New Year SnowMAN

As promised at the beginning of the year, here are a few pictures of Steve Marsh’s New Years trip to Sweden. While i was enjoying a few drinks in Port Solent gazing out across the marina and looking out to sea, Mr Marsh and the little MAN were busy crossing the high sea’s from Kiel, Germany to Gothenburg, Sweden. It might all be party poppers and champagne to some of us dull old office boys but for Marshy the work never stops, i forget how hard you have to work to keep the wheels rolling but as an Owner Driver work is work and best to make hay while the sun shines and all that. Any way it’s not a bad old life when your in Malta the week before Christmas and then in snowy Sweden for New Year. As you can see there is a fair temperature change from the week before to week after. Plenty of snow and ice in Gothenburg, although the Swedish port seems capable of coping with the snow they get, you can guarantee if that was a UK port it’d be shut with all that snow!!

Steve Marsh Express

After New Years Eve my sunrise on New Years day was not like this, in fact i don’t remember seeing sunrise on New Years Day! Although that ice might have cooled my head off a touch.

Steve Marsh Express

The little MAN easily made it through the snowy realms of Sweden up to Vasteras, where Marshy had to sit it out til Monday before he could tip. This left plenty of time for snow man building and picture taking, doesn’t she look great?? I think this one qualifies for the Steve Marsh Express Christmas card this year, it’d certainly make a better card than some of the one’s i sampled here on the blog.

Steve Marsh Express

As i write this Steve Marsh is on his way back from Malorca, so hopefully some more great pics to come, as long as he makes it passed those French pancake sellers!

Mr Cameron Never Owned it!!

How about this for a golden oldie. Phil Ascroft of Ascroft Transport fame has had a truck filled life, man and boy. As a good hard working young lad, he used to pack his Hovis don his cloth cab and head off to Cameron’s yard to do all your yard boy type jobs. At one stage Cameron order 4 new Volvo F88’s, a splendid addition to any fleet. Problem being Volvo thought they would supply one in their new 1970’s special desert spec, for all those heading for the Middle East. The desert spec had windscreen guards, light guards, Air conditioning unit, catwalk tank on the chassis to feed the main tanks and i think they also had an in cab kitchenette. Any way Volvo supplied one of these spec motors instead of the standard as they wanted one in company colours to do some promo photographs. Which you would have thought would be fine, but Volvo then tried to charge Cameron for the additional spec. Cameron said no way was he going to pay for extra spec he hadn’t ordered so, this truck was repainted and eventually sold onto an owner driver. So although it was painted in Cameron’s livery it was never one of his trucks. Nice little story that one, thanks Phil. If you have any thing to add please leave a comment below or email me, ben@truckblog.co.uk
F88 Stewart Cameron Dessert Spec

Geoff Gilbert comes to Truckblog

I’m hoping this wont be the one and only photo i get to put on here of this classic haulier. They must be on he list of well known international hauliers, sadly no longer with us. I remember keeping an eye out for them as a boy and also used to enjoy a  the odd chat with a driver or 2 on the Euro Tunnel. I think the last chap i spoke to was nearing retirement and often took his wife with him. I remember the meeting as he had reloaded 24 ton of chocolate from Switzerland, now that is a tasty reload! This picture comes courtesy of one Colin Waters an ex GG driver. I asked him to have a hunt about to see what he could find in his loft and this is all he could find, but he is hoping some of his old GG colleagues may come up trumps. This was GIL 8217, Colin’s regular steed, this was a local delivery out to Schipol Airport, excellent timing with the plane going up, i never realised Mr Waters was such a David Bailey!!
GIL 8217

From Big Trev Himself

Having a few emails from Trevor Dodwell on other matters so i thought i’d give him the wonderfull opportunity of contributing to the best truck blog in the world (this one not BigLorryBlog!). He says he will send more but sent this cracker to start with. Trevor’s legendary 143 Streamliner, one of the best and last fully Astran liveried trucks. Not only was the truck a beauty to drive but Trevor say’s the trailer had all the bits and bobs you need for driving the long dusty roads to the Middle East. He say’s “The trailer’s extra accessories included: Angle fridge, full fitted kitchen with running water and diesel capacity on the whole vehicle is 2,100 litres to fill it up in Saudi cost less than a hundred pound.!” Thats a £100 total not per litre like it is here currently!! Great pic Trev, keep sending them…….
Trevor Dodwell

Detective’s Required

This old girl was spotted a few years back in a lorry park in Witham, Essex. This picture was taken back on 06/10/1996!! Any ideas where it was going, who owned it, past life, where is it now?? With the spare wheel on the back I’m sorry to say it looks like it may have been heading for export, R.I.P. although it looks like it was still taxed and possibly had an O license in the window. I know it sounds stupid but the reg seems familiar, has she been restored by some one since??

