No it must have been a different driver. I did tipper/ UK work and my brother also did that for a while so it may have been a period when he wasn’t on the Portugal run.
He was on Partricks for some time though after I went elsewhere.
DEANB posted an article on the “European” and in 1969 two importers have been appointed by ERF LTD.:
- ■■■■■■■ Distributor Belgium (CDB) of Brussels, previously Ets. Denonville
- Voortstuwingstechniek of Dordrecht
■■■■■■■ entered the European-market in the early thirties and Voortstuwingstechniek (Dutch for propulsion)
made the ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■ quite extensive with engines for boats, generators and construction. They carried
on with that but handed over the ERF-business towards “Best Truck Import” aka Bestebreurtje at the time the
3- and 5 MW were by far not succesful in Holland (whereas CDB was hitting with assembly in house) and the
NGC came in.
The tipper as announced in the article was not a rigid-tipper but a 6x4 tractor with tipper-trailer. Delsaert was
an early customer with a 5MW (see headlights) 6x4 tipper as rigid, to be followed by the Hydrocar tar-sprayers
of which 4 were bought. The Delsaert-tipper is in front of the CDB-offices
Some pictures
And ofcourse the clipping by DEANB belongs also here, date february 1969 a month after the
introduction of the “European” at Brussels-Show (Heizel, close to the soccer-stadion)
ERF-NGC-European:
railstaff:
NTK 310 how strange.Turbocharged 743 at high horsepower.Never even seen one at that rating.Non piston cooled I think.Oh no! I think that one had a Rolls Royce 220 in it. Mind you, I have to say that seems strange as it is an R-reg (so 1997/8) and being a LHD on long-haul European work (I believe it did Portugal) I would have thought that a RR 280 might have been more suitable but there you go! This 5MW-cabbed unit was a classic UK-spec version of the model, so it could not strictly be classified as a ‘European’ or a ‘Belgian-cabbed’ ERF as it was quite clearly a LHD (non-export) unit intended for use by UK hauliers on international operations. Don’t forget that you could have one of these (non-tilting) fully Euro-spec 5MWs with a ■■■■■■■ NH 250 or even a NTC 335 engine and 9-sp Fuller. Or, like the Rolls Royce version, you could have LHD 5MW with a Gardner 240 (8LXB) and 6 or 8-sp David Brown 'box. As I’ve said before, 5MWs are a minefield! Robert
0
rush green used to run that unit with their low loader it stood years with no engine and gearbox… i believe its been dragged out and is in restoration process…maybe in the Peterborough area
Re-reading the spec for the early (1969) ERF ‘European’ tractor units, they must have been about the most eligible Brit-built (assembled) long-haul tractive units available at the end of the '60s. ■■■■■■■ NTC 335 lump, Fuller 9sp (RTO 909A, I think: the 9sp was still a new 'box here then), Euro-spec LHD sleeper cab - well ahead!
I was having a closer look at the pictures of the interior of one of the Delcon 3MWs this evening and I noticed that the Fuller 9-sp gear stick thrusts straight up out of the floor (possibly because the cab didn’t tilt). It is quite probable that it was nicer to use than than the NGC (7MW) stick that was cranked and came to hand more from behind. Drivers at the time reported that these Euro-spec 3MW/5MW units were a delight to drive.
Here’s some interesting news! I’ve just acquired some old ERF drivers’ handbooks off ebay; amongst which is a handbook labelled Export Supplement (pictured below). The picture on the front shows the LHD 3MW supplied to CDB Belgium and shown in Brussels in 1969, which raised my hopes that the book might contain some references to European-spec exports as well as those models dispatched to the Commonwealth, Middle East and Far East destinations.
I’ll report back when it arrives!
Well (re above post ^^^): it’s arrived!
It does indeed deal with LHD 3MW cabbed vehicles but it is a very thin handbook and it literally only supplements other handbooks. There’s not much in it that isn’t already on these threads, bar a few tiny details. It was printed in 1970, before the 5MW cab replaced the 3MW.
Buzzer:
Recovery, Buzzer
Nice pic. It’s a 4MW cab though (wheels set forward).
Just acquired a LHD 3MW brochure printed in French for CDB Belgium. Thought I’d share it with you. Some of the images are familiar on this thread. I reckon it must be one of the earlier ones, looking at the RTO 909A gearbox, the final drive ratio (5.6:1) and the pre-1973 cab.
Whichever way round ^^^ I scan that 1st pic, it still comes out on here upside down. I’ve gone into ‘properties’, Paint and done all the usual tricks. 
Shrug!
Buzzer:
Buzzer
Nice one Buzzer! Not seen that one before. It was driven on Euro work by John Heath.
robthedog:
.
Aye-up Rob! What side is that steering wheel? 
I recall a small conversation with Henri and Eugeen Van Steenbergen in the mid seventies that Transport Arendonk was about to purchase/try a
5MW ERF as the relevant importer CDB (previously Ets. Denonville) accepted ERF-dealership. In 1969, the time the Bros Van Steenbergen refer to,
their fleet was running out of the old Krupp-stock as well as the White’s running on their last molecules. Nevertheless the trial wil a demo didn’t
result in buying one or two of those chassis…still with NTC335 (bear in mind that ■■■■■■■ was the red line in their fleet, also with Mack, Krupp
and some other makes like Kenworth/International) but it took to early seventies to step towards the NGC of ERF.
Cookie sent this over to me this afternoon. What a cracking shot! We’ve had a few pics of this on here but none as good as this. It shows the LHD 5MW-cabbed unit that S Jones ran on Europe work (the only left-■■■■■■ they did) before sending it out to join their Trans Arabia fleet in Jeddah as TA 104. It was a proper Euro-spec 5MW with waisted chassis, 1-inch wheel studs, ■■■■■■■ NTC 335 and 9-sp Fuller. The spready tilt sits well with it. 
Quite got my pulse racing Thanks Jerry.
Ro