Does anyone know if there are any of Ralph Davies 3 series Streamers left in the UK or Ireland?? I know Mr Garlick is lucky enough to have found one, but are there anymore??? From what I know most of these black Scania’s have been exported including this one. If you know of another anywhere I would very much like to know where and who has it. Email me: ben@truckblog.co.uk or leave a comment below.
This is not my photo it came from some ones Facebook but I can’t remember who’s. Please tell me and I’ll credit you.
Hello Ben , this was the first truck that I went to Europe in (Austria ) they were owned by my Dads best friend the late Alan Coles. He had six of them, all 520hp with the big V8 Mack engine ,twin stacks ,alloy wheels etc. They had awesome pulling power , loaded with China clay they made light work of the autobahn hills to Austria , and great for living in as well. The down side for me was the manual gearbox it was a bit heavy going but you could live with that , as you didn’t change gear much when you were rolling. Oh and the eastern block trucks would pull on the hard shoulder to let you pass on the german autobahn.
New release from Scania UK to celebrate 50 years of Scania in the UK. A one colour only Scania Streamline, gorgeous!! More details to come.
#ScaniaUK50th
Calling all drivers, calling all drivers, a TV opportunity awaits for those of you who are the real characters of our world. It might be easier to nominate others rather than yourselves. A television production company are after those drivers who everyone talks about whether it’s in a good way or a bad way. Do you have a driver who is the loudest most useless driver? do you know the man who’s been there and done it? do you know the quiet driver who does more work than anyone else all without any hassle? Do you know a driver who tells the best stories drives the best truck and is the nicest guy you’ve ever met?? It doesn’t matter who they are but if there really are a real character then please email me their name and telephone number. You can message me on the Facebook page, send me a private message on Twitter or send me an email to: ben@truckblog.co.uk
This is the words from the production company, see if its a driver you know they are looking for;
“In a nutshell, we’re looking to do a docu-reality show about Truckers, and I came across your blog and thought you’d be a great guy to speak to. We want to put truckers at the heart of the series. We want to follow them on their various journeys and really get to the heart of what their profession involves. The key to the series is that anyone we film has to be a BIG character. Are they somebody people would want to watch on television? Are they interesting or fun or good company or something that makes people watch?”
“In the first instance we’d be looking at shooting a taster of the truckers in question. The series hasn’t been commissioned yet – the network want to see the characters on tape before they give it the green light”
So you know what they are after and you know the type of person they need. If you want to give me a name and number then they will be passed on to the production company and the named person should expect a phone call. This sounds like the type of truck based programme I’d like to watch so let’s give them as many names as we can.
If by chance the EuroMillions comes my way this evening, I will be persuading the current owners of these 2 to part company. I’d love to buy them back, rub down the paint work to expose the beige and black then restore them to what you see above. We can but dream!!
Last Wednesday I put up a quick photo of a pair of Renault Magnums that I was loading at work. Surprisingly nearly 600 of you looked at it and it generated a load of comments, mostly positive but a couple of negative. I’ve always felt like the Magnum was a bit of a one-off if you know what I mean. It was always an individual truck not like the rest, with its huge block of a cab and a flat floor, it was unique almost right through to 2013 when production of the big French tower block ceased. Some of the comments were:
“An Icon” “One of the best trucks I have driven on European work.” “Good riddance to bad rubbish!” and the best of all; “We had 14 people in one at Truckfest once!”
Production of the Renault AE Magnum, as it was first know, started in 1990 (the same year I started secondary school!) at Renaults Bourg-en-Bresse plant. The truck was designed to be for long haul operators and by all accounts it did become a firm favourite with a lot of international operators. I can’t remember his name but there was a German owner driver who used to run right across Russia, an Astran subbie had a red one running to Middle East to name a couple of famous ones. Also Norbert Dentressangle ran them from Spain and with Aston Clinton Haulage. Eddie Stobart had some, I think long haul operator Ralph Davies had one. Countless F1 Grand Prix teams have used them as the flagships for the team and sponsors. All in all they have always been seen as something a bit special. These days you can pick them up for a few thousand pounds, perhaps they could become a collectors item in years to come??
Personally I never had the Magnum experience and didn’t get to drive one (perhaps there is still time) but it seemed to always be a truck that divided drivers. Either you loved it or hated it. Those who weren’t fans often claimed they felt sea sick, due to the cab being one of the first to be fully air suspended by I think 4 air bags. I’m sure you’ve all see a Magnum leaning well to one side when the air bags had gone. I can actually only remember sitting in a Magnum once, which was just a few years ago at the IAA Show in Hanover. I was a bit surprised that the cab didn’t feel a bit bigger, but then I guess if I had got in one back in 1990 it would have felt huge compared to most other cabs on the market then. Saying that I still got the feeling of a big cab, flat floor and a very high seating position, which along with the huge coach like windscreen, made for pretty good forward vision.
