Video TIR trucking -1969

Neil

Western Thunderer
Here's another piece of nostalgia, this time from the late sixties, featuring a cargo of pheasants from Norfolk on their way to Milan by road.


Of particular note is the Italian health inspector, giving the birds a cursory once over, fag drooping from the corner of his mouth.
 

3 LINK

Western Thunderer
That's a nice old Scanny, I also use too drive a 142 and like they say " your never late in a V8 ". My usual trip was down to Swiss tip in Geneva then up through the Mont Blanc and across to Verona or Milan to pick up fruit for the UK. I couldn't do the job now, but no regrets.

Regards,

Martyn.
 

Ian@StEnochs

Western Thunderer
I had minis and an Austin 1300, both great cars for their time. However I did drive an imp quite a lot and it was terrible especially if the conditions were a bit slippy. It handled a bit better with a big bag of sand in the front to keep the wheels well down on the ground.

Ian.
 

S7BcSR

Western Thunderer
Never had any problem with the Imp front end. Up and down the M4 every day flat-out at 75mph (with a good wind behind!) and could just hold off a mini (except the Cooper). Mind you the car did condense a bit when rear ended on the M4 into Austin Cambridge but it came back strong. Weak point was the Ally head which needed shaving too often. Probably over drove it though.

Rob
 

simond

Western Thunderer
bag of sand or paving stone, de rigeur for imps, unless you fitted modified steering king pin brackets to provide negative camber - they went round corners then...

put a front radiator in them too, stops them cooking themselves, in with a chance of keeping the cylinder head where it shoudl be!

I was a mini man myself, but the boys who had imps at the club had lots of fun with them.

best
Simon
 

Eastsidepilot

Western Thunderer
That's a nice old Scanny, I also use too drive a 142 and like they say " your never late in a V8 ". My usual trip was down to Swiss tip in Geneva then up through the Mont Blanc and across to Verona or Milan to pick up fruit for the UK. I couldn't do the job now, but no regrets.

Regards,

Martyn.
That old "Scanyehaa" as we used to call them was an '83 model more than enough power even when over loaded, no limiters then :D. My usual run was straight to Savona, via tunnel Frejus and Torino, to tip out then back load any where in the middle of Italy with marble and topped up with light hand balled stuff up to the roof out of Prato, Firenza or sometimes Verona. Last stop Ristorante Garrone at Carisio.

Not long after that photo was taken the boss had twin stacks fitted and flat out on the motorway felt and sounded like a class 37 pushing me all the way home where ever that was :rolleyes::))

Col.
 

3 LINK

Western Thunderer
I sometimes use to take a break at the restaurant at the top by the entrance to the Mont Blanc on the Italian side. And on a clear night you could hear the V8's pounding up the long drag echoing off the mountain sides, magic.

Probably the Irish with hanging meat and 20 ton of sheet steel on the floor.....

Martyn.
 

Eastsidepilot

Western Thunderer
Probably the Irish with hanging meat and 20 ton of sheet steel on the floor.....

Martyn.

One of my return loads was a rock crushing machine on catapillar tracks, filled the whole trailer, when it was craned off at a Derbyshire quarry the crane driver had to re-rig as he couldn't understand that the wieght on the docket didn't tally with his scales...bells going off all round :rolleyes::))

It came in at 28 ton......didn't stop the old Scanny though :D.

Col.
 

Jordan

Mid-Western Thunderer
I never did "Continental" but in recent years it was too much hassle anyway with immigrants, never mind the fact that the likes of Willy Betz took all the work.
Best story I heard of Irish drivers was from a Scouse chap who had run with them through France - just about keeping up, naturally. They all get pulled at a French Scales, & Irish driver No.1, knowing full well he is well overloaded with hanging meat, claims to Gendarme-le-Frog that his truck is empty.
Of course on the scales it shows otherwise, so they look in the back. Surprise surprise a load - & then some - of hanging meat. The driver explains that "as the meat is not on the floor, it can't be weighing anything, so the lorry counts as empty."
Our Scouse friend says he was nearly wetting himself trying not to laugh, & as Monsueir Le Plod was having trouble deciphering the Irish accents, they gave up and let the convoy go... :D

Re 'never late with a V8' & speed limiters; I well remember my first overnight trip, pre-limiters era, up the M6 to Scotland. Quite frightening how fast those night trunkers could go. How they explained away their tachos I don't know. But just as bent log books led to tachos, so the result of speeding trucks was compulsory speed limiters. Surprise surprise. :rolleyes:
 

3 LINK

Western Thunderer
When I was with Wincanton, they gave us some ERF's which had been recently fitted with limiters. Those limiters were horrendous as they would reach the top speed and then throttle on and off surging down the road. Well after a chat with one of the mechanics, we found out the limiters were vacuum controlled, and if someone accidentally drilled a hole in the pipes, away they would go.

I can also remember the Irish racing up the M6 on a Friday night trying to catch the ferry, East/West, Curries and Maddens all well over the limit.

Martyn.
 
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