Fergie47:
Harvesting the grapes, the old way, lots of employment, …today its done by one man and a machine…
i like the army surplus gmc 6x6 in this shot , no rush the job gets done when it gets done in those times .
newmercman:
As I said, I’m only half way through this excellent thread, for some reason it didn’t come up on my feed (I use the tapatalk app on my tablet) so I’m overwhelmed by everything I’ve seen and read so far in the last couple of days.The cab architecture is outstanding and even though I’ve travelled the French highways and byways many times, I had no idea how extensive and eclectic their lorry history is.
Add that to the information contained on the pages and memories and anecdotes of Saviem et all and this thread is among the best I’ve seen on this forum.
Here, Here, a most varied selection of topics with men with vast knowledge on a lot of different subjects led by the man who is the name sake of this thread Saviem with a very good memory which is constantly being jogged into action, carry on with the input chaps Buzzer.
Evening my friends,
What can I say, there is Fergie, presenting sensory overload, then young Robert comes along with his stimulators for my, (aged), grey cells,Barbot et Fils, that poor old 190 hp Willeme carried far above its legal 35 tonnes with their “exotic” steel structures…let alone 20 plus metre lengths…
Im still proud of the Black, red, and chrome livery for “our” demonstrators, (looks really good on the TRH 6x4s as Robert shows…I can claim some personal credit here!..how to turn plain Jane…into a simmering Bardot!!!..and simmer they surely did!
Then Fergie delivers the “killer” blow, a Frappa cab Bernard with a 150 Licence built Gardner, from Transports Borca…what a company…Frigidares main contractor for France…would you just not wish to climb behind the wheel of that outfit…pure unadulterated class!..That trailer was running on full air…back in the `50s! Have you ever seen such a well balanced outfit?..I doubt it…
Their workshop had a pristine Marble floor…I viewed it as a simple young lorry driver, while they rectified my little Gardner engine Foden…My great friend, the late Martin Phippard viewed it as a celebrated guest, via his French Mack/Mobo connection…he drank Champagne from pure gold rimmed glasses…me a wonderful Café from a white cup…how we both talked about Borca, and the utter courtesy of their people…
Faithfull to Bernard, then Mack, (as they destroyed an Icon of French lorry building), Borca was a beacon of the professionalism of French Hire and Reward Haulage…cn any of you remember their stainless steel US built Dorsey trailers…or their “rip snorting” F serie Macks…even the people at the Buldog Headquarters in Allentown remembered Borca when I spoke of them, that was just how great their influence was!
And those 8 cylinder Willeme 6x2/4s were something special, 7 metres of body, that is why the engine hangs out front under that long “snout”…made a reputation for Louis Willeme, so strong, so reliable, so…utterly dependable…26 tonnes on 3 axles, with plus 200 hp in 1954!..no wonder they were popular!
Bourgey et Montreuil from Grenoble, how can one explain such a company…ok, a subsidiary of the French Railways, SNCF, but so individual. That Bernard tanker sums them up, near perfect…they ran from little 3000kg lorries right up to the 200 tonne plus Pacifics, (but “sans” their 17.9 litr Hall and Scott Petro 240 hp), but with wailing HB600 ■■■■■■■ with the snorting Roots type Superchargers…no wonder the chain drive to that fantastic Knucky bogie used to stink!!! Ye Gods, they were Heavy Haulers “par excellence”…
And M Montreuils friendship with Jacques Mayer, (Mayer of Nancy), and his sharing of ideas, produced the fantastic drop frame 65 tonne capacity low loader trailers, manufactured by Kaiser, developed from the WW2 US Army Rogers 45 ton drawbar trailer. The Kaiser Drop Frame utilising the 16 wheel, (8.25x15), bogie from the Rogers M9.
When I first went to visit Lait Mont Blanc back in the `70s , driving on Alpine Roads held no fears for me, because I had driven these roads, (catergorised, or not), in my little Foden, and its sister Micky Mouses for a good few years…I was as green as grass…Where these men went, with their big 12 litre Relax cab Berliets, and tandem axle Coder 35 tonne outfits, and at such speed left me quite amazed!
