3 New UK Tekno Model Release’s

Here are the next 3 new models that will be available from Tekno. UK company Speedbird Productions have created 3 more highly collectable UK liveried trucks for you to spend your pennies on. My wife has confiscated my wallet so i’m out the game with these 3! All 3 models will be available from October onwards. I have to say i think my favorite is the Dennis Oates Scania 142, cracking model!! So get buying and dont forget to mention truckblog.co.uk when you order the new addition to your collection.

New Speedbird/Tekno British Collection to Pre-Order
Dennis Oates – Scania 142 with 3-axle Fridge Trailer
Maximum Production: 200pcs
Release Date: 4th Quarter 2011
Price: £144.95 including free UK delivery

New Speedbird/Tekno British Collection to Pre-Order
Kerbey Motors – Scania 3-Series Streamline with 3-axle Flatbed Trailer
Maximum Production: 250pcs
Release Date: December 2011
Price: £159.95 including free UK delivery

New Speedbird/Tekno British Collection to Pre-Order
B Cookson & Sons – Scania R-Series Topline (R6) with 3-axle Gray & Adams Fridge Trailer (Metal Version)
Maximum Production: 200pcs
Release Date: 4th Quarter 2011
Price: £159.95 including free UK delivery

If you do want to buy one of these models, contact Ben Lord and he will help you with all your needs.
Ben Lord – Managing Director
Speedbird Promotions Ltd.
15 Thistledown Drive, Ixworth,
Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP31 2NH, UK
Tel: +44 (0) 1359 232667 – Fax: +44 (0) 1359 300200
Mobile: +44 (0) 7791 394143
E-mail: ben.lord@speedbird-promotions.co.uk
Web: www.speedbird-promotions.co.uk

Who’s Truck Is This???

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.

MAN Fridge on the A46 near Bath

Railway MAN

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……….

Poland Trip

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!).

Poland Trip

Poland Trip

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.

Poland Trip

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.

Poland Trip

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

Poland Trip

Lady Louise

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.

Lady Louise @ Truckfest, Peterborough
Lady Louise @ Truckfest, Peterborough

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!

Lady Louise Just in from Alaska

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

Big Truck Little Truck

Truck Blog Logo

How did those stickers get there?! Sorry it’s another TGL post i know!

If this is your first time reading the blog you will not know that i seem to favour an MAN TGL. No real idea why other than i ran my own 7.5 tonners for 8 years. I have often wondered about the mini artics you see foreigners running about with, such as Activ Cars from Germany. This company run mini Mercedes Atego artics on Airbus parts work all over Europe.
Activ Cars 16.09.2010.jpg

Now i haven’t been able to find out much about them in various Internet searches, so i gave up looking. At the weekend i did another search for the first time since last year, when i went to the Hanover IAA Show. This time with a tiny bit of success. The main part being it seems the mini MAN tractor unit is called an MAN TGL BLS, BLS being the key words (Big Lorry Secret? Bloomin Little Sod?? Bens Lorry Soon???). The one thing i am keen to find out is how much you can carry with one of those and what the Gross Vehicle Weight is likely to be. Both the Mercedes Atego version and the MAN version are badged as normal 7.5 or 12 tonners. But i’m sure the gross weight must be more other wise it makes it a little pointless and will leave a tiny payload. Any input on this would be much appreciated, any MAN/Mercedes employee’s reading?? email me; ben@truckblog.co.uk

On a Dutch website called bedrijfsauto.com , it says that a 12 ton MAN TGL 12.250 BLS can have a gross vehicle weight of 32,000 kg. This equates to a max towing capacity for the tractor of 20,000 kg (i.e. Trailer + Load). On another MAN dealership website, there is an MAN TGL 8.250,  This states the truck “has a GCW of 18,750 kg.”

This says to me, the tractor unit can pull a trailer up to 20 Tons. This makes more sense and must relate to the train weight of the unit, not the 7.5 or 12 ton specified in the model name. Come on more help/info please……

MAN TGL LX BLS 12.240
MAN TGL LX BLS 12.240

Mallorcan Marsh

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.
Mallorcan Marsh
Mallorcan Marsh
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.
Mallorcan Marsh
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…..
Steve Marsh's Pad!
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!!
Mallorcan Marsh
More Marsh to come, a trip to a dodgy Polish train yard is in the pipeline.

Another MAN App man

I think MAN are the only truck manufacturer that have realised that app’s are the way forward for all of us with the fruity type of phone, think about it. This is their 2nd App the first being the highly informative and info laden IAA Hanover Show App that i told you about last year. The best thing about these App’s is that MAN gives you a chance to see all truck manufacturers stuff not just their own. This new App is called MAN TopUsed and is available from the App Store. Man TopUsed is also available to the rest of you on the interweb at www.mantopused.com so dont feel too left out.
MAN TopUsed App
I had a little browse through myself just to make sure it’s safe and easy for you all to use, it is. As you may imagine i tried to find myself a nice 2nd hand MAN TGL LX. So i selected the options i wanted and searched Europe for my dream truck!! I found 28 LX cabbed trucks across europe, the best of which are residing in Spain. Not a problem as you can use the contact page on the ad to contact the dealer where you possible purchase is.

 All very easy and as i said not only can you search for MAN’s you can search for all marques. You’ll also be pleased to know it opens in english!!!
MAN TopUsed App

Middle East Memories from Ray Campion – Chapter 1

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”

img013

Picture is Part of Dick Snow’s own collection.

ETS are from Tottenham not Dagenham!!

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

ETS - Truck & Driver - October 2000
ETS - Truck & Driver - October 2000
ETS - Truck & Driver - October 2000
ETS - Truck & Driver - October 2000

Tekno Models New UK Release’s

Here you go again, another couple of cracking Tekno models of UK trucks both now available from Speedbird Promotions for pre-order. Get ordering and don’t miss out, they are are both limited editions of 200 models each.
First up we have the excellent HE Payne Scania 141 and tilt trailer in the full ASG Spedition livery. As i can’t afford the real one this will definitely ease my need! You have probably seen this truck at one of the truck shows or in this months Truck & Driver magazine.

HE Payne/ASG
Scania 1-series (LB141)
3-axle Tautliner Trailer
Maximum Production: 200pcs
Retail Price: £149.95
Including free UK delivery

New Speedbird/Tekno British Collection Models to Pre-Order

The 2nd vehicle for release is this very smart Scania 143 in the livery of Lincolnshire haulier MC Salter & Sons from Sutton Bridge. As far as i understand it, they are your good old fashioned English family haulier. Running a very smart fleet of Scania’s, DAF’s and possbily others, they are having a model made of their F reg 143 450hp beauty. With an empty flat trailer there is plenty of scope to add a load of your own. Details as follows.

MC Salter
Scania 3-Series
3-axle Flatbed Trailer
Maximum Production: 200pcs
Retail Price: £139.95
Including free UK delivery

New Speedbird/Tekno British Collection Models to Pre-Order

Hurry up and get one of these, or both of these models ordered, contact Ben Lord from www.teknomodeltrucks.co.uk or email him at; ben.lord@speedbird-promotions.co.uk