Does anyone who where there might be a Petter fridge unit lurking in a yard or the back of a warehouse or somewhere? It’s need for a fridge trailer that is being restored and the photo above is of the ideal unit. The trailer was new in 1982, so something of that age is what’s required. Please send an email to ben@truckblog.co.uk with any info or leave a comment below
Photos are from Seppo and Acab both members on http://www.trucknetuk.com
The fat lady is nearly here, the curtain is about to fall, the bell is nearly ringing for all entries to this years Gathering of the Griffin show in Ipswich on the last weekend of September. If you haven’t entered your any age, any state of any Scania then you have just over 24 hours to do so. The official closing time for entries is 2359hrs on Sunday 31st August. Contact details are as follows:
Address: Gathering Of The Griffin, 40 Uplands Way, Diss, Norfolk, IP22 4DF
Telephone: 07903155898
Email: gotg37@hotmail.com
There will be over 110 Scania’s all in one place, a must for any truck fan not just the Griffin lovers. The show is held at the Orwell Crossing Truck stop on the 27th and 28th September. There are categories and prizes for all models and also the coverted best in show prize. You don’t have to be a polish crazy Scania owner to win the prize as it’s all done to the character if the truck. There are also some very very VIP entrants from Scania GB coming too, it’ll be worth a trip to see what they are. Truckblog sponsors the Best 3 Series in show and last years winner Is the 143 at the top owned by Craig of Denny who came down from Scotland. So if you own a Scania of any age or state get it entered and get it to Ipswich. The whole weekend is tipped off by all the trucks leaving the show together, an awesome sight and sound for that matter!!
Last minute entries – CALL or EMAIL now!!
Phone: 07903155898
Email: gotg37@hotmail.com
3, 2, 1……………….
As some of you will know #82 has been up for sale in Ireland for a little while. The truck looked in half decent condition as it is complete and comes with the badges. It looks to me like the original spec was as it is now, a flat top 143 with 6×2 tag axle. The new proud owner, Paul from Lancashire, has emailed to tell me about his recent acquisition.
Now on my sheet I have no information about #82 and Paul also says that he doesn’t have a lot of info about the truck. Do you know anything about the history of it? Truck reg is J422 SHN. All I can start with is that is was first registered on 1st June 1992. So if you can help Paul then please email me; ben@truckblog.co.uk and I’ll pass the information on to Paul. One of you must know something.
As some of you will by now be aware I started working at Orwell Trucks Mercedes Benz at the beginning of July. Having always worked in transport and l haulage a move into trucks sales seems to have been a good move. When you start at any new workplace it seems there is always a “Martyn Beverly” character some where in the company. Mr Beverly is a quiet man who has learnt his trade from the ground up, he still earns his keep by supplying all the large fleets of East Anglian and beyond with the Mercedes Benz commercial vehicles. The wealth of knowledge Martyn has for MB trucks and vans having worked for Orwell Trucks for over 30 years is amazing. A couple of days sat with Martyn can teach you more than reading any brochure or book or even going on an MB training course. As we clearly have a shared interest in trucks I was keen to let Martyn see some of David Scarff’s MB truck photos, especially ones of local trucks. The above photo was taken by David Scarff outside Fred Archers yard one Saturday morning in the Mid 1980’s. As soon as Martyn saw this photo he said he sold the truck to Archers. Cue the flood gates for plenty more info and all I could want to know about the story of this particular truck. I asked Martyn to write down what he could remember so below is just that…….
With the impending introduction of 38 tonne GCW artics on 5 axles in 1983, operators with fleets of tandem axle trailers and 2 axle units, need a 3 axle tractor unit to comply with the new legislation. Some truck manufacturers had a problem as they nothing developed to meet this requirement. Luckily Mercedes-Benz already produced a suitable vehicle in Europe which could easily be modified to suit the UK market – Enter the 2028LS.