The AE Magnum was voted International Truck of the Year in 1991. At the time the truck was the first in production from Renault with disc brakes, along with some other mechanic firsts, it was thought that it was the trucks flat floor cab with its 1.87 metres of head room (this was over 2m when production stopped) that gave it the edge to win the ITOTY. The truck was known as the Renault AE Magnum, Renault wanted the range to be known as the Renault AE. This was the case for the 1st 7 years, then in 1997 it was decided that all trucks in the range would be named some thing beginning with the letter “M”, so from then on it was known as the Renault Magnum. A number of special editions over the years have almost gone by without notice, the Magnum Vega, the Magnum Route 66 to name a couple and the last was the Magnum Legend, which was a limited run of 99 trucks produced to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the truck.
Well that’s about all I can tell you about the Magnum, but I think its fair to say that the Magnum may be gone but I don’t think it will ever be forgotten. It was the truck that pioneered the way to big cabs and big living space for the driver. It was an eye catcher no matter whether in a good way or a bad way, it all depends on your own taste. I was a fan and will miss the big Frenchie, it’s a sad fact that the new Renault truck range just doesn’t have any outstanding about it. Good trucks they are yes, but they will no way near fill the legendary shoes left by the Magnum. A truly unique truck.
Renault AE Magnum R.I.P. 1990 – 2013. Click this link for all you need to know about the Magnums life: CLICK HERE.
Search Impex have released another cracking model in their Haulage Heavyweights range. This time in the guise of an MAN 8 wheel tractor unit in the colours of JB Rawcliffe & Sons from Skelmersdale. Read on for the blurb from Search Impex………
The model has been produced exclusively for
Search Impex by WSI Collectibles as a certificated Limited Edition (155 pieces).
Established over forty five years ago, J.B. Rawcliffe & Sons Ltd., provides a complete service covering all aspects of transport, including general cargo and the movement of indivisible and abnormal loads, heavy lifting, installations &
removals, jacking, skidding and rigging. Route studies, site inspections and comprehensive site surveys by experienced personnel prior to movements of abnormal loads form part of the comprehensive service package, as do police notifications, liaison with highway authorities and structure owners and the provision of escort vehicles.
The company has a large array of specialist equipment with almost endless configuration possibilities. In terms of prime movers, J B Rawcliffe & Sons Ltd., currently has 20 units in the fleet, ranging from 38 tons up to the impressive 250 ton capacity MAN tractor units.</strong>
Models, available from Search Impex, are priced at £103 each (including UK delivery & VAT). For details of availability of this and other models, collectors can visit the Search Impex website at http://www.search-impex.co.uk or call on 01332 873555.
If you need the weakest excuse ever to go to the possibly the best truckshow in Europe, then you need to go so you can your hands on this delightful WSI model. The model is being released in collaboration with Truckstar. They produce an official 1/50 scale model each year, this year it is a Mercedes Benz Actros Big Space rigid, with a very tidy matching 3 axle frigo drawbar trailer. The WSI website says;
“The 6×2 truck features a tag axel and built-in cooling engine underneath. The chassis has been closed up completely. The trailer has 3 axles and also has a completely closed chassis with storage boxes and a Thermoking cooling engine at the front. The model comes in the colour combination white and orange.”
If you want to get one of the models then you can either pre-order on the WSI website from next week or you can get yourselves to the Netherlands for the last weekend of July. Having now been to Truckstar Festival twice now, I still can’t quite put into words quite how much I like it! Top trucks from all over Europe and a typical relaxed Dutch atmosphere and all without any hi-viz wearing Stewards or health and safety officers trying to make the show about them. Just awesome if you a real true truck nut.
Held at the Assen TT Race Circuit, just out side of the northern Dutch town of Assen, the Truckstar Festival is well worth a weekend visit. The dates for your diary are 26th & 27th July and I suggest you charge your camera’s and for those of you who are old enough charge your beer arm as the Dutch are a hospitable bunch. If your slightly smaller and not old enough try to persuade your parents to let you take your roller skates of even a bike, there can be a lot of walking if you want to see all 2200+ trucks! My trusty drinking truck driving partner Mr James Cartwright will be heading over to Assen by one way or another, hopefully by truck but if not car will have to do, at least if we go by car we might be able to find a supermarket that sells that amazing Dutch curry sauce. Other than that I will have to be-friend yet another Dutchman so I can recharge my camera as I usually use a full battery each day.
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