I bought this picture on ebay. On the back it says copyright Colin Knapp. I tried to contact him for permission to use the image in the book, but couldn’t locate him. It is in the livery of PG Horridge: I wonder if Phil Horridge remembers it. The driver of this rather striking NGC 420 posted comments earlier on to the effect that this vehicle performed rather better than the LHD B-series ERF that replaced it! Robert 
PDF 444R is referred to earlier in this thread. Seen here in Vijore livery, it is the NGC 420 that made it to Karachi in Pakistan. It later went to Shamara on containers. Robert
Robert,
Thank you for adding some continental-pictures! I can confirm that most users in Holland and Belgium
made money with their NGC’s and agree it’s been ERF-masterpiece! Van Steenbergen/Arendonk had an
average lifecycle for their NGC’s of also 10-15 years with hardly troubles. Operation was mainly in South
Germany (wood) for which the extra power came in right.
Robert: do you need (separate) info on the NGC’s I know over here? Curious on the mark 70 you count!
Have a nice (Sun-)day!
Here’s a picture someone has posted on the ERF lorries facebook book page, he’s put quite a few on, I’ll just put this one on as an example, but they look quite interesting
ERF-Continental:
Robert,Thank you for adding some continental-pictures! I can confirm that most users in Holland and Belgium
made money with their NGC’s and agree it’s been ERF-masterpiece! Van Steenbergen/Arendonk had an
average lifecycle for their NGC’s of also 10-15 years with hardly troubles. Operation was mainly in South
Germany (wood) for which the extra power came in right.Robert: do you need (separate) info on the NGC’s I know over here? Curious on the mark 70 you count!
Have a nice (Sun-)day!
Yes please, ERF-Continental, anything you can get! If I already know about it, never mind because nothing will be lost. I say approximately 70 units because many of them led several lives with different companies so counting them is a bit like herding cats! Robert
Now here’s a mystery I’d like someone to help me with. I’ve nicked this picture off Toprun and I note that it is the copyright of Pasquale Caccavale, a well-known truck photographer. It appears to have been taken in Italy and is in a livery reminiscent of Comart who were doing Italy at that time - a subbie perhaps? Does anyone know anything about it? Robert
hiya
zzarbean:
robert1952:
I wasn’t aware that any of the Richard Read / Vick NGC 420s got to North Africa: I’m intrigued! Have you any more details on this, such as which countries (Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia…)? I love these little nuggets of info: useful to add into the book at the last minute if necessary! RobertEric Vick bought CW.Vicks (No relation) sometime in or after 1983 and took over the Lister Engine work to North Africa. CW Vicks ran DAFs at the time, much preferred by some of the drivers for their comfort but no so by the fitter. I think there were three but they didn’t last that long after change of ownership, one burnt out, one I think was wrecked and the other no doubt fell apart.
It is possible that the two Europeans did trips to North Africa with Morocco being the main destination but also Tunisia and Algeria was on the visiting list. I cannot confirm this for certain as I was not there between 1983 & 1991.
From what I understand the ■■■■■■■ developed a fault with the liners or followers or something but the fitter could not get the ■■■■■■■ engineers to accept that there was a fault and so they swapped to Gardner engined B series these were straight eights with blowers (300hp or so) It was with these B series that the North Africa run was done up until the early 90’s when 20’ sea containers replaced the road trailers.
0
This particular LHD B series came 2nd hand from Tony Jones of Sandbach and was originally fitter with a 330 ■■■■■■■ and did the middle east run. It was then fitted with first a 240 Gardner and then the 300 blown Gardner something which allegedly ERF engineers said could not be done. In this mode it did the North Africa run as well as Scandinavia, Italy and even Russia taking Elvers to Moscow.
When I took it over in 1993 on return to the company it’s driver who’d had it for the whole 10 years reckoned he’d driven it to every country in Europe plus a few more.