In 1982 Mercedes Benz decided to bring a single vehicle over to the UK to assess its suitability. I saw a picture of it in a Mercedes company brochure under the heading “An intriguing development for the future”. During one of my many meetings with Fred Archer, I told him about this truck and he was very interested as he had seen them whilst on his travels through Eastern Europe. I investigated and found out that this vehicle was at the Mercedes vehicle preparation centre at New Millerdam near Wakefield. I asked asked if I could borrow it and much to my surprise they said yes. Our driver Brian Booth picked the vehicle up and bought it back to Ipswich so we could have a look at the spec as there were no Data Sheets available.
– Left hand drive (enormous steering wheel!)
– L type sleeper cab with twin bunks
– Red orange cab
– Red oxide colour chassis
– Jost sliding 5th wheel
– MB 14.6 litre naturally aspirated V8 engine. 276hp.
– Fuller roadranger constant mesh 13 speed gearbox. 4 speed + range change + splitter on top 4 gears and a crawler. Very unusual as it would have normally been a ZF Ecosplit.
– 12R x 22.5 tyres
– Centre axle permanently steered with air suspension above a steel spring load transfer device.
– Rear axle. Hub reduction, full four bag air suspension with in cab level control
– GVW was 20,330kg
– 3,750mm outer axle spread – the prop shaft was as thick as a telegraph pole!
I took the vehicle down to Fred (Archer) and hitched it onto one of his trailers and we went for an extensive road test around Ipswich, after which Fred definitely wanted to buy it – if the price was right of course! I went away and got the numbers sorted and Fred ordered the vehicle. No records exist but I reckon it was around £30,000. This truck was very unique as it was the first of this model ever to be sold in England.
To prepare the vehicle we fitted the snorkel front air intake, a radio, cab heater, rear wings, alloy cat walk / fuel tank (from GB Engineering in Wisbech), sun visor, full chassis and cab paint and finally it was sign written by Rod Chapple using a good old brush and paint. When finished and delivered to Fred we did a photo shoot with one of his trailers all around Martlesham Heath and pictures were taken off the bridge over the A12. The driver was a chap called Mick Dade who had worked for Fred archer for some time (Mick Dade eventually worked for IST in Harwich as Transport Manager.
You can’t ask for a better write up than that all off the back of one photo. The other photos here are all copyright of Martyn Beverly and as ever please respect the copyright. Fred archer must have been impressed with the big German as I found another David Scarff photo of an A reg MB 2028, only visible differences being it’s right hand drive and no snorkel!
There are a few more old photos in the archives so you never know we might be able to get a few more snippets of the good old days from Martyn and Orwell Trucks back catalogue. Off you go driver, happy trucking……….
The search for Scania Centurions and information on Centurions goes on and on. A few weeks back I was sent some photos of the 3 Langdons sub-contractors Centurions by Langdons commercial director Patrick Griffiths. At the time I couldn’t find any photos of #14, which was a 4×2 143 450 brand new to Derek Champion. So how do you find a link to the photo collection of a Langdons subbie you ask? Well it just so happens you ask the South West of England’s font of all knowledge, Tim Rigby. The oracle told me that Derek’s son Nigel is currently the general manager at Scania in Bridgwater. Rather than pester him I decided to send Nigel an email and with in a few days the email conversation started and I’m happy to say that Nigel has now sent some awesome photos of what someone claim’s to be the best looking of the 3 Centurions that pulled for Langdons! I couldn’t possibly comment.
Information on J981BYA. – Centurion Edition 14.
· Delivery date – 21.10.1991
· Chassis Number – 1178664
· Engine – DSC 14 03 / 450 hp
· Gearbox – R770
· Ratio – 3.27
Nigel said that he personally did the first trip out in the truck when it was new. A full load of juice from Bridgwater to Sainsburys in Hackney, London. Nigel also said; “Great memories of a great Truck. The best truck I ever drove!” The photo above was taken on 21st September 1993 as the great V8 came off the ferry in Portsmouth. The photos below were taken at the Truckline ferry in Poole Harbour.
