying goods that will make a difference in one way or another, so why change the habit if a lifetime now the truck is retired. The trip was supposed to set off in the middle of April, but due to paperwork problems the departure date has been put back by a week or two. I’ll keep you updated don’t worry.
You may or may not be a model truck collector but if you are then you probably know that Middle East Trucking legends Astran Cargo have slowly been releasing very limited edition 1/50 scale Tekno models of some of their more iconic trucks. So far the releases have been a Scania 111 and a Scania 143 Streamline, both artics pulling tilt trailers. The next to be released in the series is a Scania 110 drawbar again being manufactured by Tekno the Dutch model experts. This latest 500 piece special edition was due for release at the end of last year, then again it was due in January, but as yet nothing. Well that was until today, if you have been lucky enough to be one of the 500 names on the list then you have probably already received the following information on email. This was the update from Astran today;
To all supporters and collectors of Astran/Tekno 1:50 scale models.
“We have just received information from Tekno in Holland that upon final examination of the Scania 140 Drawbar, they have rejected the entire batch fresh in from China on the grounds that the quality is not acceptable.
We at Astran share your frustration, having waited such a long time for this new model. It is to Tekno’s credit that their standards are so high that they have taken this dramatic move. Most companies would have taken the easy option. I also have to add that I agree with their decision, having seen the first model off the line.
We will continue to keep the waiting list on file and will advise you when we have further information from Tekno. We understand this re-manufacturing process could take a long time, and at present Tekno are not prepared to say just how long it will be.
Thank you for your patience and support.”
I’m sure we are all happy to be patient for such a wanted model and I’m sure Tekno must feel incredibly embarrassed about the situation. As far as I’m concerned, as long as it is still going to be produced then waiting is not a problem as long as the final standard is as good as we’ve all come to expect from Tekno.
Astran have told me that the current list of 500 models is full and even the waiting list is growing (over 50 names so far!). If you still want to add yourself to the waiting list please contact Astran directly. You can email sammy@astran-cargo.com. If your on the waiting list you will be pretty lucky to get a model. If your already one of the 500 lucky people but can no longer be one of the lucky, please contact Astran to let them you are no longer able to purchase one of the models then at least some one on the waiting list might get one.
So that’s the update, please be patient it will be worth the wait!! You can contact Astran direct or myself and I will pass your message on.
As I am the lucky keeper of Uncle Dicks 1969 diary, here’s today’s entry from back then – Yes Dick Snow of Astran / Middle East run fame!
“Left Lebring (Austria) and arrived at Spiefeld at 1030. Crossed border into Jugoslavia and parked up waiting for Belgian drivers. Hope they are going to arrive by Wednesday (23rd April) latest. Had shorts on today.”
You can also find Uncle Dicks diary in Ashley Coghills awesome Astran book, The Long Haul Pioneers. Click HERE to order your copy now!
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