Mack EFT 35 from TRGX with a wide load.
Henschel exhibition in TRGX premises with all the range.
Evening all,
Michel, you are a winner, that looks to me like one of the "North African " quays at Marseille, where the ERF is pictured coupled to one of the TRGX extendable trailers. The Mack is pulling the Kaiser three axle trailer. Many of those big fabrications that TRGX carried came from Maitre, were they at Rambervilliers? Those Mack EFT35s were odd to look at, but they were strong lorries, I suppose that TRGX bought it because of the good service that they had enjoyed from their B61SX, bit of a story to that lorry. She was originally a 6x4 tipper, but was bought second hand, and converted from a 26 tonne to a 90 tonne, (and more), tractor unit!..Big power…how about 185 hp, fitted with a Mack END673…quickly swopped for an ENDT @214 hp!..but she did have a Mack 20 speed “quad” gearbox…and that gentlemen is some gearbox. I think that Henry ran her for over 12 years, yes Macks are that good…(if you have the right driver for them)!
TRGX were very good at adapting equipment to suit their operations…how about a Henschel 6x4 tipper, (again), but big power 255hp, and then fitted with the reduction gearing from a 6x6…odd that she was then rated at around 60 tonnes…but I am aware of her working with 125 tonnes and more, attached to TRGXs Kaiser, double swan neck, (twin axle 17.5 in tyred bogie), with a steering three axle bogie at the back…what a beautiful trailer!
At the back of michels picture of the TRGX ERF you can see a parked Renault 16. Going back to Davids pictures of old voitures, and the 16GTX…the entire Renault 16 range was designed, (in a very short time frame), by Phillipe Charbonneaux, the designer of the Bernard “Television” cab, built by Georges Pelpel. Charbonneaux had also “rescued” an aimless Regie Renault, at the personal invitation of M Dreyfus, the PDG, by creating the Renault 8 serie. There is a picture taken with Charbonneaux`s Renault 8, alongside his outside broadcast unit for RTF with its Television cab. A most versatile and talented designer!
I can only agree with Harry about the Dauphine…When I was first in France, (and not at all sure of how the future would pan out), I purchased a rather worn Dauphine to get me to, and from the offices in Suresnes…it finally gave out one wet and windy November night within the dank confines of the Bois de Bolougne…and those of you who “know”…will know just what terrors lurked therin!!!
So then came an R4,( from a Caen based lady schoolteacher)…I felt that I paid far too much, but after the Dauphine, I wanted to arrive, “stainless”…
… boy, what a car…I drove her everywhere flat to the floor, she never missed a beat…But for important jobs I could use a “Company” pool car…a basic Renault 5…rubber floor mats, one sun visor…Marseille is a long way from Paris…but that little girl could go…go…flat out all the time!!! And if it was a real image job, well I could use a Saviem Blue Renault R16…what beautiful long distance cars they were…even with pale brown Vinyl upholstery!
Then my dealing side got the better of me, and a really smart Citroen ID19 arrived…a veritable magic carpet ride…once I had mastered the button on the floor for the brakes!..Caused some minor embarressment when I met a "Big Cheese " from Venisseux…we drove the same car…(but mine was older)…He was not at all happy…status was everything at Venissieux…(as I was soon to find out for myself)!!!
Shortly after I was given a new job, and with it came a Renault 16 TL, (in metallic Saviem blue)! She, and the ones that followed over the years carried me over hundreds of thousands of kilometere`s, all across Europe. Beautiful, long distance cars,and that hatch back, so common today, was a wonderful feature, along with the suspended back seat, and that armchair driving position.
But the R16 was not France`s first hatch back, because back in the 50s Citroen had developed a" Commercial Travellers" version of the 15. France relied on an army of travelling salesmen to keep its industry, and retail sector working. In every town there was an Hotel Commercial, (as I was to find in my lorry driving days), and they were bloomin good places to stay, clean beds, baths, good food, and great company)! But the Citroen Light 15 Commercial had access from the rear to its load space, heavier suspension, and removable rear seating…but back in the 20s Rochet Schneider had provided all this with a car/van, that had a raising rear door, and a drop tailboard…nothings new at all!
Fergie, your picture of one of G Borcas Frappa cab Bernards, with its American Dorsey stainless steel trailer pulling for Frigidaire rekindled a memory that had hit me that very same day. I had been looking for some statistics on the Berliet TR Range, to answer "young" Davids question about the Saviem PX Le Centaure, when I had come across some correspondence from my old friend the late Martin Phippard. Now Martin and I had both visited Borcas premises…He, through the front door, to enjoy Canapes, and Champagne from rather expensive glasses…me as a humble lorry driver in distress, when my faithfull little Foden had broken down right outside their premises. I was taken pity upon, and taken inside, where my problem was quickly, (and at very reasonable cost), fixed by their Bernard, (Gardner engine), mechanics…but we both had stared in awe at the Marble floor of Borca`s workshops!!!
Now G Borca, that is a company that I should write a little about, what an outfit…but so was Monda, and Steenvoorde…just look at those cabs, surely Bernard were the worlds most beautiful lorries ever…and the throb of those Gardner engines…and the rasp of the quick reving Macks were to come…Borca had them all…
Time for a Bollinger I think…
Cheerio for now.
Excellent John, excellent… 
Fergie 47 I must agree, such interesting reading, although half the time I have no idea what vehicle, chassis, engine ,people ,company has made this or that and when, what year ,etc… Saviem is such a wealth of knowledge he has the ability to recall meetings, visit,s to all kinds of knowledge regarding transport.
