SCOOP!! Bluestream Invasion
Reply
Category Archives: International Mega Trucking
Herpa Modelling the UK
..and Ireland! – I have long been a collector of 1:87 or HO Scale truck models and I think it’s fair to say that I would need to build a large extension on TBHQ or more likely quadruple its size to get anywhere near to being able to house my collection that is currently in loads of boxes in my parents loft! For me it all started with a freebie model I was sent in the post by Schmitz Cargobull when I was a young teenager. Being impressed with the model I received in the post I started saving my money and I found a postal address to buy from, then I moved onto heading to a wonderful model shop on Pentonville Road, Kings Cross, London by the name of Victors. Then from there I started contact with Mr Herpa UK himself Ernest Springley. I now have 500+ models and in all honesty I don’t really want to add them up as I suspect it’s heading closer to 1000 models and I’ve just started buying more regularly again!
The one bug bare of mine always used to be that there were never many British vehicles readily available, the ones I did learn about became very difficult to track down, until the invention of eBay! I soon learnt that a good majority of the UK models had been orchestrated by Mr Springley and were down to his collaboration and working with Herpa. Since those early days I have now become a real “collector” and among other internet activities, I do trawl through eBay looking for models at least once a week. Usually late at night or when I’m sat on the bog, Mrs Truckblog must think I’m up to something else! Anyway I digress, if you know where to look you can find the right things so I’m lucky enough to have a few rare models these days that Mr Springley has tipped me off about over the years.
Nowadays I want to get ahead of the game so I’m playing a little bit of catch up and trying to get hold of as many of the recent models that have been produced so I won’t have to hunt around for them. All the above have been release in Herpa’s standard range which mean’s that they aren’t produced in a restricted run or in an “exclusiv” silver box. It’s not just a case of producing what they fancy, there is consultation and permission granted by the company whose livery is to be used and a lot of hard work put in by Mr Springley getting the model looking as life-like as possible and I have to say they look pretty damn good. Some of you prefer the larger 1:50 Scale models and I don’t blame you they are bigger and can achieve slightly more detail than the smaller, but the downside being the size and the higher price tag. As a collector I still prefer the smaller scale and I will continue to collect, but now I’m even more inclined to collect as more British liveries come through. All new releases are listed HERE on the Herpa website each month.
Mr Springley is always open to ideas for potential new models and all company names are considered. Mr Springley has spoken about the potential for a classic range with companies from the 70’s, 80’s and even 90’s but these will need more international appeal as they will need the appeal to sell on the continent to encourage Herpa to produce them. If you have any ideas then please feel free to leave them as comments below and they will get passed on. Obviously some of the more famous names such as Astran have been suggested already but again leave any suggestions below.
The next model to come along is this Mercedes-Benz BigSpace in the livery of Irish haulier Dixon Transport. Due to be released in a few months time it will be yet another quality model that recreates the real life truck almost identically apart from a few centimetres!
My Best Truck of 2014
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!
Where is she now??
VRT 238X – where is she now I wonder?? I’ve been running through my last batch of photos from David Scarff an came across this delightful Scania. I know it’s a known truck and there are photos of it about but to me this is a cracker. It really gives a great example about the golden years of UK Continental trucking, the years when the trucks from the UK used to go everywhere. I think this Scania 142 was know for running to Hellas but in sure you’ll tell me better. I searched for it on the DVLA vehicle search and it says it’s not been taxed since 22nd September 1999 and it also says it’s not been exported (although I don’t believe that section of the search!). The colour is listed as multicolour too, so if she is still in the UK then who knows where about’s it is? Who was the last known owner? Any answers then leave them below please.
New MAN on the block!
A few posts ago I put up Steve Marsh’s last trip out in his old faithful GB05 STE, his ageing MAN TGL 12.210 tilt that has served him well, but as with all ageing European cruisers, GB05 had to be replaced to take advantage of lower toll prices and meet higher emissions standards that are required across the EU and beyond. Read the last post (ha ha) by clicking HERE.
