Mike,

On my trip I found somethink deadlier to game than a land cruiser.

The big Bore of big bores are the 53.5 meter long road trains which frequent outback QLD & NT. I saw numerous cows on the road which were struck by road trains and the exceeded there dimensions to say the least

PC

They are good to behind when driving at night on unfenced highways if the road train is driving slow or fast enough .

The cattle just come through as mince meat

I have seen those on TV!!! here in the states we have nothing like that. A sight to see, and I bet those drivers are crazzy

"Roadtrains"????

PC
We had a roadtrain (a big truck with 3-4 trailers on the back Nick) hit a big Buff bull outside our base last year. The buff ended up very dead and the prime mover suffered alot of damage (axels,diff, bull bar and such) . Driver was ok though. It didn't take long for the horns to disapear either!

Bakes

Bakes,

first things first, thanks for the video I will watch it tommorrow.

Nickudu, I have a copy of your vid via Bakes I will watch it tommorow

Smallfry, yeah the drivers of the road trains are a breed apart all they need is a steady diet of Den Dogs and coffee

I should have a pic of one on my film Nic I will pick up the pics on cd tomorrow and post a pic of the road train to you if you like.

Nitro we got behind a road train after before Cloncurry and followed it into the Burke & Wills Road house better the roadd train making rissoles out of the cattle than stuffing my Toyota

[ 06-11-2003, 16:59: Message edited by: PC ]

Nick... they are kinda like semi's here but with many more wheeles, modified tanks and they tow 4 or so trailers at a time. I saw a show on TV and these truckers they showed were real rough necks. They would drive long miles in the outback at very high rates of speed sometimes hauling 160 tons.

The main road from Alice Springs to Darwin is not very wide - about 1 1/2 vehicle widths - or at least that's what it feels like (unless things have changed in the last 20 years !!!). When the road train is coming the other way you GET OFF THE ROAD, and let them have right-a-way.

They can travel at 100 kms a hour or faster - there is no maximum speed limit in the Northern Territory.

I remember one time travelling from Katherine to Kununurra having the windscreen covered with dust and the evening sunset made it opague just as a road train was approaching from the other direction. Next to no visibility so I decided the white marker posts were softer than the truck. Luckily missed them. Then my mate whose vehicle it was wouldn't let me clean the windscreen with an old T-shirt (as he still used to wear it - no rags) so used a hankey to clean the windscreen. Jeez did he want to live or not!

Another story I was told by a mate working in the pub at Barrow Creek. A couple of ... ahem ... Aboriginals in their alcoholic daze decided the highway bitumen was a warm place to sleep in the night. Roadtrains have a long braking distance and one of them got squashed. He said "pity it didn't get b...". I won't finish that one.

Not on topic but a "fun" story. Further North in Tennant Creek he told us to stop off in the Topless bar in the town (as you will). And check out the toilets and look for bullet holes. A couple of blokes had gone to have a p#&% and got in a fight over something (he he maybe a pissing match). One pulled a knife, and the other a .38 and shot him several times. His mates then propped the dead bloke up against the wall outside and went back to drinking.

People in Tennant Creek used to wear handguns openly on their hips until the early 1970s and the Aborigines were myalls or wild there up to the 1930s. Some used to be cannibals.

Elliot is another choice small town North of Alice Springs. It used to be (perhaps still is) only about 30 buildings - a pub, cop shop, service station, a dole office, probably a supermarket and a few houses, but used to have up to 15 murders a year in it (between the Aborigines).

I guess now the 4WD city types have changed the NT outback a lot - Bakes - is this so?

[ 06-11-2003, 18:15: Message edited by: NitroX ]

Gotcha ... Thanks. We have double trailers here in the east but I've not seen more (?) ... maybe out west, where the road conditions are more similar to the outback.

Story ... one time, in Wyoming, my hunting partner and I came across a bloody skid mark at least 300 feet long, at the end of which, was a bloated steer, just off the road. We stopped to take each others picture, with rifle in hand and one foot up on the "trophy". Wouldn't you know, a State Police car just happens along, slows down a bit and then speeds on, with the cop laughing his ass off and shaking his head from side to side.
Down the road a piece, we came upon the tractor trailor that done the deed, totally out of commission, with more front-end damage than one would ever imagine.

I've seen tripple rigs on I-80 in Nevada and Utah.

The Alice to Darwin road is good now, just like any other highway. You still have to watch the road trains but. The black fella's are still sleeping on the roads in the dry and still getting squished There is even adds on the TV telling them not to! Elliot is still there and it's still a geat place to stop

As to 4x city types..its the dry season as we speak and you can't move in Katherine for the bloody hire 4x4's and campervans and caravans. One stupid bloke took out a ute with his caravan the other day as he tried to get it into the Woolworths carpark. He drove right past the big sign that says "NO CARAVANS"

Ahhh tourist's got to love them

Bakes

I have a pic of a road train here if anyoine would care to post it for me ??