He must have a library of diary’s, or good memory recall .a book would be very interesting.
deckboypeggy:
Fergie 47 I must agree, such interesting reading, although half the time I have no idea what vehicle, chassis, engine ,people ,company has made this or that and when, what year ,etc… Saviem is such a wealth of knowledge he has the ability to recall meetings, visit,s to all kinds of knowledge regarding transport.He must have a library of diary’s, or good memory recall .a book would be very interesting.
Trouble is, he’s far to busy with the farm and all his toys…however, if you think about it, the book is already here…it just needs someone to put all his posts together into some order, and…you’ve got the. book…
One day, when I’m old and grey and got nothing else to do…I might have a go at it… 
michel:
ERF from TRGX in a harbour in France.
That strap is well tight.
David Senior your pictures are always a delight. Please keep them coming.
I was especially amazed at those two or three long-nosed Berliet artics. Beautiful really! And whilst you may on occasion still cross the odd long-nosed Berliet wagon, Artics have just totally disappeared.
On another note, I realise I have placed some off-topic posts on cars, albeit French ones.
So here are two links to videos I took last September at Julien’s, he was kind enough to fire up his SM280 V8, and I have now finally taken the time to upload them, so here goes.
And here after having run for a few minutes.
And before you ask, he did a complete rebuild of this lorry (in fact that cab came from an SM240), and did not yet reconnect the revmeter
I can’t remember if I had posted the videos on top of the photos, apologies if this is a duplicate… But then there will be at least one or two old diesel afficionados on here who will forgive… 
And whilst I am at it, here are two videos from France’s other major V8 from the same era, I refer to Berliet’s MIVR 08.35.30 unit.
In this case powering a beautiful Berliet TRH350 double-drive tractor unit.
From outside
And from the inside. Admire the fuller in operation!
Credit goes to the author, these have been around on youtube for some time, I do not know the owner or whoever posted these on youtube.
Davidoff:
On another note, I realise I have placed some off-topic posts on cars, albeit French ones.
So here are two links to videos I took last September at Julien’s, he was kind enough to fire up his SM280 V8, and I have now finally taken the time to upload them, so here goes.
David junior, old French cars are definitely not “off topic” not on this thread anyway, they were part and parcel of life on the road, whatever era you drove in…
Unfortunately, I can’t open the videos, telling me that the “plug in is not supported” it may just be my operating system preventing me from seeing them… Anyone else have the same problem ?
Fergie47:
…
Unfortunately, I can’t open the videos, telling me that the “plug in is not supported” it may just be my operating system preventing me from seeing them… Anyone else have the same problem ?
You need to install or update Adobe Flash Player. The updater is rubbish, though. Sometimes it works, sometimes it does not. This phenomenon is well known.
Try clicking the YouTube icon in the bottom left corner of the video. That should open a new window of YouTube.
Here’s another that I found- a man struggling with the aforementioned Tricoteuse gearbox:
Evening all,
Well I would love to view, "young Davids " videos…but my old equipment, coupled with an old and addled brain preclude me so doing…pity!
Fergie, those are some great pictures and really handsome lorries. The big old bonneted Berliets, Unics, et al had real presence on the road. The bonneted tractor is a delight to drive, (unless you are “wriggling” into a tight constrained spot…then you have to be very aware of how much is sticking out front! Their demise was really brought about by the impending Common Market legislation standardising maximum overall length, and later axle weights. The cab over began to lead sales in France from the early `60s, with spectacular offerings from Pelpel, (Bernard), and Cottard, (Willeme), as well as the offerings of Berliet with its superb Relax cab, and Saviem with its Euro cab. Dear old Unic somehow lost its visual attraction with its Geneve offering, (later adopted by Mack, as the TRGX picture from Michel). Yet when Unic was forced to adopt its new parents fixed Fiat cabin…it shot out to Geneve, and made it tilt, a beautiful driving environment…wonder why Fiat never adopted that version for its, and OMs heavies?
But for looks, give me a “capot”, those long bonnets are great to view, either from the kerb, or from the drivers seat…guess which one I prefer!
Cheerio for now.
Saviem:
… Yet when Unic was forced to adopt its new parents fixed Fiat cabin…it shot out to Geneve, and made it tilt, a beautiful driving environment…wonder why Fiat never adopted that version for its, and OMs heavies?
…Cheerio for now.
They did fit the Unic tilt cab to OMs, in addition to the Unic V85S engine. Maybe it was a complete Unic, but with a badge change?
IIRC, ace TNUK contributor Tiptop495 mentioned that OMs were marketed in the Benelux countries. If I am right, then it gives a clue as to why the tilt cab and V8 engine was not fitted to Fiat-badged lorries (before 1975). I speculate that OM was perceived as a more upmarket brand than Fiat (or, indeed, Unic, at least in Belgium and the Netherlands!), so it was OM which got the best cab and engine (or it was an OM badge which adorned the top-specification vehicle). I leave that hypothesis to your superior marketing experience…
On a more technical note, I wonder how much of the Geneve engineering found its way onto the 1975-onwards Fiat tilt cab?
Berliet TLM with "Relaxe"cab.
Hey Anorak, Italy was a closed market and so Fiat had nothing to do. that’s why other marques from the mid '70’s on sold very well and Fiat had to hurry to update.
OM had an other braking system, and an other tandem (6x4), but have no experciance with that so at the other (Saviem) to explain the details.
Here a pic how the Izoard 340 was sold in Germany, as Fiat and LOOK at the roof hatch.
Don’t know if it was a realy Unic or an OM or if there were more differences ■■?
This model gave Fiat the start to sell more and more truck on the German market, and of course helped
by a lot of old dealers of disappeared German marques, who were looking for something new.
As gave some old Krupp dealers Scania a boost.
Eric,
They also sold them in Russia in 6x4…
Through the importer “Mannes” they sold some in Belgium.
This 6x2 was sold in Swiss by the importer Thommen :
