Nuclear Powered Foden

Posted on June 14, 2011 by truckbloguk

Our good friend the Roving Reporter had his feet on the ground for a few days and even got home to Dorset. While rooting around various yards he came across this lovely old Foden 6×4. Now i can’t say i know my Foden’s very well, but this seems like a good one and also seems to be in remarkable good condition, considering it’s kept outside. It almost needs rescuing and being given a good shine up and be taken back to it’s former glory.

Now i put this onto my flickr page and it led inevitably onto some come backs from you lot. Firstly the sign writing on the door says “Tridan Niwclear”, which seems to be Welsh to me. Then Normant300 on flickr showed me a photo belonging to merf292002, of a very similar Foden working at a Nuclear power station in Angelsey, which was Wales last time i looked. If you can tell me any more about these Nuclear Foden’s please leave a comment below or email me, ben@truckblog.co.uk. As yet i cant put the picture directly on the blog, so click HERE to see a Foden of this vintage in action back in it’s hay day,

Competition Time – Dock Spotting

Posted on May 25, 2011 by truckbloguk

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.

Roving Reporter Finds……..

Posted on May 21, 2011 by truckbloguk

…..Not entirely sure what he has found to be honest!! Along with other’s he found this lurking in a yard in the deep south (Poole-ish). Now having had a good poke about he seems to think its a Magirus Deutz of army vintage. The evidence for this as i understand it is that the monstrous engine is a V12 Maggie Deutz, hold on let me check the text so i get it right, you know what the pilot is like! He said; “Maggie deutz i reckon” and “V12!”. So based on this i will happily go with it being a Maggie D until you tell me otherwise. The only thing that makes me think it could be something else, is that its right hand drive. Please email, ben@truckblog.co.uk or leave a comment below if you have any thing to add that may solve the mystery…..

Truckfest Peterborough 2011

Posted on May 15, 2011 by truckbloguk

I have been waiting for the inspiration to write a report about Truckfest but i just cant find it! Truckfest was Truckfest thats it. In my opinion the sooner Live Promotions realise that Truckfest is just another Truckfest the better. The show never changes, its the same format every year and i cant see it ever changing abd don’t ever get me started on the £17 yes £17 entry fee. You get to the gate part with your £17 then you walk through and get asked if you want to buy a programme for £5. So for 1 adult entering the show you can spend £22 before you even get 10ft in the gate, the worst point being you get NOTHING what so ever for your entry fee, disgraceful. There is one reason i didnt take my son to his first Truckfest, its the same reason i didnt waste another day of my wifes life at Truckfest, IT’S TOO EXPENSIVE!!! Live promotions are you reading?? I dont think i would mind the fee if you got some thing for it, some thing new in the arena perhaps, yes you guessed it, Monster Trucks, Stunt Display Bikes, Recovery Display etc etc. Good displays yes and highly entertaining, especially when one of the Monster trucks overturned!! Any way can some one please change the format next year or lower the entry fee???

Now as for the trucks, again a lot of the same, but there were all good. Lots of shiny metal and a few new vehicles that almost made the fee worth while, no actually perhaps not. Here are a few of my highlights in no particular order;

Cracking new Parkers Horse Box

These 2 are still top of my Vintage list.

Did this one used to be red and from Swanley??

Nice to see this old girl has gone to a good home and will be kept in a tip top condition for the rest of her days.

This Swedish registered beastie was last seen by me in Hannover last year!

As some one recently said, it seemed as though the show should have been Scania-fest this year! Fingers crossed next year they may be a slight change to the set up.

Pulleyn Atego Fleet

Posted on May 13, 2011 by truckbloguk

Now if there is one fleet i would love to have some input on and from is Pulleyn Transport from Reading, especially the few Mercedes Benz Atego fridges they run on Pharmaceuticals. I think they currently run 4 x 04 reg Atego’s and 2 x 06 reg 1022 Atego’s. They are all kept busy on pharmaceutical work across the UK & Europe. Now with a history of little lorries, and one particular Atego in my portfolio i do rather like the top of the range tonka toys. I don’t see many Pulleyn trucks on my daily commute from Colchester to Stowmarket along the A12 and A14, so when i saw one up a head i thought i better try and get a photo. I can see space on that there tail lift for a truckblog sticker!

