Whilst looking about on my Flickr page i started thinking how me and Marshy were both owner’s of Hatcher cabbed MAN’s. Back in the day i had a 7.5 tonner but Marshy’s was a 12 tonner, naturally he was one step ahead. My truck definitely lived up to my expectations and was doing the mileage of any big truck if not more day after day up and down the motorway, Glasgow 3 times a week from my base in Braintree, Carmarthen daily for a week, exactly 4 1/2 hours each way every day, i loved it! Marshy was undoubtedly doing similar mileage but the majority of his was continental with a bit of UK, where i was vice versa. I never quite worked out why i didn’t do more continental?? i think it was probably that i was just so busy doing my thing i never got round to getting more into it. I used to see V99 STE around quite a lot, i often used to wave in the hope he’d wave back, but with out any luck, i think Marshy was just too busy doing his thing while i was doing mine. I think there is a big “what if” here some where. What if we had been going the same way and had had time to stop for a cuppa………….
I often wonder what would have happened if i had got more into continental express type work. There was clearly a market for it a few years back and Steve Marsh is testament to the fact there is still a market for it now. With the office job i do now for HC Wilson, each week we have a couple of job offers that would suit some thing like a 12 ton rigid, more often than not if we can’t cover it some how i end up offering it to Steve. I do wonder if I’ll ever go back to it, running a little rigid, i think the answer is one day yes it would be nice, or perhaps we should get one at Wilson’s!?
I have no idea why they are my favourite type of truck, after all a simple person would call a 7.5 tonner a van!………… that’s a totally different blog all together! I guess at the end of the day there will always be a market for these cracking little rigids with in haulage, but how many there is the unanswered question. Like all area’s of our industry the numbers have declined and only the fittest survive. These day’s with all the driving license issue’s and pallet networks offering such silly cheap rates it makes Steve Marsh Expresses daily life all the more difficult. I think what a lot of companies/customers miss is the personal touch, the knowledge that Steve loads and Steve will deliver. The load isn’t going to get transshipped 5 times and put on a number of different vehicles before being delivered. Is it that customers have realised that their goods are more important than always getting the cheapest rates? Hopefully there will always be a need for a little rigid otherwise in the years to come I’m not going to be able to buy my son one! (if he wants one of course!). Any way enough of this inane banter. Keep the little trucks rolling that’s what i say, everyone loves a Tonka toy!! So until the BJS empire is rebuilt, best you keep calling Marshy.
After putting the pics of the Seddon Atkinson’s crossing the desert full of Mars Bars I had an ex OHS driver email me. Mr John Hope sent a few photo’s he took back in the day of his Seddon on its Middle East exploits. Although he cant have taken these first 2 himself! I wonder if what its loaded with……..
TIR boards, windscreen flags, Union Jacks, Sunglasses holder, all the creature comforts, although i would like to know what the extra dial is on the top of the dashboard? On the first “Seddon’s in the Sand” post John left the following comment;
“I drove one of these Seddons, brilliant truck, LHD, Cummins, fuller gearbox, was able to pull Contex/OHS trailers in UK with them, as with the Mack i was overlength, so as a Brummie I could load for Midlands and clear at Perry Barr. The trucks were purchased by OHS as the dealer had originaly orderered them for Greece so sold at good price.”
So now you know how OHS came about the rare beast’s that were LHD Seddon Atkinson 400’s. John also sent this lovely set of Photo’s of him running with a PIE Volvo F89 through Turkey. The picture of the F89 coming round the corner was taken on one of the many bends on the road Canakkale. Regular jobs of the international Lorry driver, mending a puncture by the side of the road. You don’t see many drivers stopping to help each other out these days do you???! Also wash down time, the old girl deserves a bit of a shine up. Note the Mack badging on the grill, also note that due to all the hard work she has done (or the sticky stuff didn’t last), the photo’s above MACK has become MA.
Excellent photo’s John, please keep sending them through, the more you can send of the Seddons in or on their way to the sand, the better!