Luckily for all of us this truck is still about. I have gained the following information about #14, if this is true, false or any different then please email or comment below.
Known Reg Numbers: J981 BYA. J500 SCA.
Known Owners: Derek Champion. Peter Orr, Plymouth. Sid Evans, Bridgend. West Kingsdown, Kent. Neil Johnston, Wales.
Current Owner: Shropshire Forestry Contractors
I have emailed Shropshire Forestry in the hope they can confirm that they are the current owners of number 14. As and when I hear from them I will let you all know. For those who are going to the Gathering of The Griffin truck show at Ipswich at the end of September, Richard Payne and myself are planning on having a good old Centurion session so we can combine all our info. You are all welcome to join in or contribute. Just make contact with myself or turn up at the show and we should be able to get a lot of info together.
PLEASE RESPECT THE COPYRIGHT ON THESE PHOTOS. THEY BELONG TO THE CHAMPION FAMILY AND THIS IS THE ONLY PLACE THEY ARE VISABLE, SO IF THEY APPEAR SOME WHERE ELSE YOU ALL KNOW WHERE THEY HAVE COME FROM.
Above are 2 very lucky owner drivers and no doubt very deserved too. On the left with the Olympic blue 143 500 is Maxi Mehrlich and on the right with the white 143 500 is Gorden Ardren. As you are probably all aware by now I’ve been trying to gain as much info on Scania’s original 100 special edition Centurion trucks as I can. This latest flurry of information comes from an excellent source, none other than Nagel Langdons own commercial director, Patrick Griffiths. This is what Patricks first email said;
A couple of corrections for your Centurion list.
J4 MJM was purchased through Langdon Industries Ltd by owner driver Maxi Mehrlich hence the J4 MJM. Copy of the original sales invoice is attached. We dug out a copy of this only a few months ago for the current owner.
J2 GLA was purchased through Langdon Industries Ltd by owner driver Gordon Ardren hence the J2 GLA.
J981BYA was purchased through Langdon Industries Ltd by owner driver Derek Champion. J981BYA it was a Scania R143 MA 4×2 R450 in white.
Myself or Patrick haven’t managed to find a photo of J981 BYA when it was new, so if any of you have then please email it me; ben@truckblog.co.uk – I did managed to find this photo of J981 but I don’t know whose photo it is or who owned the truck at the time, but I’m guessing it might be Plymouth owner driver Peter Orr. There is a slight question mark as to whether this was a 450hp or 500hp when new.
The truck details are as follows;
#8 Scania 143 500 Topline Streamline 4×2 Tractor – new to Maxi Mehrlich – now owned and fully restored by Dessie Mackin at Mackin International in Ireland. Above is the original invoice for the truck. I have cropped out the figures but I will tell you that it was between £60-£65,000 before VAT. I don’t know why but I was a little surprised that there is no mention of the edition number on the invoice. Before and after photos as follows;
#9 Scania 143 500 Topline Streamline 4×2 Tractor – new to Gorden Ardren – the truck has in the last few years been fully restored by Ashley Pearce and is now living in Ireland under the ownership of Donnell & Ellis. I have to say I helped convince Ashley Pearce to repaint the truck in Scania’s 3 Series pro-mo colours of blue with pink strips after giving him some posters an brochures. What a claim to fame! See below for its current condition.
#14 Scania 143 450 (May have been a 500hp?) Topline Streamline 4×2 Tractor – new to Derek Champion – now owned by Shropshire Forrestry Contractors as far as I’m aware. The last photo I have of it was when it was with its last owner Neil Johnson. Again if you have a recent photo of it since Neil Johnson had it please email me a copy; ben@truckblog.co.uk
Thanks again to Patrick at Nagel Langdons for the info and photos. Hopefully it’ll lead to more info about more Centurions. I think it’s amazing that the 3 Langdon Owner Drivers trucks are all still on the road and we can trace there where about’s as I know how difficult it is proving to find out info about some of the others.
Centurion: #35
Reg Number: J988 BYA
Current Owner: ???
