Broadly Speaking its a Crane

Posted on October 15, 2012 by truckbloguk

We need your help on this please bloggers. Spotted enjoying the peaceful surroundings of the Norfolk Broads, this old girl is now lifting few boats in and out of the water at Potter Heigham, Norfolk. Top blog spotter and these days blog reporter James Cartwright was busy enjoying a weekend away with the Mrs. Natrually photos of the local tourist spots soon make way for some top spotting! The only thing being neither of us have any clue what this is. Is it a truck with a crane or is it just a crane truck…..well I know what I mean! Is it an old Coles or Grove crane with a road cab?? Who knows, I clearly don’t have a clue what i’m on about this evening. It has a slight hint of a Foden cab although I know its not and James says Mrs Cartwright couldn’t find any type of plate! 😉 All suggestions greatly appreciated, leave your comments below or email me; ben@truckblog.co.uk

Coming Soon – LEV 701V

Posted on October 11, 2012 by truckbloguk

Here’s another old girl that has been saved from the scrap heap. This sleeper cabbed 4×2 Scania 111 has been nicely restored and when completed will be for sale, yes that right it will be for sale. This truck is LEV 701V, which was at one point part of the Brain Haulage fleet. Its been striped back to the chassis and the interior has been re-skinned and upholstered. I have to say that even in this condition it was beginning to look rather nice.

Just a plain red and white livery will adorn the truck, with the engine being painted in that Scania engine green. She will be a nice tidy motor when done and in my opinion will be good enough for shows as it is. Although the man in charge says its just having a “basic” job done! I have no idea what the price will be but if you are interested I can put you in touch but seriously no time wasters, if you haven’t the funds for such a purchase please leave it to those who can. More photos to come as and when she is complete and ready to roll. Have you got any photos of her in her Brain Haulage colors or any other colors?? Email me; ben@truckblog.co.uk

Now or Then??

Posted on September 7, 2012 by truckbloguk

What a cracking sight! If you were between Harwich and Halstead in Essex today there is just a chance you saw this classic combination on the road. N.C. Cammack & Son are a long standing family outfit based in Essex and have run all sorts of classic motors, including a load of old DAF’s that I will be showing you as and when I finally get the scanning finished. Any hoo this looks like it was taken back in 1993 when this truck would have been new, but it was actually taken today leaving Harwich docks. Sorry to say it wasn’t working, but Jim Cammack had to pick up the tilt that he bought over on the mainland. The delightful 450hp Swedish powerhouse is a recent addition to the fleet and has spent a fair amount of time in the restoration shed. The tilt has been bought to accompany a number of other restoration projects that are bubbling under in the Cammack workshops. Now luckily for me I’m popping over to see Jim tomorrow so hopefully I will have a few more pics to share with you……This isn’t going to help my cause as I’m still missing my 141, all this talk of trailers and classic motors. Perhaps as this combination will be based no more than 7 miles from Truckblog HQ, I may just get to see it a bit more and perhaps even a lget ittle bit of a drive one day?! Tell me honestly, if it wasn’t for the photos being quite so clear, you could have easily thought they were taken back in the day! Destination anywhere………

Piggy Backer Volvo – Now & Then

Posted on August 30, 2012 by truckbloguk

Trawling through the endless photos that appear on Facebook these days, there are always one or two that catch my eye. The other day my eye was caught by a photo posted by Gökhan Diler of a Volvo F88 Rigid cattle truck. Mr Diler posts plenty of photos clearly taken all over the place (I’d love to know where this one was taken??), so why did this Volvo stand out?….Well it just had that familiar feel to it. I mean how many rigid Volvo cattle trucks do you know of?? I have since been told that “UPB” on the head board stands for “United Pig Breeders”. A few years back I was busy buzzing about the Essex countryside in a tipper and I used to get everywhere. Not far outside Chelmsford on a main road, not visible from a car, I could just see over a hedge next to a shed on a farm, an aging Volvo in an orangey colour. I stopped in and enquired like you do. I was told that it used to do a lot of continental work with a cattle wagon body on which made sense as it was left hand drive. I thought at the time I took a couple of photos but as yet I haven’t managed to find them. Any way the photo above appeared on the Facebook and I was sure it was the same truck, challenge on, ask you my beloved bloggers for help……….