Above you will see a couple of photos of the new motor GB14 STE killing time on a Saturday afternoon in Hull waiting for the Hull – Europoort boat. The new ride is once again a cracking little Tonka from the stables of MAN, it’s a TGL 12.250 this time. A bit more horse power, a Euro 6, 250hp engine attached to a KUDA high roof conversion. Marshy opts for the higher KUDA roof over factory fit LX cab from MAN as the KUDA option gives a little more headroom and also you have to say it does look the part being that bit higher. The truck is fitted with a Euroliner style rigid body fitted with a sliding roof and slash proof curtains and is one of only a handful of rigids registered in the UK with full TIR certification. Now don’t ask Marshy about the body build and the MAN dealers involved in this complete farce of a build, for let’s just say it took a year from order to handover and over 2 weeks for a PDI and tacho calibration, dealer standards MAN UK?? Duty of care?? Disgraceful. Another story for another day I think. Anyway so far so good and it would appear Marshy has ended up with another little stunner, a real head turner I think. If you see it on the road try and send me a photo, as yet I’ve not seen it in the flesh although my time will come……sooner rather than later I hope!
So the first trip to mainland Europe started with a Saturday load up in Hull and a Saturday night boat to Europoort courtesy of P&O Ferries. I’m told that it’s no longer a party boat on a Saturday night! Here’s the rest of the first trip;
Sunday: Drove to destination near Koblenz. Waiting at Venlo border before crossing into Germany at 10pm Sunday evening.
Monday: Tip Koblenz and drive to Paris for reload.
Tuesday: Load Paris & Oostende, then drive to destination near Bournemouth for 1st drop.
Wednesday: Tip goods from Oostende in Bournemouth and goods from Paris in Stockport. Through Lymm truckwash then a quick Bury – Warrington load.
Photo above unloading near Koblenz with tailift. Photo below was taken somewhere in France while taking a tacho break on the way to Paris.
It looks as though GB14 has carried on where GB05 left off and is already getting to grips with life in the world of international light haulage and express deliveries. I know there has been a trip across the Irish Sea for GB14 too, another very regular destination for Steve Marsh Express over the last year. I’m hoping as time goes by that GB14 will feature on the blog as much as GB05 and that the truck will find itself and it’s pilot, Mr Marsh, ticking off European countries and islands month after month much like before. If you see Marshy give him a hoot and a wave and try to get a photo in between. I’d love to see your photos of the little MAN as would Marshy.
Journey MAN reaches Journeys End
Well known to all the regular blog readers, here she is on her final delivery to mainland Europe. After 9 years service and 987,000KM under her belt, GB05 STE is seen above delivering to a new French Connection shop in Grenoble, France. I don’t think Steve Marsh could even begin to work out the amount of times he has driven GB05 over French soil but this the final trip was a nice little run to finish a fairly glamour career. This last trip started from Marshy’s Warrington base, with a run down to Leicester for 2 pickups, on to Purfleet for a 3rd collection before heading to Dover and then onward to Grenoble and the delivery point. Once empty it was time for a top up from the local Carrefour (see below),back up to Amiens to reload for Ellesmere Port, just a stones throw away from Warrington and home. A steady 2800KM later and the curtain was down on GB05’s European days. To say Steve and little MAN TGL have been some places is almost an understatement, having covered hundreds of thousands of miles together……..
Albania, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Rep, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Hungary, Isle of Man, Italy, Luxembourg, Majorca, Malta, Northern Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Romania, Sardinia, Sicily, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Tenerife…….oh and the lsola del Giglio off the Italian Coast, you know the one where the captain parked his cruise ship on the rocks!
The days of Europe now over, there was still one more trip involving a ferry left to complete. Start, Warrington, load Worcester for same day delivery to Belfast and Newtownards in Northern Ireland. A typical job for Steve and GB05 STE completed with no fuss, pretty well the same since she was registered back in November 2005.