As you can see the trucks are well equipped and well turned out. The trucks themselves are fitted with 2 fridge motors, one for main use and one as a backup in case the main one breaks down, to avoid any damage or knock on affects to their usually highly valuable cargo’s. This particular truck was heading for Stenaline at Harwich for the night boat to Holland. Also more interestingly this truck was double manned. As you might get the impression i really want to know more about what the truck was doing. I followed said truck along the A14 and onto the A12, then as i said the truck beared left and down the A120 towards Harwich and i carried on home (although i was very tempted to follow it all the way to Harwich!). I did get ahead of it at one point and grabbed a front view but only just, i’m sorry bit it’s not a good pic.

Now this is where my intrepid readers come in. I really want to get through to a driver of one of these trucks as i want them to contribute to the blog now and again. I know they do high profile work, but even so I’m sure sending me pics of an Atego around Europe isn’t going to cause to many problems (although me taking pics seems too!). If you know a driver at Pulleyn can you please pass on my request and suggest to the Atego drivers that fame and fortune, well fame awaits them if they want to contribute to what your reading. Email me or get them to email me; ben@truckblog.co.uk. I think i will try emailing Pulleyn direct and see if i get any response. In the mean time if you have anymore info also feel free to email me, pictures and info please…….

Who’s Truck Is This???

Posted on May 6, 2011 by truckbloguk

Right readers i need your help as i cant read the web address on the side of this truck. The excellent roving reporter sent me this photo. Taken on the A46 near Bath this afternoon, obviously he wasn’t driving when he took it!! Amazingly he managed to take the pic with a gap in the oncoming traffic and got a totally clear picture. The little MAN looks fairly new, its in good condition, clean and has the new grill. Can you work out the web address? do you recognise the logo?? Do you drive this truck??? If you know anything, please please email me; ben@truckblog.co.uk . I want to find out who owns and runs said truck…. with your help of course.

Lady Louise

Posted on May 2, 2011 by truckbloguk

HELLO HELLO HELLO!!! I’m back!! We have computer life back in the house. Apologies to all my lovely readers. Hopefully I’ll get some posts on this week to keep you all keen as custard!

Right as Truckfest weekend has just finished (probably the best weathered one we’ve had in years), i thought I’d roll the years back a bit, not quite sure how many though, any ideas??? Do you all remember the big red Western Star that was Lady Louise? This beautiful truck was owned by my dad’s good friend Geoff Byford, there’s the link. On her first trip to Truckfest back in 198*?? i went along on the Friday for the ride, press and polishing. Usually as a boy i used to go to Truckfest as my annual birthday treat, but on the Friday morning before the show on this particular year i was woken early by my dad, to be told i wasn’t going to school. We headed up to Barrow, Suffolk to where CDC and Geoff’s house where Lady Louise was waiting. I was allowed to travel up to Peterborough in the passenger seat of the big Western Star. On arrival at the showground we had to wait at the gate for a hi-viz type to come and take us off to meet Anglia TV and and the waiting press.

The one picture and thing many of you retro American truck experts may not have seen is Lady Louise when she was fresh in from Alaska in her original colours. As it goes i quite like the original, as it looks like she has just finished a long hard trip on the Ice Road or some thing!

This pic was taken when my parents went to the Byfords for dinner and this was parked outside the window so mother had to get a picture before she left. I think the new red livery and yellow sign writing was based on the original sign writing, it seems very similar. Also as another note, in either livery i thought the truck always looked better with open rear axles, as later i full set of polished mud-wings were added, no doubt to keep the authorities happy. I ended up actually doing a lot with Lady Louise over the next few years while Geoff owned her. One summer was spent rolling endless posters to be sold at the truck shows to help raise funds for charity, so if you bought a poster of Lady Louise it was more than likely rolled by my fair hands. One of my rolled posters even appeared on Blue Peter! Do you have any pics of Lady Louise you want to send me? if so email me, ben@truckblog.co.uk

Roving Reporter’s Personal Best

Posted on March 31, 2011 by truckbloguk

Our good friend the Roving Reporter has beaten his personal best. After another recent trip to the in laws in middle Italy, he managed to venture out for a few hours to do some top spotting. Based at Fontana Liri between Rome and Naples, our Pilot friend venture’s out and about to pass the time perving over Italian metal of all kinds. There are more than enough old V8 Scania’s to go round, as well as all the others, Volvo, DAF and of course Iveco. As well as some foreigners such as this cracking F16 wagon and drag. What a great find and not a bad picture either!!