……BINGO!! A big thanks to blog reader Dan Edmonds, a driver from Chelmsford. He knew exactly where said Volvo was resting and managed to send these more recent photos of JWH 499P. As you can see she isn’t in quite as good condition as Gökhan’s photo and also not quite the same colour scheme. I love these then and now pics and I hope to bring you a few more over the next few months, as and when I can scan a few hundred photos I have here at Truckblog HQ. If you have any Now & Thens, please feel free to email them to me for us all to enjoy;

ACH – Photo Update

Posted on August 23, 2012 by truckbloguk

For those who aren’t aware I have a big affection for old Buckinghamshire family firm Aston Clinton Haulage. Why? My dad worked there back in the early 1970’s before I was born and so far I have only found 13 photos of his in my 33 years on the planet, so with the age on the tinternet I am now cashing in and have even set up an ACH Facebook Page for like minded fans. I think because I have so little of ACH from my old man that I want more and more. It turns out there are a few ex drivers following the FB Page and one man in particular, Dave Mortimer has kindly sent me 80 odd photos from his 30 year driving career with the Beige and Black from Aylesbury. I have to say some of Dave’s photos are just brilliant. Now I think I love ACH that little bit more! I have scanned all the photos and put them on the flickr page, so click HERE to see the set.

Along with the photos Mr Mortimer enlightened me with the following information;

“ACH was started in the 1960’s by Mr Les Fowler. The name came from an old Coal delivery company. It was bought for the A and B licenses. They never actually had a yard in Aston Clinton, the first yard was at Winslow, Buckinghamshire then they moved to a yard in Stone near Aylesbury about 1970. ACH ran a fleet of about 20 trucks. The fleet was increased when they bought out Howe European from Enfield. This was to gain extra European permits to do extra European work. Some of Howe’s trucks came with drivers such as Johnny Whitbread and Dave Coope. But most left again when Des Lacey (ex Howe European) started up Hercock London.”

“ACH started doing European in 1973 and I (Dave Mortimer) started with ACH in January 1974. My first year was UK work, then my first trip abroad was to Fiat in Torino, July 1975. Reloaded washing machines back to High Wycombe. I didn’t start doing regular European trips until about 1977 and then the rest is history! Back then it was all the old roads as the motorways weren’t built. Such good routiers we used to eat at; Footballers, Bakehouse, Monkey House – I could go on for ever about the old times! I think the only firm still doing European from the old days is EM Rogers. All the rest have gone; ACH, Leggetts, Ferry Freighting, Roba, Dow European, Murfitts…the list just goes on.”

What an insight into one man’s career. I just love em! If you know any thing, any one, have any photos of ACH then please get in touch. You can email me at ben@truckblog.co.uk and I will look forward to hearing from you. Just think if ACH had kept going and my parents had stayed in my home town of Aylesbury, ACH would have been my closest haulage firm. Thanks to Dave Mortimer for the photos, he has said there could be more to come, we’ll see….

Wrecked to Riches

Posted on August 11, 2012 by truckbloguk

A few days back we were pushed for time at work with a trailer we were doing for Mammoet, so to try and help out and get back on track I popped off to Needham Market to do the first drop. All the paper work said was “1 x Scania Cab”. Being ever hopeful I was hoping it would be an old one and really why would you put any type of new cab on a groupage trailer from Holland. For those locals who know, the delivery was to Canacraft, now becoming well know for excellent paint jobs of various trucks and also for an old Scania 143 that they restored to name a few. Have a look at the gallery and you’ll see some other you recognise. The 143 now gone they have got into 1 series Scania’s. On arrival there was an old 111 sat in the corner of the yard, that has definitely seen better days, an ex Brain Haulage one as it goes. For those of you who are thinking it, no I didn’t get the reg! Any way I naturally assumed the cab would be for that, but no I was wrong! After opening the trailer up it was clear it was going to take a little time to get it off. Sat on its back on a Euro Pallet. To be honest it had come all the way from Greece like it and there was hardly a mark on it. Being the helpful chap I am, I helped get the cab off and then we spent 10 minutes rolling it round off the pallet and sitting it on a frame ready for a bit of work. The cab itself is in good nick and doesn’t need a great deal of work. I was actually quite keen on the colours too. Anyone recognise the stripes??

As I said, I assumed that the cab was for the 111 on wheels in the yard, I was wrong. It turns out the 141 cab is going onto a 141 chassis…..

