I’m still here reading this [emoji1360]
nomiS36:
I’m still here reading this [emoji1360]
Here, here! 
Robert
I like die hard blokes . And it’s good to have you on this thread that Wirlinmerlin started !!! Backsplice ,so keep going !!! my contract with T/A was not renewed ,after 2,1/2 years ? , and with the UK in recession , I had to look elsewhere , Fortunately I found that GCC ,Dammam had a position for a ■■■■■■■ engineer I applied and got the job working there for 18 months, I had my wife and kids out there the experience for the family was incredible , there’s plenty of tails " but that’s another Storie" Then I was approached by TASECO , TMS , who where looking for a Product Engineer for there ARAMCO ,Contract with ■■■■■■■ ERFs. 185 trucks that went all over KSA , and none other than Wirlinmerlin worked there as operations manager ■■ This was how it was , with out going into to much detail my work life was all about trucks and good blokes who worked out under that Sun ,Trans Arabia was an extension of my employment with S Jones ,that ended in Dammam , but the memories there , makes the pen write the true Stories for all the lads past & present , I am glad that you all find it interesting !! as I do yours , and John West , Flying home on BA with the sound of Jerusalem blareing out was a privilege ,ps thanks to nomi S36 Ron
THESE POST S are the most informative ,interesting, out of them all," because we never done it" and you men did!!..in fact all of you who write about the Middle east ,on all the different topics, and companies you all worked with ,were just that little bit different from the rest of us plodders.
You had the sense of adventure,and perhaps you did not re-lise it ,yes I know some of you were highly skilled men and not just" lorry drivers “and had skills the companies out there needed to keep them afloat, and were in the right place at the right time ,but you went and looked for it, not that many men have that vision, I did not, however I get it now!, by all your writings and photographs ,yes I travelled the “world” before maybe all of you… but then drifted into lorry’s and would I have gone to middle east to work on lorries ,no thank you very much.” not my job" was how i was in the 1970s unionised. SO that what I admire about you men who did work in those not -good conditions were the right men for the job…
I visit this thread almost every day. I appreciate your comments Ron and all the other contributors. Not sure I would have survived the heat. Regards, Johnny
Ron, I visit this thread daily without fail. It is enthralling.
I drove lorries overland to the Arabian Gulf and North Africa, but the work you lads did on ‘internals’ was a different game entirely. Fortunately, I even had the opportunity of discussing such things with the recently late Gordon Pierce of Astran and Whitetrux fame – he too, did ‘internals’ as his fabulous book records. And I remember working with a driver who spent 7 years on ‘internals’ in Saudi and loved it, when I was doing the North Africa run for DTS.
You chaps on Trans Arabia were a pretty amazing and resilient lot! I’ve spent many happy hours with the likes of Jerry Cooke and enjoyed discussions with ‘Gypsy’ Dave Anslow and Vince Cooke who you’ll remember. And I’ve certainly enjoyed blogging with the other players like Ken Broster, who have contributed so much to this thread.
To me, this thread is a celebration of British grit in the Arabian deserts; a celebration of S Jones’s brave Middle-East venture; a celebration of the true potential of ERF trucks of the day (the ERF NGC model in particular!); and a celebration of how we were in the great history of the TIR-trail.
I’ve lived and worked in the Middle-East both as a trucker and a teacher (separately of course), so I know a lot more about what you chaps were up against than perhaps many observers on here.
Ron, I certainly salute all of you who drove, repaired, maintained, operated, managed and purchased for the great Trans Arabia operation.
And I would add to that: the same goes for those sister operations in Jeddah and Dammam (Backsplice take note)!
Gawd bless the loddaya!
Robert
I reckon that I was pretty well acclimatized before I went out like DBP I was at sea for quite a while too so was used to say that kind of life ■■ I gave up the sea and almost right away hit the road being over 21 and there were no HGV licenses at that time and believe me there were no flash lorries in them days what with power steering heater s etc a big over coat was the norm in winter however I got fed up with that and went back to sea for another few trips ■■?
Back on the road again it must get in the blood !!! anyway word was about in the mid 70,s buzzing with talk of the overland adventures to Tehran etc a late Pal of mine Wullie Kaye from Dundee bought I believe an old Big J or maybe an ERF can,t recall around 76 from memory drove a load overland then stayed on in Saudi for quite some time working internal now he WAS a Worthy anyway I heard a whisper during 77 about this mob SARAMAT trying to recruit experienced HGV drivers so I investigated and it was being organised by an agency I applied and never heard so wrote it off I was driving an Atki Borderer (220 ■■■■■■■ Ron ) for Elgin transport so had a pretty decent job anyway . One night (luckily I was at home and not down the road )the phone rang about midnight it was Dave Turk ( from Kent ) he was a big wheel with SARAMAT anyway the voice said " do you still want a job in Saudi ■■ " when I said I was styill interested and before I knew it I was down in London (expenses paid for an interview) when that was over I asked what was the story then do I have a job or not and was told we,ll be in touch and … I,ll see you in Jeddah that was that my fate was sealed .so to speak and Monty duly arrived in Jeddah
I’ve read every post of this thread and really admire what you fellas got up to. Thing is I feel like I started driving not long after adventurous trucking had finished so I feel I missed out!
I knew British firms went overland to the Middle East, my dad did one or two in the early 70’s but I had no idea there was British based firms with ‘depots’ permanently based there!!!
I know it would have been hard and sweaty work but I’d have loved to be in the situation where the boss came to me and said “we’re expanding to the Middle East and need drivers out there…”
I’d be happy with just having the euro driving ‘adventure’ but even that’s more or less finished now, thanks mainly to the Eastern European country’s.
