Perkins

Odd name for a young lady.

Just tried a picture!! After the war the only choice of a light diesel was either a Perkins P6 or hercules RXC? which was mostly fitted to Diamond "T"s, the above picture is of a Perkins P6 fitted to an army GMC owned by Jim and Stan Martins Overland Transport driven by old mate Ernie warner, his wife by the side. Beer was transported in wooden kegs and bottled beer in straw sleeves in wooden boxes each weighing one cwt each, as a kid I could lift one no sweat, if I tried it now I would be in traction for a month. These engines were also fitted to Kew dodges, cold started by Ki-gas, an improvement over a burning rolled up newspaper held over the intake, the surest way was to park on a hill!! There were maybe 10 semi's on the Alice Darwin road as Darwin supplies came by ship and fed Katherine, Alice by train so there was not much need for through freight.
Tennant was srved by Dave Baldock with his Diamond "T" and Federal road trains and Jack Litchfield with GMC 6x6 semi's, Alan Alright, aka Windy aka the breeze had two Ford semi's with an engine hanging on a chain fall in Darwin as they burnt out regularly, a few owner drivers with ex-army fords and lend-lease Chevy's.

This was a typical outfit, no rego, no license, no rules.

One of Windy' Fords driven by Don Masson, his wife sitting on the step

One of Baldocks trucks, we always stopped for a yarn or boil the billy if we saw another truck coming, no huury!

Old mate Ernie Warner, I offsided with him for a good while, totally compatable, he drank and I didn't, he would time it to get to Daly Waters Hotel on Monday night where the bus drivers stayed, get wasted while I drank my sasapareller, when the pub closed he would climb up into the mailbags and flake out, I would go on to Laramah, unload the mail into the rail car with Ernie gradually ending up on the floor dead to the world, I would continue on until daylight, stop and boil the billy as ernie emerged with a terrible thirst, never woke up on the floor of the trailer, we drove the ^ cylinder gardne so was the biggest truck going right through to Darwin, we would stop at the bottom of the barrow jumpup wher a few trucks were waiting for dark and a bit cooler, one would take off and we would hear the engine die down then pick up and we would know it was over the top, then the next one would go, we were last as we were the :big iron" at the time and could help if needed, even so I was the one carrying a large rock alongside to jam under the drive wheel if we didn't make it, then someone came up with the bright idea of dragging a spare tyre on a short rope behind the drive wheel as a chock if needed. Ernie eventually ended up driving the fastest milk cart in the West.

Then the O'Neils bought the Fodens into the Territory, this one of Bob Foster carting for Kittle Bros, heavy crude oil to Tennant for the mines, he later was one of the first to drive for fleetowners, we were good mates on the road, often spending too much time in the pub when we met up on the road, ended up building roads all over the top end for ABM, wrote a couple of good books on life on the road in the early days.

Peter Wheatly aka weatbix, drove for many years for Baldocks with their Diamond"T"s and Federals, drove this Inter L180 for "Pop" Coulson in the earlt '50's, first new Inter in the Territory.

atke, just noticed your comment, love the dry humour, getting old and missed it!