Finally Steve made the decision to update the ageing TGL for a newer Euro 6 version. It’s taken a year to put GB14 STE on the road (that’s another story!) but now she will be Steve’s new workhorse and GB05 is up for sale and available to go to a new home. If you have any genuine interest in buying Steve’s old steed then please email Steve; marshy@stevemarshexpress.co.uk or you can leave a comment below with your phone number and I can pass it on. Not a lot more to say other than I’m sure Steve will agree that GB05 has been a good truck in general and I’m sure Steve will be pleased if GB14 is as reliable. I’d like to say a thank you to GB05 as it’s the truck that got me and Marshy in touch and it’s also the truck that have given MAN trucks a lot of social media coverage as both the truck and Steve have developed quite a fan base here on the blog. IA blog on GB14 STE will follow soon.
Kerbey Motors 70th Anniversary Model
I’ve had this delightful model announcement in from Ben Lord at Speedbird Promotions, the UK arm of Tekno if you like! Have a read and get ordering;
We’re delighted to announce a new Tekno model that will be released next year. Commemorating our 70th anniversary, we have commissioned Speedbird Promotions and Tekno to produce a replica of our flagship Scania R-Series Streamline truck. Packaged in a luxury display case, these models can be purchased from us for £109.95 including postage. All of these will be accompanied with a limited edition certificate that will be signed by Bim Mountain. The model is due for release in Summer 2015.
If you would like to reserve one of these, please e-mail models@kerbeymotors.com
Queen of the Outback
What an awesome looking rig! I think Australian trucks looks more imposing than the Americans, as in general the cabs sit higher due to the nature of some of the roads and tracks across the outback. This K’whopper is driven by a trucking mad woman called Clare. Last night I was Tweeting into the future and Clare was tweeting into the past. It was getting on for midnight Saturday night here in the UK but it was early Sunday morning down in Australia. I was lazing on the sofa watching the TV while @clarebear455 was trucking along some where 1200km north of Perth in Western Australia, the wonders of modern technology! Clare drives and polishes the gorgeous looking KW for her boss and who can blame her with such a fancy looking rig. The road train is powered by a 650hp Caterpilar power plant, pulling 3 articulated trailers, weighing in at approx 135,000kg and around 55 metres long, at this size Clare can still truck along at 100kph. Here in the UK it’s a different world entirely, max length is 18.75 metres on a drawbar (rigid truck with a trailer), 44,000kg on 6 axles, limited to 89kph. I know where I’d rather be, I’d happily swap 1000 cars on the M25 for 1000 kangaroos! If your on twitter follow Clare by searching for; @clarebear455
The Scania That Guy Built
So here it is people, the very truck that everyone’s man of the moment refurbished and rebuilt back to new condition is OFFICIALLY for sale. There have been a few rumours floating around on various social media, so lets put those all to bed and say that yes it is for sale. The Grimsby Gangster a.k.a. Mick Moody has confirmed that he is willing to sell his pride and joy….of course for the right money. The truck itself is a genuine left hand drive Scania 143 500 Topline Streamline new on the road in Switzerland in September 1996.
There is a fair amount of pedigree now attached to this truck as it was rebuilt by the one and only, bike racing, mad-haired, Spitfire building, all-round nice bloke, new Fred Dibner, truck mechanic extraordinaire Mr Guy Martin. This has been well documented by everyone and there is even a video of Guy and the truck available to watch by clicking on the YouTube video below. We now know that Guy’s mechanical engineering skills are no longer just good enough to be a race motorbike builder or an amazing truck mechanic but he is also an accomplished Spitfire builder too. I have never seen the truck in person but for me, with the fact that Guy has rebuilt it, I can only imagine that it has been given his usual complete and utter attention and laid back professionalism…..I would think that if you ask nicely when you pick it up from Grimsby you might even be able to get Mr Martin’s autograph somewhere on the truck.