….The MRCT cab is rotten! Right through it is all rust and holes and really to far gone to save. In true Scania V8 style she still has life in her. If you can get into the drivers seat missing the holes in the floor and the door doesn’t fall off, push the key in and hit the glorious piece of mechanic romance that is the starter button and she grumbles into life. You may be wondering what Canacraft are planning on doing with the 141…let me enlighten you further. The old girl was originally a 4×2 tractor unit but at some point was stretched and had a wrecker body put on and was used as the MRCT breakdown truck for a number of years, before being retired and left to rust in the corner (MRCT should be ashamed!). The plan is to chop the chassis once more and put her back to her original set up as a tractor unit, then back to the show circuit. Surely all old trucks of this vintage should be given the chance to get old gracefully rather than rust away in the corner?? Nowadays all our aging trucks are exported so in 10 years time you wont be able to find an early 4 series or a tidy FH16 Globetrotter as they will have all gone to warmer climbs. Lets make the most of our veterans that we have left, afteral they got us to where we are today!

Does anyone have any photos of HVF 520V in any of her previous guises? Email them over and i’ll put them up here; ben@truckblog.co.uk be good to see her as a tractor unit. Canacraft plan to do both the 111 and the 141 up but will probably do the 111 up to a decent standard and then sell her on…..a little tip there! I look forward to seeing the 141 hit the shows next year I guess, having seen the 143 that came from the Needham Market stable, I’m sure that both these old Scania’s will be rather sort after.

Swains Super 141

Posted on July 15, 2012 by truckbloguk

This rather tasty Scania 141 was spotted by various people last weekend heading up and down between Church Stretton, Shropshire and Ayr, Scotland. Last weekend was the annual Ayr Road Run. These pics were taken by Tim Cotton in a very damp Lymm Truckstop as the truck was making it’s way North. A few years back I remember talking with Steve Swain and one of his drivers, Mick, about the whole 141 thing. At the time Steve Swain (son of Swains of Stretton) was buying a double bed cabbed 141 that had been stored on Norfolk Scania man, Geoff Warrens farm. As we were talking about his purchase my 141 was nearing completion and Steve told me about the project for a Swains of Stretton 141 drawbar. I also seem to remember talking about getting the drawbar trailer back from Germany. My memory is all a little sketchy, but if you can add any thing or fill in any gaps then please leave comments below or send me an email with your pics.
You can’t deny that this could be one of the most authentic looking 141’s I think I have seen in the last few years, it really looks the biz. Be good to hear a bit more about it….over to you….

Crowfield Classics

Posted on June 9, 2012 by truckbloguk

A rare sight in any ones book. These 2 classic Swedes were pride of place at yet another damp Crowfield Truck Rally, held last Sunday the 3rd June at the Orwell Truckstop, Ipswich. This event is organised by the East Coast Truckers and always attracts lots of visitors and entrants as it goes, but numbers are limited so the places fill up quickly.
The 2 trucks above are both well know in and around Suffolk. The H.C. Wilson Scania 141 was bought new and has been working with Wilson ever since and still does the odd days graft now and again. The Russell Davies Scania 110 is a bit rarer as it spends most of its days at the Ipswich transport museum, but does come out for the odd run during the summer. The truck was the first ever purchase for the Russell Davies fleet in 1974 and was sold on in 1977. The truck was bought again in 1985 and restored back to her original colours. She looks well, perhaps even better with a spread axle skelly trailer behind??? Just an idea.

This nice late DAF 3200 is in the colours of Suffolk haulier EJ Farrow. Nice, clean and simple, bearing the company details what more do you need? Although it does look a little small compared to it’s bigger younger brother parked alongside. While we’re on DAF, below is an earlier 2800, owned by another local haulier Neil Bomford.

Next up is Rowell’s Transport’s delightful Volvo F7 sleeper. I love this little Volvo, I used to see loads of them around the industrial estate’s of Braintree as a boy. A local haulier had quite a few and it was also the first truck I drove on my own across my cousins farm during harvest. Although my cousins version was an 8×4 tipper, but it still had the sleeper cab. This Rowell’s truck has been given plenty of love and care and now looks like new, a real credit to the owners. Traditional sign writing, original interior and even retro windscreen flags, I hope this little beastie got a trophy, it deserves it.

Finnaly we have Geoff Warrens customised Scania 142 with highroof and also another high roof classic in the shape of Terry Seaman’s big cabbed Foden. The Scania still works in the summer months but doesn’t tend to venture out to much in the winter. As for the Foden, that is still earning a crust and I actually saw it out on the road this week with a tipper trailer. It’s nice to see that a classic English truck can still earn a living and not be badly affected by the ever increasing emissions regulations. As far as I know farm yards are not yet under any sort of Low Emission Zone red tape!

