Roger is now working for Peter Green transport. He drives to Belgium every week.
Memories are made like this, leaving Albini and Pitigliani’s warehouse in Prato stuffed with roll’s of cloth at 10 pm with a fistful of T2’s then onward bound for home coming up Cenis and just slowing at the border in the early hour’s and signal T2 with your fingers to the guard on duty and chucking a couple of packets of ■■■■ out the window and him being mindful not to slip up on diesel that had escaped from the bulging top tank which one had just filled to the brim on the cheap Italian fuel then on up to the top and get your head down, lovely cool air with no mozzies short break as we did in those days steak and egg’s for breakfast then gel on for the night boat, most will remember those day’s, sadly gone in one way but it’s not like that anymore today how did we do it ? Buzzer.
Buzzer:
Memories are made like this, leaving Albini and Pitigliani’s warehouse in Prato stuffed with roll’s of cloth at 10 pm with a fistful of T2’s then onward bound for home coming up Cenis and just slowing at the border in the early hour’s and signal T2 with your fingers to the guard on duty and chucking a couple of packets of ■■■■ out the window and him being mindful not to slip up on diesel that had escaped from the bulging top tank which one had just filled to the brim on the cheap Italian fuel then on up to the top and get your head down, lovely cool air with no mozzies short break as we did in those days steak and egg’s for breakfast then gel on for the night boat, most will remember those day’s, sadly gone in one way but it’s not like that anymore today how did we do it ? Buzzer.
John ,well said as you say most of us olduns have done it ,enjoyed it ,and most of us would do it all again given the same amount of freedom to do the job.
I don’t think I would want to do it with all the legislation and communications that goes with the job these days . I think we used to do the job just as quick in those days with less horses per ton ,less autoroutes , there was less traffic also .
I think we were a more happy bunch of guys once we knew what we had to do it was a case of crack on and do it but more to suit yourself , but the job was still done and with a great deal of satisfaction .I speak of course as a company driver as opposed to an owner driver .
Also the herd is looking well on the Davies international thread . Regards Dennis
Evening all,
Computer and Kitchen problems today…computer refuses to obtain a signal…long boring non productive conversations with people on another continent…
Kitchens, now I am (ordered), to retire, and have finished the Greenhouse project, I thought that with the relaxation of planning rules I would while away the hours by converting some of my , (now redundant), sheds into living accomodation for local young people.
But have you ever tried dealing with kitchen suppliers…back street cowboy hauliers never had such cheek…and as I wish to do it all myself, well they become most uncooperative…so off goes I to B&Q…(rest home for the elderly, and mentally challenged)…no wonder Kingfisher are in such a state!..but we shall persevere…
Cliff, thank you for creating such a delightful, and interesting thread. It really is great to look at!
DEANB, Cenis, in my youth my great discovery, and to this day my delight. Your picture, 9th down, shows the refuge tunnel for the Mt Cenis “Fell” Railway. Built by the British as part of our national “Red Route”, of Mail communication to India. The railway was eventually dismantled, and complete sold to Brasil, where it ran up until the late 60s.!
The only Fell system still running is in the Isle of Man,(albeit with electric traction), on the Snaefell Mountain Tramway.
When you transited Cenis it was very hard to imagine any possibility of a railway running in that terrain, but it did, and successfully!
In your pictures the road surface looks very different from what I used to run over in the 60s. Many sections were just loose gravel, (but so were so many other passes across the mountains) I smiled at Roberts comments about dropping 1, or 2 gears for the hairpins…with a 4 pot Gardner you were watching your wheel nuts to make sure that they were still turning in the right direction!!!. Changing gear was not an option at all…though later with all the power of a 150 Gardner, and a 12 speed box, one could look at the scenery, and no longer count ones wheel nut rotation!!!
But going down, (either way), was not so bad, Mr Foden, and his succesors designed good brakes into their vehicles!
About the middle of `65, traffic reduced considerably, as the Mont Blanc tunnel opened, but I carried on using Cenis, and the other passes, I hated the “pipe”, (and still do)!And has been said to get into that clear mountain air was heaven…
Were we not lucky to have experienced such times?And is not Buzzer so right in what he says, and diesel dennis also.
Thank you again for such enjoyment that this thread brings.
Cheerio for now.
Thanks saviem you deserve to pour yourself a Bollinger . bonne santé ,dennis
Thank you to Robert ,Mappo,David, Buzzer,Saviem and Dennis for all your input still tracing the history , I can’t remember exactly what year Peter started Axminster Transport would say about 1970 but will find out and give correct date.Thanks Dean for those great pictures,thank you Archie not sure who was in front,would like to see you sometime.
Cliff luxton:
Thank you to Robert ,Mappo,David, Buzzer,Saviem and Dennis for all your input still tracing the history , I can’t remember exactly what year Peter started Axminster Transport would say about 1970 but will find out and give correct date.Thanks Dean for those great pictures,thank you Archie not sure who was in front,would like to see you sometime.
Cliff I can remember peter coming to taunton market on Saturdays driving his cattle truck . That was just before he started axminster transport if I recall . I was on the livestock then with cliff Edwards .