Now this is just a bit of fun for you lot on your 45 minute break perhaps…Any way have a look at picture 1 and 2 and see what you can see, there are some real old gems hidden in the depths of Dover docks. Well know companies, old manufacturers all sorts! I have to admit that the photo’s aren’t that clear, but i think that is down to me not knowing how to work the scanner, so if i get the time i will try and re-scan them to make them clearer. Leave you findings in the comments box below. Try and find the Eastern European truck manufacturer using a Dutch cab, also the yellow Volvo of a Suffolk haulier and finally who is pulling the load of tractors?…………….Happy findings readers. Just a tip if you double click on the picture twice you get a bigger version to at.
So there we were talking in the office, the kind of late afternoon office banter that goes on, when you realise its nearly home time but not quite and you have lost the will to live……… the big boss man pipes up and says he followed a Google Street View car on his way home the other night. So we carried on chatting and i ended up searching the net to see what i could find out about being a Street View car driver. Easily distracted by any thing truck (hence the worldwide popularity of the blog!!) i came across a set of map coordinates and a title of “Big Load on Flat Bed Truck”, how could i resist.
So i enter the world of Street View and look for a flatbed of some sort. Looking around i see this below, nice. A tidy International with a flat bed, an empty flat bed!
Anyway, a quick perv at the truck as she passes. Plenty of shiny shiny, those wicked long wheel nut covers, extra lights, nice paint, big single stack……..
Still looks good as she passes further, but still an empty trailer, so where is the Big Load??……..
Trailer looks tidy yes, nice spread axle you cant disagree, but where o where is that Big Load???……… Hang on a minute there is some thing on that there trailer on a bridge in New Orleans on the I10 east bound (and down, la, la, la)…….
HA HA some one some where has a sense of humour! “Big Load on Flat Bed Truck”, yea looks massive at least it’s provided us with some entertainment for 5 minutes, although that is 5 minutes of your life you wont get back……
Any way as i was on the bridge, i thought I’d see what our loaded flatbed was following. A mean looking Freightliner pulling concrete pipes. I like the short stacks, i think that’s what gives it the look! I should have put a pic of the pipe lashings instead. The lashings consist of 2 wire ropes running from the front of the trailer to the back, yea length ways. As long as he isn’t heading to Germany he vill be fine Ja!
A few weeks back Steve Marsh Express was called upon to transport some train parts from Leeds to South West Wroclaw, Poland. A nice little trip of of 1,016 miles before delivering to a back end train depot in old industailised Polska. Now if there is one man who could teach you a thing or 3 about taking a picture in a good location it’s our man Marshy. Can my Photographer type friends please leave you feed back for Mr Marsh to encourage him to make more pictures!! I don’t know why but trucks and industrial building / venues do seem to compliment each other. Look at these pictures and see for youself……….
After arriving at the listed delivery point to the North East of Wroclaw at Olesnica, Mr Marsh and the little MAN were told to re-direct to unload at this old, still used, railway yard. At some point i think Marshy must have wondered if this place was one of those old places in films you see the bad guys hiding in. Queue tense music and dim lights to create an earrye atmosphere. Perhaps the 1750 kgs of train motors were just a cover for some thing much more sinister! (sorry getting carried away with the movie location thing!).
Look a strange object in the bottom picture it must be a movie set………. oh no its Marshy’s finger! After seeing the Marsh at the weekend he did say that he did quite like some of these Polish pics. I think one of the best is this one inside the shed.
I said to Steve that i liked the way he had put the truck to the back of photo and got the trains in the foreground, quite a bit of Photographic talent in that pic, although Marshy’s reply was that he hadn’t meant to do it as he had tried to get the truck in the centre of the photo and missed!! Typical.
After uloading it was time to head West out of Poland all the way back to Aachen, Germany to reload for the UK. Taking in the gorgeous roadside views of lovely Poland on the way!! Just wanted to include the pic, no idea what i’m talking about now!! (Note to Admin: Put
He is a boy i tell you, living the life of Riley as my Gran would probably say! Gadding about Europe like an international Playboy. A trip a few weeks back landed him on the road to Mallorca, terrible! The call came in for a load of gym equipment to go to a English owned residence some where near Palma, so Mr Marsh packed his favourite speedo’s, bucket and spade and headed off for Barcelona and a ferry to Mallorca.
