As you say the memory grows foggy, but I also remember visiting a Swiss camp with Ginger O’Neill. It may or may not have been yours at Al Ghat.
As usual, we were made very welcome and offered a bed for the night and an evening meal.
We sat down for dinner and a large bowl of what I can only describe as ‘muesli’ was placed in the centre of the table. All the Swiss took large helpings and chatted with us in English.
Ginger and I took slightly smaller helpings. Ginger’s observation was something like ‘I don’t want to fill up on this before the steak.’
There was no steak. The muesli was it! We couldn’t believe it.
John West:
Thanks Robert. As said, was quite good selling containers in Arabic, but could listen to the news and only catch one word in ten!
Your Egyptian will be more help than me Jimski, but with google’s help found an arabic typewriter.
سآرآمآت
Ignore the little tildes at the top of the 'a’s (the letters that look like l)
Having not formally studied Arabic, I’ve never understood what they do.
More help needed Robert!
Also a translation. Leader?
Merlin, I think you’ve trumped us all on the rock formation! Didn’t know it existed.
I remember as we came down from cruising altitude in the thrice weekly overnight VC10 flight (as opposed to the daily Paddy Zulu 747 - BA really spoilt us didn’t they!) looking down with Peter Best and seeing mile after mile of green lushness and not being able to figure it out at all - we only seemed to see sand and thorn bushes when driving!
Maybe we were above your huge oasis?
John.
The Arabic script simply spells out the word: Saramat. Robert
This is for Jimski … its about the best shot of logo on the pc I,ll look in the shoebox later its myself (R) and Brian ? from Humberside …the Arabic did say just that …SARAMAT which of course in turn meant "Saudi Arabian Road And Maritime Transport " the image with the tilt I have posted before …we seemed to have hijacked wirlinmerlin ,s thread … inshahla
Backspice- No problem. Keep all and anything coming.
As for the lingo, I became as proficient as I was ever to become in about the first week. (Disgraceful!)
Hami! Hami! Yella! Yella! seemed to echo about the place a lot followed closely by-
Maffi problemo sideek!
Masalarma.
And that’s about the limit if it! Ha Ha!
I got round my short comings with the nationals by starting any conversation with-----(and spoken in a cut glass accent)---------------" Excuse me!"… Pause!)…“Do you speak English?”
It seemed often to do the trick. As well as amusing my associates of course.
This sign was in big print, Trans arabia had a big piece of cardboard on a broom stale !! Greeting the lads coming back off leave. The British Airways girls pointed To it , and smiled as they walked by Though the crowded arrival hall, We loved to see them,I mean,the girls, the lads had not deserted us, This was Down town Jedda the old airport, we where out numbered by the jumbo’s of Air India and Pakistan the all landed round the same time .the stuf they brought with them was incredible rarely a sute case, blankets tide up with the 4 corners in to a big ball ?To get behind them when we came in was a night mare .Dried fish and bread was the norm.rapped up in like yellow leaves Going out Blyme they had gas cookers fridges and even gas bottles ? No wonder a Try Star got burnt out on the runway !I heard they had been cooking some food in the Isle ■■ I came in on Bac 1-11 Jedda was flooded at the time if any of the lads where on that flight let me know? We where all singing Land of Hope and Glory black and brown dense cloud outside condensation dripping inside!! I well remember the blue Lagoon, It was a breading pool for all things horrible ? Even Henry Moors sculpture had a hole in it ?see photo!! There used to be a fish market opposite ,had sharks jaw bones hanging from the tarpaulin shade ing, the chopping blocks ,the “aroma” of the place. Reminds me of that sewerage pipe that was blocked up in damman where an Indian chap was in the man hole up to his neck in you know what , But that’s what Jedder was made off ■■?
The cross roads just up from us ,the traffic was brilliant , the horns where continually blowing .the coppers with truncheons kept hitting the car roof trying to make them stop it , I am smiling just thinking about it, they had an island with a big pile of horns on it , as if to say ? You blow it !! It will get cut off , Trans Arabia ,the lads where fantastic , , we used to get a film and projector and have a showing on the white washed wall in the back yard of our villa on a friday it’s all coming back to me now!!! Here’s a photo of the BOSS He is the one on the left , Sorry about the quality of the shot. Ron
ronhawk:
Trans Arabia. No beer, no birds and no bonus.