I can’t say much about H.C. Wilson’s 2 classics as we all know they both enjoy a trip to a show, but are both very much thought of as working trucks. The 141 doesn’t do to too many days out, but N500 HCW still is called into action when ever required, usually for swapping with a break down or an MOT vehicle.

There were plenty of other trucks at Crowfield, but the increasingly popular classic’s that we see at our shows, need to be appreciated. If you click HERE you will go to my other photos from the show.

Scania’s Man Test

Posted on May 31, 2012 by truckbloguk

For those of you who missed it, last weeks Commercial Motor magazine inadvertently contained the ultimate man test (and a few half decent photos!). A while back CM magazine did a Volvo comparison of a brand new FH750 and an F16 470. I read with interest but it didn’t stir me as much as last weeks. A brand new Scania R730 V8 compared to a 141 V8 and how far truck technology has come. It’s fair to say that all makes of truck have changed beyond belief and I myself can relate to this test as I have driven brand new R620’s and I also owned a 141. Which of the 2 would I choose?? Honestly?? In my opinion I think it depends on what type of man you are;

– Are you the type who likes all the luxuries of life?
– Do you prefer the straight easy rather than working her up through some bends?
– Would you rather put a few pounds on rather than work up a sweat?
– Would rather just open the back doors or get a full workout stripping your trailer?
– Do you prefer a key to a push button?

If the answer to these questions is yes, your a 730 driver, If you answered all these with no then you are a 141 driver.

Having read through the Commercial Motor article, author Brian Weatherley says he’d prefer the 730, but I wonder how many of you agree. You can’t disagree the ride of a modern truck like the 730 is as good as if not better than any expensive luxury car, but I love driving for the “Driving” element. Changing gear, getting the revs just right, holding her back using the gears, feeling like i’m actually controlling the mechanical beast under my feet. As I said I have driven both but although the newer is far superior in the comfort department, for the love of driving you just can’t beat, the 10 speed gearbox connected to the V8. The noise of the earlier V8 burbling away, makes you head for every tunnel possible and I never never tire of it burbling away. The problem with newer more comfortable truck is that, in my opinion it makes life to easy. Now I probably wouldn’t be saying this after 40’c heat and clothes full of sand having just rebuilt my tilt trailer in Doha, but even so, give me the 141 any day. After All as my all time hero Dave Poulton once said; “Have a wash, clean the truck out and you feel as happy as a sand boy again!”

The other reason for me doing this blog, is to re-share the absolutely amazing photographs in this Commercial Motor article. We all strive to take good photos of our trucks on the move, but these seem to be in another league. Would Mr Mark Bourdillon stand up and take a bow! Just look at these pics, taken on a track, yes I know, but even so with the spray coming off both trucks, they just look brilliant! So amazed I was, that I emailed Mr Bourdillon to ask his permission to use his photos on the blog. Luckily for all of us and especially those who didn’t see last weeks CM, Mark said he would happily let me put them on here. Thanks Mark.

A few things left to say;
(1) Please Please don’t use the photographic genius Mark Bourdillons photos.
(2) I really would be happy driving a 141 every day (I’d be equally as happy in the 730!)
(3) I think all these principles apply to you Volvo lovers too. F88? F89? F16? FH750??
(4) Dear Scania in the next Special Edition, Please Please bring back the “Starter Button”.
(5) Yes I had to watch all of Part 2 of Destination Doha to get my quote right……What a shame!
(6) Did they do a little speed test of the 141 round the Millbrook test track?? Mine did 73 down the A14 (unit only).
(7) Sorry this blog should have come with a “Romance” warning.

Finally, thanks again to Mark Bourdillon for letting me use his photos. Also thanks to Commercial Motor.

Classic Volvo Heading for The UK

Posted on May 24, 2012 by truckbloguk

This lovely looking Volvo F89 was spotted this week, by HC Wilson driver Jon Pryke. Eagle-eyed Jon as they call him in Elmswell, spotted this classic Swede parked in Unaccompanied bays at DFDS, Vlaardingen ready to ship to Immingham….to its new owner?? By the way although it’s Wilson coloured I don’t think it’s anything to do with them!!

From these pics it looks to be in fairly good condition and well look after. The bodywork looks straight and the paint looks relatively shiny and the little pair of stacks, well…
Anyway does anyone know any thing about who’s it is? It is clearly heading to a new owner some where in the UK or Ireland. It’d be nice to know who the owner is so we can all keep an eye out for it with a new coat of paint! The lucky owner must know a bargain when they see one, judging by the price tag….

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