Hiya Zzarbean. The subject of LHD B-series ERFs keeps cropping up because some of them were specc’d for Europe, but a lot of the more spectacular LHD B-series units served on ‘internals’ in the Middle-East and were specc’d accordingly at birth, so to speak. So, I HAVE JUST OPENED A NEW THREAD called LHD B-SERIES ERFs. Perhaps you could re-post some of your contribution on that thread to help me get it kick-started! Many thanks, Robert
3300John:
robert1952:
Now here’s a mystery I’d like someone to help me with. I’ve nicked this picture off Toprun and I note that it is the copyright of Pasquale Caccavale, a well-known truck photographer. It appears to have been taken in Italy and is in a livery reminiscent of Comart who were doing Italy at that time - a subbie perhaps? Does anyone know anything about it? Robert0Hiya…Robert you need to ask ANT Wheelers son on the Comart site. i knew a few drivers on Comart and having some intrest
in the 7mw i would possibly have seen or known about one I’d say no…but not sure
John
Thanks, I’ll investigate! Robert
robert1952:
PDF 444R is referred to earlier in this thread. Seen here in Vijore livery, it is the NGC 420 that made it to Karachi in Pakistan. It later went to Shamara on containers. Robert0
VIJORE was the company set up by Eric VIck, Tony JOnes & Richard REad when Eric & Richard first started running Middle East (Tony had already done some trips).
This particular truck was one of Richard Read’s contributions and the photo looks like it was taken in his yard at Longhope.
zzarbean:
robert1952:
PDF 444R is referred to earlier in this thread. Seen here in Vijore livery, it is the NGC 420 that made it to Karachi in Pakistan. It later went to Shamara on containers. RobertVIJORE was the company set up by Eric VIck, Tony JOnes & Richard REad when Eric & Richard first started running Middle East (Tony had already done some trips).
This particular truck was one of Richard Read’s contributions and the photo looks like it was taken in his yard at Longhope.
Thanks, I do say a fair bit about this in the book. There’s plenty on it on the Vijore thread too, along with a few more NGC 420 shots. In the meantime, here are a couple more pics. I hope Bubbleman won’t mind. His pic shows the same Cees Willemstein unit I showed earlier. Robert
Jerry Cooke, who worked for Trans Arabia in the late '70s and early '80s as a mechanic and driver, took a number of photos. Many of these I have used in my forthcoming book. Jerry was a fantastic help to me while I was writing it. However, Jerry has given me permission to post some of his other pictures on this thread. Here are just a few of them. Robert
robert1952:
Now here’s a mystery I’d like someone to help me with. I’ve nicked this picture off Toprun and I note that it is the copyright of Pasquale Caccavale, a well-known truck photographer. It appears to have been taken in Italy and is in a livery reminiscent of Comart who were doing Italy at that time - a subbie perhaps? Does anyone know anything about it? Robert0
That trailer is from the MJL fleet, that’s all I can tell you, I remember them as those are my initials 
Hiya…i see a little
3300John:
Hiya…i see a little A series in the background…it would be a bit warm in her with no aircon.
John
I think they had two of those and some older LVs. There’s a picture somewhere with one of the LVs without any windscreen at all - that would have sorted out the aircon prob! Robert 
Saviem:
Evening all, fascinating thread this!I recall that David and Michael offered ERF, (I think that Cyril Acton was still MD at the time, or it could have been the ex ■■■■■■■ guy…whose name escapes me at the moment…Brian ■■?)! the largest order from any operator for 335 Europeans, for Trans Arabia, and the answer was …no you cannot have them!!! Hence the second hands, the MWs and LVs.
Did some research in old archives…I think you mean Bryan Hunt who started 1959 at ■■■■■■■ (his first order would probably have been the ■■■■■■■ engine for ERF 24-ton four-wheeler from Charlie ■■■■ of Northampton, who were frequently transporting ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■ and retired in 1990?
Nice day, A-J
Seen in Bristol 1980,s.
Cheers Phil