This sign was in big print, Trans arabia had a big piece of cardboard on a broom stale !! Greeting the lads coming back off leave. The British Airways girls pointed To it , and smiled as they walked by Though the crowded arrival hall, We loved to see them,I mean,the girls, the lads had not deserted us, This was Down town Jedda the old airport, we where out numbered by the jumbo’s of Air India and Pakistan the all landed round the same time .the stuf they brought with them was incredible rarely a sute case, blankets tide up with the 4 corners in to a big ball ?To get behind them when we came in was a night mare .Dried fish and bread was the norm.rapped up in like yellow leaves Going out Blyme they had gas cookers fridges and even gas bottles ? No wonder a Try Star got burnt out on the runway !I heard they had been cooking some food in the Isle ■■ I came in on Bac 1-11 Jedda was flooded at the time if any of the lads where on that flight let me know? We where all singing Land of Hope and Glory black and brown dense cloud outside condensation dripping inside!! I well remember the blue Lagoon, It was a breading pool for all things horrible ? Even Henry Moors sculpture had a hole in it ?see photo!! There used to be a fish market opposite ,had sharks jaw bones hanging from the tarpaulin shade ing, the chopping blocks ,the “aroma” of the place. Reminds me of that sewerage pipe that was blocked up in damman where an Indian chap was in the man hole up to his neck in you know what , But that’s what Jedder was made off ■■?
The cross roads just up from us ,the traffic was brilliant , the horns where continually blowing .the coppers with truncheons kept hitting the car roof trying to make them stop it , I am smiling just thinking about it, they had an island with a big pile of horns on it , as if to say ? You blow it !! It will get cut off , Trans Arabia ,the lads where fantastic , , we used to get a film and projector and have a showing on the white washed wall in the back yard of our villa on a friday it’s all coming back to me now!!! Here’s a photo of the BOSS He is the one on the left , Sorry about the quality of the shot. Ron
Great Ron
The picture is outside our family villa - I am stood with Patrick my son who is 39 tomorrow!!! The other guy is Taffe Bill - I think you came with a Mack and I have a picture of Patrick sitting behind the wheel
backsplice:
This is for Jimski … its about the best shot of logo on the pc I,ll look in the shoebox later its myself (R) and Brian ? from Humberside …the Arabic did say just that …SARAMAT which of course in turn meant "Saudi Arabian Road And Maritime Transport " the image with the tilt I have posted before …we seemed to have hijacked wirlinmerlin ,s thread … inshahla
Many thanks Backsplice don’t think I’ve seen one of their tilts before.
I think it would make a great model with the trilex wheels and all !! If you find anything useful in the shoebox please post !
Regards Jimski
Driving along this mountain road going south ,The further you went the more your skills where called for, the Eaton twin splitter ,was the right box for this terrain 350 miles of steep down grades ,sheer drops, Tonkers coming on strong, loaded to the gunnels With cement etc, no wonder there where wrecks every where , you could see they where over loaded.
Ronhawk, I deffo don’t wish to catch you out or call your memories into question, but I am keen to know if you really meant Twin-splitters. Firstly, I completely agree that an Eaton Twin-splitter would be a perfect 'box for the terrain in my opinion; but surely Trans Arabia ERFs of that period all had either 9-speed Fullers (the 5MW-cabbed ones, some of the 7MW-cabbed ones and the 6x4 B-series ones) or 13-speed Fullers (the rest!). The 9 and 13 speed Fullers would have been even more perfect (IMHO) for the terrain, so I’m agreeing with you 100% on that front. What I’m getting at is: did TA eventually have E-series ERFs with Twin-splitters? Thanks for your wonderfully evocative descriptions, Ron. Cheers! Robert
I have just found out via ‘E R F’ that the five ERF NGC 7MWs that were supplied in 1977 to Falcon Freight of Dubai, were in fact sent to Jeddah. Now whether that was so that they could be driven on to Dubai, given that the Gulf was blockaded, or whether the ERFs were destined for Falcon Freight’s operations in Jeddah is not clear.
