Routes at La Scala: Europe and the Middle East in model-making

The road haulage sector has always been heavily influenced by the price and availability of fuel: in the 1970s there was a truly epoch-making revolution caused by the fact that, at that time, the fuel problem was compounded by an oil crisis, triggered by wars between Middle Eastern countries major oil producers – leading to a sharp rise in prices and, consequently, a significant influx of funds from these Middle Eastern countries.
These were countries with a recent colonial past that had been exploited by the colonising powers and lacked the industrial infrastructure such as equipped ports, factories, motorways, hospitals, etc. typical of a modern country.

The situation was further exacerbated by the distance between these countries and industrialised Europe.
The sudden (and substantial) increase in the amount of money available from Middle Eastern countries led to a huge demand for raw materials and finished industrial products for infrastructure construction. Of course, it was not just goods that had to be transported: teams of technicians also had to be sent to organise these complex projects.

Since ancient times, maritime transport had been the primary means of transport, as a road network was needed on land but did not exist: thus began a flurry of shipping activity from European ports to those of the Arab countries. The problem arose on arrival: due to overcrowding, there was a bottleneck in the transport system. In the mid 1970s, a ship arriving at an Arab port could find itself having to wait as long as 40 days to unload its cargo.

The situation soon became untenable, and it was decided to organise a road transport system using the lorries of the time (such as the Volvo 188 and the Fiat 619); it was not until the late 1970s that more modern lorries, such as the Iveco 190.35 and the Volvo F12, came into use.
An increase in road traffic was immediately noticeable: they began transporting all sorts of goods: raw materials such as cement, iron and steel (essential for construction) but also tractors, machine tools, etc.


What could the route have been?

To circumnavigate the Mediterranean, the only option was to travel through Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Turkey and Syria, where they began to cross the desert. They started out with convoys of 6–7 lorries departing from northern Europe (the first were British and Norwegian hauliers carrying spare parts for ships that had arrived there).
Naturally, other European countries also caught wind of the opportunity, soon lured by the prospect of easy profits: many entered this business because the industrial crisis of that period prompted them to diversify their operations.

They were certainly no pleasure trips: dangerous roads, unfamiliar languages making communication difficult, different customs, and harsh weather conditions, with snow on the mountain passes of Yugoslavia and Turkey, whilst the scorching heat of Arabia made itself felt during the final stage of the journey.
The Balkan route was truly dangerous, with drivers who, just to save even 15 minutes, would drive like madmen on narrow roads, posing serious risks to themselves and others. It is telling to follow the misadventures of a Dutch driver, Hermann Ludwig, who set off from Rotterdam at the end of the summer: when he arrived in Yugoslavia, he found terrible roads, heavy and lawless traffic, and a lack of garages and spare parts along the route.

Enormous difficulties tackling the Turkish mountain passes and endless queues at the borders for customs checks: on one occasion, there were 70 lorries waiting ahead!
  Towards the end of the journey, with fatigue setting in and the scorching heat, the roads disappeared: there lay the sand of the Arabian Desert! And after all that, a brief rest and the start of the return journey with the usual difficulties: luggage piled high on the roof, along with food supplies and... no air conditioning.

By the late 1970s, things had improved somewhat: however, even in the most modern lorries, the air conditioning did not guarantee optimal performance.


Italians also took part in these gruelling journeys, with companies from northern Italy: among these were Maderna of Milan and F.lli Micheli of Bergamo. By the 1980s, there was a sharp decline in this traffic due to the end of the oil boom.

Model-making bridges the gap between reality and interpretation, allowing enthusiasts to explore the dynamism of Middle Eastern transport piece by piece, transforming grand projects into tangible experiences.

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