It might not be too fair to keep bashing on about Astran models all the time, so how about a model of another Middle East company…. Essex International. UK company Speedbird Promotions are the UK agent for Tekno, the Dutch model specialist. There is a big back catalogue of models that have already been produced and also a huge list of models available to pre-order, including this pair, one an Essex International Scania 141 and the second a Kerbey MotorsScania R580, both coming with matching trailers.
First to be released in May this year will be the R580 above. Kerbey Motors is related to Essex International by family. The Scania 141 model will be available in August this year, but is availble for pre-order now, so get on with it! You can email ben.lord@speedbird-promotions.co.uk or call the order hotline on (0044) 01359 232667. The models will be available in a limited editon and will be around the £150 mark. Hopefully i’ll be bringing your more new release’s from Speedbird Promotions as and when they are released.
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.”
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
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.
For those of you who may be waiting for the WSI model of Wilson’s 141 and trailer, i have news, hot off the press (not a scoop!). The following order update has been received today from the man at Search Impex; “At the moment, the models are scheduled to ship ex-China at the end of May – so delivery should be around the end of June. They are a bit delayed because it transpires that WSI forgot to tool up for mirror sets for RHD units – so they are busy sorting this now!”
So there you go if you have patiently been saving your pocket money you now know how much longer you have to wait. If you are interested in buying one of these limited edition models, complete with certificate, then email me at work, ben@hcwilsontransport.co.uk and i’ll keep you posted on progress and let you know when they have arrived. They are likely to retail some where around the £150 mark.
I’ve been sent these pics of a brand new smart DAF XF105 but i can’t tell you who’s it is………… well not yet any way. The truck is a Super Space cabbed 510hp with twin air horns and the shinest black paint you’ll ever see and i can only imagine it will stay like that when it enters service. It looks like these pictures were taken at the DAF factory in Leyland, Lancashire, where, i think i’m right in saying, all right hand drive DAF’s are made these days, please correct me if i’m wrong, ben@truckblog.co.uk . Hopefully in the not to distant future i will have some pics of said truck in full livery on the road. Untill then please feel free to comment below with your thoughts on who’s truck it is.
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……
This old girl is going for export. How can this be? This is one of the unsung hero trucks of British haulage, surely we shouldn’t be letting these go for export?? I actually feel like buying her up myself (even though i don’t have the money) just to save her from the export quay. This truck has only done some thing like 17,000 miles in her long and surely important career. An old truck like this could probably tell you a story or two about the “good old days” or give you a great ” i remember when….” anecdote. I think this is a Scammell Crusader, 6×4 tank transporter at a guess, it has a fair monster winch mounted on the back of the cab. Note the twin air intakes on the roof as well. I will definitely be out in the yard on Monday for a closer perv of this old girl, i might treat you to a couple more pictures and i might even start her up!
Just look at her, we should start a campaign, perhaps all you truck bloggers need to gang up and we’ll go and blockade the export quay’s of the UK so we can’t loose any more! I’m sure the countries they go to are in need of such a truck and it’s nice that they can keep them going and obviously think that old girl will be strong and reliable, but i cant see them actually looking after her much and giving her the respect she deserves, i think I’m trying to say they just won’t understand the romance associated with a truck like this (GW & RF REF!) Any way good luck in your working retirement and keep up the good work, remember you are British Built!!
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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