One thing is clear: Saramat, CAMEL (P&O) and Trans Arabia did work out of Jeddah. Furthermore, both CAMEL and Trans Arabia ran ERF NGCs and B-series. So it would come as no surprise to me to find that Falcon Freight ran its ERF NGCs out of Jeddah! Can any of you who ran ‘internals’ in Saudi remember anything about the Falcon Freight ERFs? Robert
robert1952:
I have just found out via ‘E R F’ that the five ERF NGC 7MWs that were supplied in 1977 to Falcon Freight of Dubai, were in fact sent to Jeddah. Now whether that was so that they could be driven on to Dubai, given that the Gulf was blockaded, or whether the ERFs were destined for Falcon Freight’s operations in Jeddah is not clear.
One thing is clear: Saramat, CAMEL (P&O) and Trans Arabia did work out of Jeddah. Furthermore, both CAMEL and Trans Arabia ran ERF NGCs and B-series. So it would come as no surprise to me to find that Falcon Freight ran its ERF NGCs out of Jeddah! Can any of you who ran ‘internals’ in Saudi remember anything about the Falcon Freight ERFs? Robert
Robert
Fuller - Ron is better placed to comment than me all I know is that the 4 pre A series had straight 6 David Brown boxes which pulled some real weight on local work - you should have seen the groves in the top of the rear axle casting rubbed in by the 5th wheel base etc
Falcon Freight - a company that I am aware of although I thought they were overland operators - did not see them around Jeddah - if they had have been they would have been looking for spares and we were the ones with them and sold quite a lot - at good margins!! Although there were plenty ■■■■■■■ spares at GCC whom we bought the Kenworths from
Thinking a bit more - they may have shipped them to Jeddah as that’s where the Felixstowe Ro Ro service ran to - they could have driven them overland to Dubai but the paperwork would have been hell - still cannot remember them being about
robert1952:
I have just found out via ‘E R F’ that the five ERF NGC 7MWs that were supplied in 1977 to Falcon Freight of Dubai, were in fact sent to Jeddah. Now whether that was so that they could be driven on to Dubai, given that the Gulf was blockaded, or whether the ERFs were destined for Falcon Freight’s operations in Jeddah is not clear.
One thing is clear: Saramat, CAMEL (P&O) and Trans Arabia did work out of Jeddah. Furthermore, both CAMEL and Trans Arabia ran ERF NGCs and B-series. So it would come as no surprise to me to find that Falcon Freight ran its ERF NGCs out of Jeddah! Can any of you who ran ‘internals’ in Saudi remember anything about the Falcon Freight ERFs? Robert
Hi Robert … 77/78 can’t recall Falcon freight only ERF ,s I remember were Cunard
Also as Ronhawk said TONKAs loaded to the max and beyond with cement try and count this lot !!! also note the rope work ■■?
and here is another Trans Arabia I came across !! might have put it up before but can,t remember
robert1952:
I have just found out via ‘E R F’ that the five ERF NGC 7MWs that were supplied in 1977 to Falcon Freight of Dubai, were in fact sent to Jeddah. Now whether that was so that they could be driven on to Dubai, given that the Gulf was blockaded, or whether the ERFs were destined for Falcon Freight’s operations in Jeddah is not clear.
One thing is clear: Saramat, CAMEL (P&O) and Trans Arabia did work out of Jeddah. Furthermore, both CAMEL and Trans Arabia ran ERF NGCs and B-series. So it would come as no surprise to me to find that Falcon Freight ran its ERF NGCs out of Jeddah! Can any of you who ran ‘internals’ in Saudi remember anything about the Falcon Freight ERFs? Robert
Hi Robert … 77/78 can’t recall Falcon freight only ERF ,s I remember were Cunard
Also as Ronhawk said TONKAs loaded to the max and beyond with cement try and count this lot !!! also note the rope work ■■?