The truck is like new and there really are only a few trucks out there that have been refurbished back to a new condition. The main reason being the cost. Cost has not been much of a priority with this one as it was more important just to get it right and make it as it should be. The full spec of the truck is as follows;
Scania 143-500 Topline Streamline
Retarder
Air con
12 speed box
632.000 kms from new
Euro 2 – invoice here for conversion
Michelin tyres
Alcoa Durabrites
Twin air horns
Twin Eminox exhausts
Fully restored
Every nut and bolt new
Even new foam behind front grill
New everything Ben…..and of course rebuilt by our maverick Guy Martin!!
A couple of extra notes, it had its first MOT in August and it passed with flying colours. Also the personalised number plate will be removed before going to any new home. How much is it?, I hear you all asking amongst yourselves…..
Offers over £45,000 – tyre kickers not required!!
If you are seriously interested then please contact Mick Moody to discuss further and make sure you mention you saw it on Truckblog!
Office: 01472 345600
Mobile: 07802 225585
www.moodyinternational.co.uk
Volvo FH V Koenigsegg
Volvo Trucks marketing have done it again!! A super bit of Swedish marketing along with the one of the best drivers in the UK, Mr Tiff Needell. This time Tiff is taking an FH 540 around a Swedish race track and having rather a lot of fun in the process. The only thing about the video is that lucky Tiff gets to drive the big Volvo in a derestricted state, something that all (most!?) drivers can only dream about these days. Have a little read of the press release below. The idea behind the crazy Needell-ness is to promote Volvo truck’s new dual clutch gearbox, it does look very smooth!!
An eight-tonne Volvo FH against one of the world’s fastest cars – a Koenigsegg One:1. This is the scenario in Volvo’s new YouTube film, ‘Volvo Trucks v Koenigsegg’. The aim is to put the new I-Shift Dual Clutch gearbox – based on a technique used in sports cars – to the ultimate test.
In the film a Volvo FH comes up against a Koenigsegg One:1, with as much horsepower as weight kilos (1360), making it the world’s first mega-car. In order to stand a fair chance, the Koenigsegg received a handicap which means that it drove two laps of the Knutstorp race track in southern Sweden, whereas the Volvo FH tractor unit only drove one lap. Despite this, the conclusion is still unpredictable. The purpose of the race is to put the new Volvo I-Shift Dual Clutch gearbox to the ultimate test.
“I-Shift Dual Clutch has a dual-clutch, which is quite unique in the heavy vehicles market. However, similar technology is already in sports cars. Therefore, this was the perfect challenge,” said Jeff Bird, Press Test Director at Volvo Trucks. The similarities between the Volvo FH truck with I-Shift Dual Clutch and sports cars include includes a driveability that comes with seamless gear shifting and this is no more evident than at this circuit, which is known for its hilly terrain and demanding turns.
“It may sound like a different environment for a heavy truck, but the fact is that – thanks to its dual-clutch – I-Shift Dual Clutch is most useful in conditions that require a lot of shifting. The gearbox’s seamless shifts improve driveability tremendously,” said Jeff Bird.
Behind the steering wheel of the Volvo FH is the experienced motor racing personality Tiff Needell. Without revealing the results, Tiff – who had never raced in a truck before – admits that he was impressed by the performance of the vehicle.
“I-Shift Dual Clutch is absolutely incredible. It is particularly noticeable on slopes, the truck does not hold back – it just flows smoothly, without the gear changes being felt. When you brake, it switches down very softly and comfortably. The truck definitely has the heart of a sports car,” says Tiff Needell.
Volvo Trucks’ new dual-clutch gearbox was launched in Europe last June and is available on Volvo FH with Euro-6 D13 engines at 460hp, 500hp and 540hp ratings.
www.truckblog.co.uk 