It's 'News from Uganda' time again as Biglorryblog's 'Good Man in Africa' Jerry Burley reports to us on old Fiats still roaming free in Africa. i suspect JB has probably given up on me ever posting up these pictures of (in his words) "Flower Power Fiats still smoking like a hippy's reefer!" Or should that be a hippo's reefer? Anyroad up I've clearly been testing his patience for far too long so here they are in all their Italian colonial glory...
He tells me he spotted: "Nine of these together outside just one Inland Container Depot (ICD)."
And here's a crack local team of contract maintenance providers... Or as Jerry describes them: "Couple more prowling for a load. Ancient shunters that don't leave town any more and as can be seen by the three grubby mechanics who spent the day under one, beginning to show their age!"
It makes you wonder who was the salesman who sold them all into this part of Africa. Clearly he did well...
Considering their age, and the fact they're Fiats the cabs on these two look pretty good! Must be the lack of salt on the roads. It probably doesn't snow too often in Uganda either eh Jerry?
Typical Italian 6x2 rear-steer spec too. I suspect the boxes contain Jerry's beer supply for the week... (Whoa! Walk away from that one BLB).
And click through here for one more...
Meanwhile, it's 'Rush Hour' at the Uganda ICD... And if you haven't read jerry's recent comment regarding Captain Scarlet and Spectrum Pursuit Vehicles I can heartily recommend it for a good laugh...!
Well their workshop isnt the latest, but those fellas certainly keep the old lorries looking good.
More info on the fiats JB saw in uganda.
These originated from ethiopia when fiat had an assembly plant there. So many unusual axle configs were made up to 8x2 with 2 lift axles.
Theres still many running between khartoum in sudan and ethiopia hauling fuel with an addition 2 axle trailer just to keep the engine on song.
David Cardow
Sudan