and here is another Trans Arabia I came across !! might have put it up before but can,t remember
Cheers Backsplice! I’ve been enjoying your Saramat input. Robert
Robert , sorry to have sent you round the Wrekin so to Speak, with my twin shift eaton ? It was of course the Eaton. Fuller 9s I should have said ,but when I get into top gear, with double de clutch i can sometimes grate a gear, when changing down ,if the clutch Stop needs adjusting ? in my case !! photo of my ■■■■■■■ exibit next to star commercials ERF, my son Mark is second on the left with the trail blazer T shirt on, hotel in Damman S/A. I was always proud to be associated With our ERF s. Ron
ronhawk:
Robert , sorry to have sent you round the Wrekin so to Speak, with my twin shift eaton ? It was of course the Eaton. Fuller 9s I should have said ,but when I get into top gear, with double de clutch i can sometimes grate a gear, when changing down ,if the clutch Stop needs adjusting ? in my case !! photo of my ■■■■■■■ exibit next to star commercials ERF, my son Mark is second on the left with the trail blazer T shirt on, hotel in Damman S/A. I was always proud to be associated With our ERF s. Ron
Can anyone remember the series of small flyovers going into Riyahd from the Jeddah end that were,nt quite rounded (bump bump bump as you went over them …from memory near the Intercontinental Hotel … I had a scare on one with an overtaking Tonka on my first trip he was so close my RHF wheel struck the edge barrier luckily it just glanced or I could have rolled ■■? does,nt bare thinking about I was just getting comfy with the LHD too !!! also about that time I was introduced to the Egyptian owners of a small supermarket close to the hotel car park which we used as a meeting place (camp site ■■) who used to translate our delivery papers and on many occasion phone the drop and arranged a guide …very handy too I might add and they stocked good stuff (groceries I mean )
Jedda early 80’s I was on leave , when a ship called The Snow Ball , docked at Jedda port ?now directly opposite our house lived Mary &Bill Hooper ,there son Paul was a engineer on this ship, my mate Jonnie Davies got a port pass and took him to our villa and showed him round the town ,returning to the ship JD had a thirst quenching beer lucky lad , Back at work picking up box’s you may get 2-20ftcontainers of soft drinks This may be 40ton ,dropping these off round the streets was a bit cramped at times ,and occasionally and unfortunately the trailer legs would disappear down some old cellars when pulling out from under the trailer,but Jedda was an old town who knows what was underneath ? There was always something going on before we had the Trailer park. Photo outside our Villa Ron
Working for GCC as ■■■■■■■ engineer, i had a phone call from a oil rig manager in Al Hufuf about 100mls south of Damman ?knowing and seeing the massive GOS 7 oil installation near Damman I thought Bloody hell!! The site manager said he had got a problem with a ■■■■■■■ engine ?and can I go down !! At the time I had a land rover Lwb Safari much better than KBsBlazer, ■■? I Tooled up drove down nearing Hufuf, I found the area was greenish shrubs scraggy grass and up and down hot and dusty , different from the vast open planes with sand dunes which to me was more pleasing to the eye, Finding the oil rig eventually ,I got to understand the problem ,the engine is the work horse, on all these rigs, gen set, winch, drill and blower ,MVS governor fitted to the fuel pump , and was hunting at idle , it was very important that the engine could be controlled to give a smooth and even Idle at 800rpm ,this was to enable a probe to be lowered down the bore hole at a very précis slow speed giving of information to the manager, as to the state of the drilling ,the censure was very high tec even reading the gas emissions from adepth of 1000 ft or more . The one thing that I remember about this trip was ? That I had a frozen tin of 7 up on the dash of the L/R and this exploded up the windscreen and left a sticky mess. Photos of the KW c500 deep sand oil rigs ,very impressive, p/s. the wheel Bearing on the n/s/r. looks a bit doggy ? That would soon get picked up at, Trans Arabia.■■? Much more civilized on the oil rich east side. The Yanks have certainly got it sewn up.Working for TMS I repaired a Merc for a girl in Aramco she was a dental nurse ,the head gasket had blown.the engine Aloy block was corroded I incerted coper pipe into the water galleries and built it back up with a two pack metal It was a big dark blue saloon ,vertical twin head lights it was ready to be scraped, she loved that car and was really great full,having a pass into Aramco was a different world,surrounded by high wall security gates with Gards it was a little America, supermarket women driving massive food hall, bacon pork every thing that you could want , I got an Invitation from a nurse To St/ Pats Day party, I took my mate Gogy what a surprise he called in on a overland trip from UK They dressed us in bikinis with wigs and lip stick,what a great time we had, the girls loved us ,we where 'drinking green sadeky it was a fantastic night I could not have taken better bloke. Ps. I relined his front end for a safe trip south, Ron