I'd like to PC but I wont have time, I'm off to Amberley for 2 weeks to do a course. Its getting down to zero down there I'm going to freeze my arse off

Bakes

PC - email it to me.

In the fall and spring we have the same aboriginal speed bump problem around here. Pavement's warm, and it's a long walk from the bar in town back to the reserve. Not trying to be funny, it really is a problem if you travel those roads at night. A friend ran a guy over by High River, same situation. The mounties said it happens a lot more often then we read about in the papers. - Dan

Oh and as for what is deadlier then a 375 or LC, have a look at a vehicle that comes out of a territorial dispute with a locomotive. Not pretty! We have lot's of uncontrolled level crossings here in Alberta, and every year there's a few folks who want to "race the train". - Dan

Nitro I have posted you the pics.

Thanks very much.

16 trailers on this one....

Kevin Bowden driving his world-record 29 trailer road train. HOLY SHIT!!!!

A more "average" train. I sometimes see triple trailers here in Kansas, but each of the trailers are around 35 feet each. Usually it's a UPS or USF Dugan parcel truck doing it.

This dude's rig is 50 meters long. That's 165 feet long, gents. Those are probably 45 foot trailers.

The scary part about that picture is the man can probably parallel park the damn thing

The 29 trailer was Bourke NSW but not sure what actual record it represented since I'm sure there have been other road trains here over 70 trailers for a stunt.

Karl.

I think the super long trains in the pics were assembled for the photo op only . Any little curve in the road , and the rear of the train would be tracking in the ditch ........

I thought 3 trailers was big

Karl

Yes the world record trailer pull was broken again in NSW or Qld this year - the event was televised on the ABC Ch 2 "Landline" programme. I don't remember the number of trailers but around 70 + sounds right.

But these long record pulls are gimmick and stunt pulls (ie if they get to walking pace they are speeding . They are also lucky to go a mile in distance), and they don't travel at 110 kms + (70 mph) flat out on highways like the normal four trailer road trains do.

(PS PC will post your photo when I get back home tonight)

sdgunslinger

I know what you mean but even so some of the roads out here are very very long and very very straight. I mean you need to look at a map to establish there is a curve.

Mike

PS: How is that 375 going for you.

Let's put it this way.....even one 40 or 50 foot trailer behind you will track nearly a foot to the inside on a moderate curve . Every trailer you hook behind that will add to that amount.

With 30 to 70 trailers behind you the road better be DAM straight.......

Then there is the traction issue . You only have the weight of one trailer over your drive axles to supply the traction......I would like to see a one truck- tractor get 30 or more loaded trailers started moving........

[ 06-14-2003, 14:04: Message edited by: sdgunslinger ]

I think I will restrict my trucking and trailer activities to chasing roos

Mike

Pc's road train photo

PC

That's only a littlely - a 3 trailer rig. A lot are four trailers.

Mike..........missed your PS .

I tried your accuracy load of 760 and the 300 gr Hornaday RN in the .375 . It shoots cloverleafs @100 yards with that and runs 2480 fps .

So I tried the ball powder under the 270 gr spire point . 82 gr will get right at 2800 and the pressure appears OK . Only light compression of the powder. It appears to be just slightly less accurate than the RN load. Looks to be a pretty good barrel ......

I've had several of the M-70 push feeds now , and have had good luck with all of them . Good accuracy , and reliable feed and function .

I still might get the chamber punched to RUM just for the hell of it. I talked to the local smith about it . He thought I was crazy as a hoot owl and was already shooting T-Rex ordinance......

[ 06-15-2003, 14:03: Message edited by: sdgunslinger ]

sdgunslinger

I would like to have a couple of push feed 375 rifles/actions again. The CRF is no good for being able to set actions up to change barrels between actions because of the extractor slot. Of course with Rem 700 the whole thing falls to pieces when you remove the barrel

Id your push feed the one from 70s with the angle forend tip or the later one which I think was called Super Express and has the sling swivel on the barrel and rounded forend with no tip.

Mike

It has the angled forend tip . What surprised me is the rear bridge, on the side , they left it the same as for the 06 length catridges. But they put a slot in the top of the bridge , leaving it the same length as a late express action , and with the same spacing for the scope mounting holes .

That is how they are. I often wondered if it was to make it easier to load the magazine, assuming no scope.

My first 375 was one those models, somewhere around 1970 or so, can't remember exactly, maybe 72.

I found they were they better than the later Super Express models and have owned several of each.

Mike