Anyway, keep up the posts about this fascinating subject and especially the evocative photos, especially of the brilliant trucks doing their thing.
Good to see this thread continuing and we welcome new readers like Nomi. All are welcome to contribute with interesting stories and pictures. Although the thread started with it’s subject " Trans Arabia" I feel a bit of diversity has added to its attraction and prevented it from tailing off.
I am aware that Ken Broster has a wealth of interesting stories and many photographs of those days of yore. I think we should all encourage him to dig out and blow the dust of his old albums in the interests of posterity. Ken, if you are reading this, see what you can do? I am happy to assist with any difficulties of getting pictures up and on line.
I am still in touch with John D. Longhorn. He was an owner driver on internal stuff and worked hand in glove with John West for some ten years! If you are every near Diss, he owns and runs the Horseshoes pub which is located on the A143, a couple of miles outside the centre. You will always find him orating from behind the bar in his own politically incorrect sort of way!. He is a mine of amazing tales. I will give him a poke(!) and see if I can get him to contribute.
Keep up the good work one and all.
If you mean Billingford Horseshoes, I live 6 miles from there. I first went to KSA in March 1979 to Jeddah, as a welder, sub-contracted to Raytheon, installing steelwork in TV studios on a Mole next to the de-salination plant in the harbour area. I went straight from there to Doha, working in the new Qatar National Theatre. Both cities were relatively primitive at the time - in Doha the Gulf Hotel was the highest building, and the new Jeddah International Airport, on the way to the Creek was still under construction. They were burying old piston planes in trenches in the first airport and the fire-engines were just left.
After 6 months I had a Spell in London, then in August I was based in Baghdad fitting out TV studios in Kirkuk,Mosul and Basrah. I had 6 months there and must admit it was pretty hair raising at times, though nothing like it is now.
Having spent Ramadam out there I have complete admiration for you guys, because you have to experience the extreme weather conditions to realise what it must have been like to work on engines and transmissions in the relentless heat. I left a pair of Ray-bans on the dash of our Dodge Ram, and it went to the crusher with them welded into the plastic.
Please keep your marvelous stories coming, cos I looked on Google Earth the other day and I wouldn’t know any of these places now. Jim.
Glad to have you on board JMC. Well I never! That’s the Horseshoes pub I mentioned. Go in there and tell J.D.Longhorn that Martin Mears is coming down to collect the money he owes…and get the pictures back!!
Hello JMC ,Welding in Jeddah ? That must have been hot work !! Tell us more !!! The Mac trucks had a problem with the rear boggy sub frame cracking down the seem this was due to off road driving to King Solomans mine , JD and I, stick welded them back together using special rods ? I seem to remember the steel had some impurities in its make up. But the job was a good un , lying down under the back axles getting good penetration vertical , " Mirlin was good at that ". I write smiling , the welding sparks went in our ear holes you know what I meen , ? the most burns I had was ! Burning open a Chub Safe in Damman it was as big as a tea chest ,that was full off King Fiezals ,I did it after filling it with water on its back through the Key hole , and never burnt a rat, one inch thick with a back plate on , I looked asif I had got the Pox ? !!! No comments please Mirlin , Ron
Just to prove sometimes it .issed down. Then life was exciting in a different sort of way.
Included is a picture of one of those gaily coloured but murderous Tonkers, under a set of wheels I nearly ended my days courtesy of Ronaldo-I never give way-Awkins!
Also, to give Ronaldo a bit of a laugh, a photo of that very famous tee shirt and those equally famous and well derided clogs!
The trouble was, that because there was so little rain, the roads lacked both camber and storm drains, a combination which mitigated against any provision for road transport during the rare downpours. And don’t suppose anything has changed since the Trans Arabia chaps were doing it in the '70s! 
PS Nice pic there of a TA B-series at work. Robert
Great photo, you poseur [emoji23]
I bet you’re glad you had the foresight to take loads of pictures because a lot of people don’t and regret it later. I take loads of pictures but it’s easier these days with digital cameras. I had a year driving round Europe buying smashed cars, mostly land rovers in the early 90’s before digi cameras and hardly took any photos which I regret now.
TMS , You poseur git you !!! ,I remember it well ,who would not do the washing up , the sink was full of yogurt cartons I had to use that ERF. Lighter you pinched off me to light up the "METHANE " to get things rollin Har Har Ron. Burnt all the airs of my arse but we had a laugh ,
Great photos, great memories, great thread.
The photo of rain in Al Khobar reminds me that Indians were employed to water the grass centre strips between the carriageways. After one of these downpours, the water was about 9’’ deep across the road and the centre strip. Sure enough, the Indian was still there, ankle deep, watering the water!
John
Maybe Backsplice you will remember the blue Lagoon Jeddah with the Queens building in the background , looks good ? But you have to smell the place to really appreciate it !!! And just for Wests memoirs ,a couple of Tins
Hiya Backsplice,
Missed your earlier comments about a Barrovian who did internals and now has a corner shop. Doesn’t ring any bells with me, but Barrow’s the kind of town where if you’re not actually related, you usually know somebody they know…
John.
ronhawk:
Maybe Backsplice you will remember the blue Lagoon Jeddah with the Queens building in the background , looks good ? But you have to smell the place to really appreciate it !!! And just for Wests memoirs ,a couple of Tins
Ah, the lagoon! Why did we park near it? I’m lucky not to have got malaria, never mind mozzy bites! Must have been because it was in walking distance of the ‘Medinah’ hotel, where all the Brits used to monopolise the settees for the evening and drink tea with warm milk!
As for the ‘Raid’, as Ginger used to say ’ I don’t know about the f****** flies - it’s certainly killing me!’
Merlin, hope you can get JD Longhorn to add some memories and photos on here.
John.