I have to say that for some reason i have a soft spot for an old Turbostar. I know its an Iveco, but they were from a time before i could drive, there fore they are pre my dislike of the Italians favourite. This old girl below, is still earnng a crust and i think with a bit of a shine up she’d look pretty good. I think we’ll have to add the Turbostar to the classic fleet, but only one of em mind! Did they do a V8 version of the Turbostar? Can some one let me know, ben@truckblog.co.uk or comment below.

As you can always expect in Italy you will always find a load of old Scania’s. From 2 and 3 series right through to new R serie’s they just love them. Still very popular are the 3 series Streamliner’s. Got to get one!

If you get through to my Flickr Photostream you’ll see plenty more of The Roving Reporters pictures from this trip. I will do another post with some more of his quality pics. I’ll leave you with the Pilot’s own words;
“The trucks on the dual carriageway were taken on the SS16 between Bari and Foggia. The single road stuff is on the SS372 that cuts through the mountains and is a link from the southern Adriatic side of Italy to the western coast to link up with the Roma Naples autoroute. Pics taken to the west of Benevento. Need to dedicate a few days to some more photography trips. Need a bike as a chase vehicle as overtaking them and planning a quick pitstop and getting a shot was fun. Need a lot of patience to hang about in a layby. Missed loads of good opportunities that I won’t repeat again for instance I overtook 3 old 142s/143s steaming up a hill and reckoned at least one of them would take my route off the autostrada. fat chance! Some drivers must’ve wondered what a tired looking pilot in a ropey old Merc Estate was blasting past them then taking pics but most flashed and waved. The scoop has got to be the Bubble’ F16 parked up no doubt heading for Bari/Brindisi for his ferry back to Zorba land.”

My 141 has a New Home

Posted on March 29, 2011 by truckbloguk

Yes after a good 18 months of being on the open market and hundreds of complete time wasters later, she finally has a new owner. UJN 509V is soon to be based north of the border with her new Scottish owner in Ayrshire. The new owner is a man who loves his trucks and already has a couple in his collection. When UJN reaches her new home she will be re-sprayed in the owners fathers fleet colours, so she will soon have a more traditional livery and first job on the list will be to remove those bloomin rear wings!!! I’ve had enough of them myself, so they were on my list of things to do, to put some new plastic mudguards on. Although i am loosing my lovely truck and I’ll be truck-less for the first time in 14 years, it does help knowing that she is going to a good home and will be well cared for, silly but true!! Any way I’m assured I’ll be kept updated and hopefully will be sent some pictures when she is re painted. As I’ve always said, Old Scania’s never die they just get better. While i go off to find my black arm band, i’ll leave you with a couple of pics i took of UJN 509V sitting in the sun on Friday afternoon, waiting to meet her new owner.

If you want to leave your messages of condolence please do so in the box below or you can email me at ben @truckblog.co.uk

European Transport Services – Dagenham-ish??

Posted on March 11, 2011 by truckbloguk

Right more of your expert knowledge required please dear readers. This little MAN was part of a small fleet based some where near Dagenham i think. They did a lot of clothing work and some of you have already told me they used to go to Romania quite regularly and also subbed for Prima. I am after more info and of course more pictures. I remember them also being in one of the truck magazines back in the 90’s, has anyone got a copy or can anyone tell me which month it was published in so i can get a back copy. I seem to remember it being a husband and wife team that ended up in Switzerland i think. This picture was provided by the transport photo library that is www.euro-wheels.com, thanks to Neil Jarrold. If you have any photo’s of ETS trucks email me at ben@truckblog.co.uk or leave a comment below. Come on you know more than i do……

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