On arrival he had been told to head for a parking area where he would be met and taken to the house. While waiting at the parking area what should turn up? yep another MAN 12 tonner, this time a German one.
After being collected and taken to the new house it was then time to unload and as it was the weekend Steve decided to help unload and hang around to help as the boat back to Barcelona wasn’t until Monday, so what else are you supposed to do on a mediterranean island for the weekend??! What a place for the weekend…..
After a weekend of cycling around Palma and being taken out for dinner by the customer steve decided enough was enough and couldn’t wait to get back to Warrington! This one taken back at Palma waiting for the ferry. I do wonder why i had to give up driving some time’s, my desk just doesn’t get around as much!!
More Marsh to come, a trip to a dodgy Polish train yard is in the pipeline.
I received this lovely email from Ray Campion. I am putting it on here in its entirety as i think its just great!! If you have any info or stories about Ray or the M/E then please email them over for us all to enjoy, stories and photo’s are welcome! Email; ben@truckblog.co.uk – Thanks Ray i look forward to the next installment.
“Hi my name is Ray. I started my middle east adventures in 78 and went to work in Iran for a German company along with 26 other drivers on a contract running gas pipes across the Zargos mountains south of Esfahan, it was a short lived stint as the Iranians and the Iraqi’s had a bit of a falling out and as you have probably been told there was one hell of a war. Took us three weeks to get out of the country all the trucks were dumped and we flew home, a lot more to that story but that’s for another time. i came home but it wasn’t long before i was on a plane headed for Doha Qatar a job for a English company who’s name i can’t remember but i do remember i was using one of Astran’s old Scania’s cant remember the reg but i do have a photo somewhere and if i find it i will let you know. Sadly that job folded and i came home from there riding shotgun with a good friend of mine Athol Anderson from Scotland he also had a cracking 142 Scania course i shared the driving.he dropped me in London where i caught the train home to Bristol within the week i was running overland to the M/E along with everyone else, shit they were the good old days. I bumped into Dick (Snow – Admin) once but have heard all the stories i finished around 84 and funny the very same week i finished i received a phone call from Astran offering me a job!!! that was like getting summoned by royalty, i turned them down but regretted it over the years”
Thanks to my old mate Andy Blagg, who has a loft in his stately home dedicated to storing the complete back catalogue of Truck & Driver magazine!! I got a message saying after trawling through his piles for a few hours, he stumbled across the October 2000 edition containing said article, full marks Blaggy!!
Having read through the article, i found out that ETS were based in Tottenham not Dagenham as i said, but they did have them serviced at the MAN dealer on the A13 at Dagenham. I was right on the truck ending up in Switzerland though! Any way i have scanned it for you all to read with your Sunday afternoon cuppa!!
Any more ETS info, please email me; ben@truckblog.co.uk
There are many names associated with the golden era of Middle East trucking; Astran, Whittle International, Falcongate, Whitetrux, Carmen, Essex International and another Essex company i know very little about until i heard from my new friend Nazmi. Having been the main coordinator for OHS she knows a thing or 2 about the golden age. Nazmi says;
“OHS Transport Ltd was formed in 1975 , and located in Rainham,Essex, in the same group we had a Turkish Company -CONTEX – and a Munich based German Company-UNITED S TRANSPORT GMBH. In 1978 PIE’S trucking side was bought (with the F89 Volvo’s) . Fleet consisted of MACK – VOLVO -SEDDON ATKINSON trucks., 125 trucks at the time in the UK fleet. M/East Transports started in 1975 and 1976 , Iran-Iraq-Saudi Arabia-Kuwait-Jordan. I was the coordinator (trouble shooter as well) in the group ,worked for the group from 1974 until 1987 .”