Would of been in the 70s I had a 6 wheel AEC on a G plate then a new ERF on a L plate .Plenty of water under the bridge since then cheers den
Here is my very good friend monsieur Blanc looking a little frail after a very good night out in Piraeus. We were very good at enjoying ourselves and making the most of being with friends as you could spend a long time without meeting up together.
Saviem:
Evening all,Computer and Kitchen problems today…computer refuses to obtain a signal…long boring non productive conversations with people on another continent…
Kitchens, now I am (ordered), to retire, and have finished the Greenhouse project, I thought that with the relaxation of planning rules I would while away the hours by converting some of my , (now redundant), sheds into living accomodation for local young people.
But have you ever tried dealing with kitchen suppliers…back street cowboy hauliers never had such cheek…and as I wish to do it all myself, well they become most uncooperative…so off goes I to B&Q…(rest home for the elderly, and mentally challenged)…no wonder Kingfisher are in such a state!..but we shall persevere…
Cliff, thank you for creating such a delightful, and interesting thread. It really is great to look at!
DEANB, Cenis, in my youth my great discovery, and to this day my delight. Your picture, 9th down, shows the refuge tunnel for the Mt Cenis “Fell” Railway. Built by the British as part of our national “Red Route”, of Mail communication to India. The railway was eventually dismantled, and complete sold to Brasil, where it ran up until the late 60s.!
The only Fell system still running is in the Isle of Man,(albeit with electric traction), on the Snaefell Mountain Tramway.
When you transited Cenis it was very hard to imagine any possibility of a railway running in that terrain, but it did, and successfully!
In your pictures the road surface looks very different from what I used to run over in the 60s. Many sections were just loose gravel, (but so were so many other passes across the mountains) I smiled at Roberts comments about dropping 1, or 2 gears for the hairpins…with a 4 pot Gardner you were watching your wheel nuts to make sure that they were still turning in the right direction!!!. Changing gear was not an option at all…though later with all the power of a 150 Gardner, and a 12 speed box, one could look at the scenery, and no longer count ones wheel nut rotation!!!
But going down, (either way), was not so bad, Mr Foden, and his succesors designed good brakes into their vehicles!
About the middle of `65, traffic reduced considerably, as the Mont Blanc tunnel opened, but I carried on using Cenis, and the other passes, I hated the “pipe”, (and still do)!And has been said to get into that clear mountain air was heaven…
Were we not lucky to have experienced such times?And is not Buzzer so right in what he says, and diesel dennis also.
Thank you again for such enjoyment that this thread brings.
Cheerio for now.
Thanks Saviem for that very informative message about Cenis especially about the railway !
That must have been some hard going with a 150 gardner and a long old plod up there !
Do you have any photos from your travels back in the 60 s ■■
I know I’ve used this picture before but this really was the mutts nuts for me being 24 years old and driving this around Europe, this was one of 2 second hand 240s although this one has the 290 grill. Later these were joined by 2 new 290s. On the French side there was another F88 also the iconic F89, later to be joined by F10s on both sides of the channel.
Hi Cliff so pleased that your thread is going so well. With the input from Saviem and Dean and Buzzer and Dennis keep up the good work.Cheers mate
Thanks Geoff nice to see you and Shaun last week ,won’t catch your thread but we’re doing ok thanks to Dean, David,Saviem, Dennis ,Buzzer,the odd mumble from Mappo and Gazer, Archie ,and Bubble man. Sorry if I left anyone out.Here’s a little deviation because we’re mates and we worked closely with this neighbouring company, and he had 2 lovely daughters that I am very fond of, and had the pleasure of spending a lot of time with them all.Here we are on our way Roger to Seville me to Morroco. I arrived in Poole Emma said dad Cliff has just come in the office Becky said yes it is dad said oh no, we had three lovely day’s travelling together.
Cliff, obviously parked up on the lash in some dodgy bar on the doombar !! 
Not sure where this pic come from so i may have nicked it off another thread on here ?
Nice picture Dean not me driving it was the 89 it looks like the old Spitalfields market. This was taking the easy way just on the Italian side of Mont Blanc.I can’t remember being that young was a long time ago 30 plus years.
Hell and all Cliff, we none of us looked that young did we?
This one is better than 40 years old!
Who on earth would give a mere child charge of a nice wagon like that?
David
Nice one Dave I bet you haven’t seen that fella in the mirror for a day or two.
Cliff and Dave your two pictures make me feel quite old , the picture of Cliff on the blanc was it taken by farmer John when you were both running down to Greece ? if I remember I was 2 or 3 days behind you after loading in france think I caught the ferry from brindisi .
That is the problem Cliff. He used to be there but now he has been replaced by a fat b***ard.
David
I got to say you were very colour coordinated there Dave, I think we got someone else in the house in the morning cause it ain’t me in the bathroom mirror. Here’s one to keep Deans F88 fix going not too long ago as you can see Dave.I’m running out of the Volvo pictures so will have to some more searching in different cupboards. If you got any more Bubble man would appreciate seeing them.
Thanks for that one Cliff, great picture apart from your ugly mug in it !! 
(only joking mate)
I meant to ask you before but you mentioned that your 88 was a 240 but had the 290 grill on it ? Just wondered
why that was ,did the lorry have an accident and they had a spare grill,or was it a 290 originally and it blew
up or something, and they chucked a 240 lump in it ■■?
Some interior pics should bring back some memories !!