Lait Mont Blanc…the name should say it all…how on earth the Dairy Farmers produced milk on such pasture, let alone the collection, and co-ordinated delivery…believe me it would make your head spin…and the passes that they used…many with no surface at all…their drivers were super drivers…there is no other word for them, they left me with an total awe of their professionalism! I thought I was good, boy, oh boy, these fellows were experts…day after day, snow, ice, sun, wind, brother what an outfit…I must really write something about these real “Mountain Men”
…And tonight I was going to wax lyrical about the humble Damson and its delights, Pickled, Bottled, Stewed, made into a sauce, a pie filling, a pickle, …or just eaten raw…but it must wait…Blame Fergie, and Robert…B …Lorries!
Cheerio for now.
Brilliant Saviem. Wonderful insights.
Hiya,
Once again, absolutly cracking pics!
Now, I’ve parked up last weekend at Castets (40) and wondered around a bit, and to my surprise, there were several old “soldiers”, a few were beyond saving though…
Cheers, Patrick
pv83:
Hiya,Once again, absolutly cracking pics!
Now, I’ve parked up last weekend at Castets (40) and wondered around a bit, and to my surprise, there were several old “soldiers”, a few were beyond saving though…Cheers, Patrick
Nice pics…amazing what’s around, hidden in barns and fields…the silver IVECO looks ready for work.
Evening all,
pv83, those are some gems…are they in the yard of Jacques Raffy, (AD Poids Lourdes), at Rue Mousquetaires?
Fergie, you are right, that Turbo Star looks ready to roll…and couldn’t they roll? Pure drivers motor, and that’s a blooming big crane on her back!
But pv83, what a place to get week ended, now if you had gone west to Mimizan, almost on the bay, there is a fantastic little Relais, serving home made ice cream…and a 100 metres away there may still be the remains of a day cab LB76 Scania…well it was still there …oh dear 6 years ago?!!
Great pictures, thank you very much.
Cheerio for now.
Whoops, off the front page…try to post some photos later, a bit hectic at the moment… 
Here you go Fergie, I’ve put a couple up from Wolverhampton for Saviem
Chapeau
A fantastic read - great photos and information - a credit to all those who have posted.
Thanks for the pictures Fergie. Some amazing loads. Cheers Johnny
jsutherland:
Thanks for the pictures Fergie. Some amazing loads. Cheers Johnny
Johnny, how are you, still in the Fatherland, drinking that old sweet white… 
I, yes I am 
The old sweet white is as tasty as ever 
Saviem:
Evening all,pv83, those are some gems…are they in the yard of Jacques Raffy, (AD Poids Lourdes), at Rue Mousquetaires?
Fergie, you are right, that Turbo Star looks ready to roll…and couldn’t they roll? Pure drivers motor, and that’s a blooming big crane on her back!
But pv83, what a place to get week ended, now if you had gone west to Mimizan, almost on the bay, there is a fantastic little Relais, serving home made ice cream…and a 100 metres away there may still be the remains of a day cab LB76 Scania…well it was still there …oh dear 6 years ago?!!
Great pictures, thank you very much.
Cheerio for now.
Hiya,
You’re spot on, they where in the yard of AD poids Lourdes, and the yard next door, like. You certainly know the way around there 
The other ones were just of the D10e, can’t remember what the actual name of the street was, but I think it was Rue Friques… And the Berliet that became one with the surroundings was parked up in the Rue du Quille.
Still chuffed about how many gems there were in just that one village 
.
It wasn’t that bad though, staying the weekend there that is, the Routier restaurant is now under new “management” and opened for the weekend, they close up the shop on sundays at around 4pm, but just across the road there’s a restaurant as well, next door to a hotel.
I will take up your advice though, if I’m not bounded to CAT 1 or 2 routes, I will certainly have a look there.
Cheers,
Patrick