Now what i didnt realise was that OHS used to run fridges carrying loads of chocolate from Mars and Rowntree, 5-6 loads a week! Who would have guessed that Seddon Atkinsons would be satisfying the cravings of many a sun worshipper in the M/E. This excellent pic shows a couple of Seddon’s having a rest in the dessert en route to Kuwait. I bet the fridge motors were working overtime to keep the temperature down. Any ideas who’s the yellow Mercedes with the tilted cab is??
As well as fridge OHS also ran normal tilts over land to the M/E as did all the rest, but i bet there weren’t many pulled by Sed Ak’s. Plenty of other English marques, yes, but can you think of other Atkinson’s?? leave a comment or email me the proof to; ben@truckblog.co.uk
Along with the Brits OHS/United/Contex were big fans of Mack’s. A good rugged truck, with a half decent cab and plenty of character! These pics are quality, even a little bonneted Mack made it to Europe.
I’ve been meaning to write this one for months. I found a picture of one of these Unicat vehicles on an image search so i investigated. Unicat are a German company who special in building mobile home or specialised chassis’ for a specific job, such as a Disaster Response truck or an other road Laboratory truck (look them up!). It seems that if you want to buy you and the family a new holiday camper for travelling the Mongolian plains or the Sahara Desert, then Unicat can help you out.
You can totally spec your own truck from head to toe, including all furnishing’s and even a small lift on the truck for your quad bike!
So you can get excited and dream of spending your Lottery wins, here’s the extensive spec list for the EX63-HDM / MAN TGA 6×6. This is just an example of what you can do;
Chassis
MAN TGA 6×6
Extended cab with 2 seats + 2 jump seats / bed
Wheel base 4500 + 1400 mm (14´9´´ + 4´7´´)
Engine erformance 353 kW/480 hp Euro 3
ZF 12-speed tip matic transmission
All wheel drive with center differential lock
Differential locks for front and rear axles
Parabolic leaf suspension
Tires 14.00 R 20 Michelin XZL, tubeless
Tire pressure regulating system
2 chamber fuel tanks, capacity 800 liters (211 U.S. gallons)
Fuel prefilter with water seperator
Car alarm system
2 air suspended seats and 2 jump seats, convertible to bed
Satellite navigation system (GPS)
Back eye camera
Integrated airconditioner
Roof rack with branch guard
Crane for loading of spare wheel
Searchlights left and right
Truck horns
Xenon high beam lights
Body Unit
Frame assembly
3 point kinematic attachment with main and flex mounts for stress free
body coupling to the torsion elastic chassis frame
Body unit construction Self supporting UNICAT sandwich plate panels of fibre glass composite
Panel connections made by adhesive bond to custom extrusions eliminates metalic
heat conduction paths
Matched thermal coeficients of expansion prevent distortion with changes in temperature
Wall thickness 60 mm (2,36´´) with polyurethane foam insulation, 3 mm (0,12´´) FRP outer surface, 2 mm (0,08´´) FRP inner surface
Ins. rating 0,44 W/m2 K (0,078 btu/ft h degF)
Bottem panel with integrated welded steel frame and surfaces of FRP
Access to drivers cab Highly flexible waterproof bellows coupling
Sliding door to close passage way
Entrance door and storage compartment doors UNICAT – entrance door and storage doors constructed of fibreglass composite
plates and frames
Thickness of doors 60 mm (2,36´´)
Double sealed doors with heavy duty locks with seal compression
Stainless steel hinges throughout
Additional retractable bolts at top and bottom of entrance door
Safety cylinder locks all keyed alike
Windows and skylights Burglarproof, scratchproof top hinged sidelights
Double insulated thermal window glass
Shutters and moskito nets
Lifting roof Expedition proofen UNICAT – lifting roof with electric drive mechanism
Well insulated, expedition proven and maintenance free
Interior Lay Out
Inner dimensions of the cabin
length 6180 mm ( 20´3´´), width 2360 mm ( 7´9´´), height 2020 mm ( 6´7´´)
Seating Unit U-shaped seating unit with adjustable foldable table on pedastel in the rear of the cabin