(This is not my photo!)
Thought you might appreciate a nice feature for your Blog! As I have told you before, I have a long heritage with the industry in which we work and have done every aspect from loading on a forklift, to fully qualified HGV mechanic to European and at times Middle East driver. Above is a brand new Big J that my grandfather purchased along with the trailer for the construction of what locals call the D road, otherwise known as the A500 between junctions 15 and 16 on the M6. I started off working for my Grandfather who was actually one of the first hauliers in the UK to send trucks to Europe. After his death I kept one truck and worked for myself mainly taking animal skins out to Italy and after a wash out, bringing finished leather goods back to the UK. I then moved on to Spanish work taking Michelin tyres from Stoke out and bringing fruit back for the markets. This was in the pre-speed limiter days and when you only changed a tacho if it was full. Sleeping was done either on ferries or when parked up for 24 hours by the predecessors to VOSA. After finishing with European haulage due to ever decreasing rates I moved on to a flatbed carrying portacabins and construction equipment for the then Leonard Fairclough (swallowed up by Amec).
Eventually I decided enough was enough and decided to go and work for someone else. I did a bit of round timber haulage and discovered what graft actually was. I then moved on to a few months on a brick crane which was possibly the most thankless job I have ever done. After getting involved in UK-IE traffic I landed a role with a well known European trailer operator looking after the eastbound flow between the UK and Benelux. This was succeeded after a contract takeover to promotion to contract manager of all export requirements from both the UK and IE. I have attached a copy of a feature from this weeks Commercial Motor. I’m not sure if you are allowed to use it or if its covered under copyright law but you will see where my heritage comes from. Gerald Broadbent was my grandfathers youngest brother and I have memories of him as a very astute man who we weren’t allowed to ‘play up’ in front of. As I got older and worked for my grandfather we used to quite often go into Boalloy and move trailers around on site and even go and pick up prototype trailers to load for Europe to take on week long test drives. Not sure if this was a dodgy family way of getting a free trailer for a week as we were short or if it was genuine but it worked.
By Shaun Broadbent
While most normal people were having their breakfast this morning and reading the paper, I was doing what I usually do when I get a few quiet minutes…….searching Europe’s classifieds to see what’s for sale, just incase of a weekend lottery win. Most of the time I don’t find much so it doesn’t matter that my lottery numbers haven’t come in, although this mornings finds hardly warrant the need a lottery win.
There are various websites to hunt for your perfect truck. There are websites in Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark and many others but this morning the Italian site was just heaving with things to stop those burn holes appearing in your pockets. Usually £20,000 or €20,000 will buy you a nice half decent classic but in Italy it seems there is no demand for classic trucks. Starting with this gorgeous Scania 142. Looks very tidy up for €5,500. Perfectly summed up by the sellers advert text, simply translates too;
“Hello I sell beautiful tractor with 142 8cilindri few miles rubberized revised“
For my next slice of toast I came across this very international looking Volvo F89. It even comes with a set of Trilex wheels, love ’em or hate them. Yours for €3,000.
Finally to wash down with a class of juice I found this delightful 10.5 metre trailer of 1969 vintage. As your probably beginning to work out, this is restored and is still oh so cheap at just €6,500. Bargain.
Are the Italians mad or is it that in Italy classic retro trucks just aren’t in demand?? perhaps the Italians have better hobbies and things to do with their spare time than messing about with old trucks, so they just don’t have any value. Even so I could get 2 gorgeous tractor units and a trailer to match them both for €15,000. That is crazy, but we all know about supply and demand so that’s the way it goes.
I know when my numbers do come up on the lottery I’ll be too busy drinking champagne for breakfast I won’t get the time to check the classifieds and I’ll miss these bargains, never mind, it’s good to dream!! Right I’m off to pick up the 142, drive over and collect the trailer then I can strip it down and put the Volvo on the back. Then it’s off, up and over the Alps and back to Blighty. One day.
The Italian website is: www.subito.it
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