Date of Liability 01 01 1997
Date of First Registration 11 05 1981
Year of Manufacture 1981
UHK603W
Thanks to Dumpie Transporton Flickr for use of the photo.

Mini Artics

Now you know i have a little affection for a mini artic, over the last few weeks and months a have been sent a few and found a few on the www. Not had many spots from my trusty spotters, although Steve Marsh saw an Activ Cars at Frechen last week but wasn’t quick enough with his camera, shocking! Any way in case you are like me here are a few for you to perv over.

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Mini Merc
TGL Tractor

How about this one used by Bickers Actionfor filming those in car scenes you see on all you fave TV programmes. The car goes on the flat and the cameras go on the neck, then the truck drives about and makes it look as though the car being filmed is actually on the road.
another mini merc

And of course, who can forget the Tom-Car MAN. I wonder if its still for sale??
FW: TOM-CAR photos

Astran / M.E. Drivers???

Amongst the few photos i have from my relation Dick Snow (yea really), there are a number of faces that have no identity, well to me anyway. Have you got any ideas who they are?? Can you put a name to a face?? If so please let me know. The current or ex Middle Easters may be one step ahead of the rest of us! Email me at ben@truckblog.co.uk  or leave a comment below. The first one is the man himself Dick Snow.

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Surely you all know who thi slast one is??? Be funny to see his picture in return!

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More Astran!!

Not that any of you mind i’m sure, but this month is looking fairly Astran mungus! I have recently had a strange but true coming together with ex Astran driver Tony Soameson. This man was one of the original drivers starting with Astranback in 1969 firstly as an employed driver then later becoming an owner driver for them. I have spoken to Tony and he is willing to send me some pictures to use on the blog. I am hoping most of them will be different to those used in Ashley Coghills book, The Long Haul Pioneers. The picture below is one of Tony’s, if you look in the book there is a picture of this truck being loaded. I’ll post some more pictures as and when they come through. Please acknowledge the Copyright on this photo.

Copyright: Anthony Soameson

Maltese MAN

Happy New Year bloggers! I’ll start this year as I mean to go on, with a good blog that’ll hopefully entice you all into coming back over and over again!

To start us off Steve Marsh is back….. Twas the week before Christmas and all was quiet, well that was until the Warrington MAN fired up and headed south for a pre-Christmas dash to Malta. Load detail as follows; “Load Manchester and Frankfurt airports for delivery to Luqa airport, Malta. Reload Luqa airport for Heathrow. Plus 2 collections ex Milan for Ashford and Birmingham.”   Sounds like a cracking little outing. The boat back from Malta arrived in Genoa on Wednesday 22nd December, so there was a lot to be done to beat Father Christmas back to Warrington!

Great picture!
Maltese MAN

Maltese MAN

In the pic below, note the well worked Eurostar and Streamliner poking its nose in.
Maltese MAN

On the road to Luqa Airport. Excellent advertising for the blog!! (Look Carefully!)
Maltese MAN
Maltese MAN

Unloading at Luqa.
Unloading Aircraft spares for the AOG at Luqa Airport, Malta

Back on the boat ready leave Valetta, having completed part 1 of the trip.
Maltese MAN

Hopefully the Marsh will continue to supply some excellent blog material throughout the year, just as long as he is home long enough in between trips to email the pictures over! Having made it home for Christmas day, Steve spent New Years Eve on the Kiel to Gothenburg boat, heading for delivery to Sweden. Pictures to follow!

We are currently also exploring avenues to get some live streaming video from the little MAN on its trips across Europe so you never know by the end of this year you may be able to follow Marshy on his travels.

This post was expertly edited by Mrs H Reeder BA (Hons).