Seating unit converts to additional double bed
Office
Desk for PC, monitor and printer
Chair for work place
Beds
Double bed with comfortable matresses in lifting roof area 180 x 200cm (5´11´´ x 6´7´´)
Sanitary room
Separate shower and toilet room with doors, to seperate from livingroom
VARICOR lavabo
Hanger cupboard with mirror
Also usable as drystorage due to it`s own radiators
Kitchen
VARICOR countertop with integrated sink
Single handle faucet for warm and cold water
Soap dispenser
3-flame stove with oven
Espresso maker
2 x 120 l (26 gallons) fridge with ***-freezer
Kitchen closet with drawers
Pull-out cutting board
Storage
Storage space in the seating benches with drawers
2 big wardrobes
Large outside storage compartments
Aluminium exterior storage boxes
Workmanship
All furniture is custom built to the highest cabinetmaking standard out of wood
core plywood using heavy duty locks and hinges
Materials and finishes may be specified by customer
Lay out
Design and color of floor, walls and ceiling may be chosen by the customer
Walls and ceiling are painted with multiple coats
Upholstery made of fabric, leather or ALCANTARA
Technical equipment
Electrical equipment
Custom control panel to control powermanagement and liquide storages
Battery main switch, savety cutout, fault current breaker
DC power supply by AGM battery bank, automatic I-U regulated alternator
and AC automatic I-U shore charger with cell temperature sensing
Battery capacity: 24 V 765 Ah
Alternator charge rate: 28 V 110 A
Shore charge rate: 28V 100 A
Inverter 24 V/230 V, max output 6 kW
International shore power connectors 90 -260 V AC (45 Hz-65 Hz)
Power plugs for 12 V DC, 24 V and 230 V AC
Solar system
Generator
Watercooled Fischer-Panda diesel generator with 1-cylinder diesel engine
Cooling-water circulation connected to the engine cooling system
Performance: 5 kW
Water cooled muffler
Musik system / TV / Video
Music installation with CD-changer
Sound system
DVD player
Lighting
Integrated low voltage XELOGEN lights over the table, kitchen, hall way,
shower, storage area and lifting roof
Lights for outside storage compartments
Reading lights in bed and seating area
Water supply
800 l (211 gallons) freeze proof drinking water tanks
40 l (8.8 gallons) hot water-heat exchanger
Freeze proof waste water tank, capacity 220 Liters (58 U.S. gallons)
Water faucets in both bath and kitchen have removable sprayers
All components are built due to highest household quality standards
All plumbing is insulated to prevent freezing
City water connector and outside shower
Water filtration system
LPG supply
2 x 11kg gas bottles
Remote controlled management with gas alarm system
Toilet
Porcelain-vacuum toilet with water flushing
Freeze proof sewage holding tank
Heating system
Diesel/electric powered warm water central heating (18 kW) with engine preheating system
and drivers cab preheating system
High radiant heat share due to radiators in living area and towel radiator
in bath and shower area
Antifrost system
Others
Integrated airconditioner, performance 5 kW (17,000 btu),
powered by the generator or shore power
Safe
Central vacuum cleaner
Hydraulicaly operated motorbike rack for 2 motorbikes
Weights and measures
GVWR
19.900 kg (43860 lbs)
Overall dimensions
length 8813 mm ( 28´11´´), width 2480 mm ( 8´1″), height 3990 mm ( 13´1´´)
Additional length of motorbike rack: 1400 mm (4´7´´)
Well thats that then all that it leaves me to do is put a few more pics of the interiour on here;
In all honesty i can’t really see any one other than Millionaires be able to afford one of these, although i guess you could become a new age traveller and sell up your house and beloved Ford Cortina and head off across the world, i think i’d happily give it ago, although i think i’d have to get at least as far as Clacton on Sea to experience the on-sand capabilities!! If you like the look of the new stuff but can’t afford one there is a fair list of Used vehicles for sale as a starter option! Click here for the posh EX70-HDQ / MAN TGA 6×6 photo’s, it the nuts or watch the video and dream away……
www.truckblog.co.uk 