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BCT garages

T

tardebigge

BCT Fan
Some time ago, one of our members posted a narrative and pictures, then and now of BCT garages.
There did not appear to be a mention of Birchfield Road Garage, which was considered a satellite of Perry Barr.
I do remember this garage.
Could someone fill me in with a little more information.
Thanks.
Secondly, was there an illuminated bus for the Festival of Britain in 1951, or alternatively the Coronation in 1953.
I remember my Dad taking me to see it in Navigation St. I had to sit on a plank inside the bus over all the batteries.
Might explain why I'm full of energy... lol
 
Birchfield Road tram depot was taken over from Handsworth UDC following the city boundary changes in 1911, and was used as an overspill bus garage from Tennant Street 1924 -5, until Barford Street garage opened. It was then converted fully to a bus garage in October 1925, housing c50 buses, until Perry Barr garage was opened in 1932. It was used again 1935-6 to operate some of the Inner Circle 8 route, until Liverpool Street garage opened. It was re-opened yet again in November 1940 as a parking overspill from Perry Barr, crews being paid extra "walking time" to and from the garages. The Birchfield Road entrance was lost when the garage was rebuilt upon the road widening scheme in 1960, the 'rear' entrance in Leslie Road becoming the only entrance. It was closed operationally in August 1966, but used for storage of withdrawn buses until April 1967 when it was disposed of.
 
tardebigge said:
Some time ago, one of our members posted a narrative and pictures, then and now of BCT garages.
There did not appear to be a mention of Birchfield Road Garage, which was considered a satellite of Perry Barr.
I do remember this garage.
Could someone fill me in with a little more information.
Thanks.
Secondly, was there an illuminated bus for the Festival of Britain in 1951, or alternatively the Coronation in 1953.
I remember my Dad taking me to see it in Navigation St. I had to sit on a plank inside the bus over all the batteries.
Might explain why I'm full of energy... lol
Click to expand...


This the garage a couple of yeas ago https://my.bus.photos.fotopic.net/p40606718.html
 
Not having been to the area for several years, I was dismayed at the state of the BCT depot in Miller Street.Is this depot still in use, or is it used only for the storage of 'spare' buses.It is in a really disgraceful condition,filthy,rubbish-strewn and with an air of total neglect about it.Hardly a good advertisment for BCT.I recall when it was still a tram depot,and to see it in this state really is heartbreaking.Does anybody know anything about this depot and it's future? cheers,Mal.
 
mallyb2 said:
Not having been to the area for several years, I was dismayed at the state of the BCT depot in Miller Street.Is this depot still in use, or is it used only for the storage of 'spare' buses.It is in a really disgraceful condition,filthy,rubbish-strewn and with an air of total neglect about it.Hardly a good advertisment for BCT.I recall when it was still a tram depot,and to see it in this state really is heartbreaking.Does anybody know anything about this depot and it's future? cheers,Mal.
Click to expand...

N.E.W.M. have for the last few weeks have spent and are still spending a small fortune on the administration block part of Miller St, in repairing the roof and painting the walls, they have in recents months moved the training school into Miller St, as well as that the inspectors are in Miller St, they N.E.W.M. are in the process of scrapping (wrong word for some culling may be better) the Metrobuses that are getting old now they will on certain buses take the engine out to be sold on and be re-used (a china junk boat was allways the favouright roumour) part of the the buses will be used again glass,seat frames, panels, and other bits, will go the keep the present fleet on the road, and keep other operators buses on the road, a small number of the buses will go to new owners for school contracts and the like, a very small number of buses will go for preservation, so that side of Miller St is allways on the go

Now the other side of Miller St the former Tram/Bus side is a different story, this is were the scrap/spare fleet in kept, the building its self is in a poor state there is a crack in one othe walls there are a number of trees growing from parts of the roof and there is a hole in the roof, the rumour was that the plan was that Miller St road would be in time be closed to traffic on a permanant basis this would mean that they could use the land to make a really big garage this would mean the old tram/bus garage would rebuilt,

Perry Barr bus garage would then closed and all the buses would move to Miller St, all of this was some time back, the latest rumour is that the roof will be taken of the tram/bus garage the walls lowered but kept at a hight to keep out the public, so that the land would be used for open space storage how true the above is I have no idea I am not a N.E.W.M. employee, it will be interesting to see what happens to Miller St in the next few years.
 
If they take the roof off, they no longer have to pay rates on the building, so that doesn't surprise me.
Some of the land the depot was built on belongs to a third party (I did hear that it was the King Edward School Trust, but not 100% sure if that's right), and leased originally to the City Tramways (laterTransport) Dept. If/when the lease expires, the owners (who must realise the value of the land) would either want a much higher ground rent or to sell the land on the open market. That is my understanding of why development hasn't taken place there over the years by WMT / TWM / NEWM or whatever their name is this week.
 
Lloyd said:
If they take the roof off, they no longer have to pay rates on the building, so that doesn't surprise me.
Some of the land the depot was built on belongs to a third party (I did hear that it was the King Edward School Trust, but not 100% sure if that's right), and leased originally to the City Tramways (laterTransport) Dept. If/when the lease expires, the owners (who must realise the value of the land) would either want a much higher ground rent or to sell the land on the open market. That is my understanding of why development hasn't taken place there over the years by WMT / TWM / NEWM or whatever their name is this week.
Click to expand...

Not wishing to put words into N.E.W.M mouth I would think that as soon as the administration block has been finnished work on in and outside the buiding is still going on, the attention may possibly move to the other side of the road if you look at the photos you will see the state as it was in 2008 the crack is still there I think the tree/bush has now gone?,

https://my.bus.photos.fotopic.net/p53442861.html
https://my.bus.photos.fotopic.net/p53085816.html
https://my.bus.photos.fotopic.net/p53085815.html
 
Bammot said:
N.E.W.M. have for the last few weeks have spent and are still spending a small fortune on the administration block part of Miller St, in repairing the roof and painting the walls, they have in recents months moved the training school into Miller St, as well as that the inspectors are in Miller St, they N.E.W.M. are in the process of scrapping (wrong word for some culling may be better) the Metrobuses that are getting old now they will on certain buses take the engine out to be sold on and be re-used (a china junk boat was allways the favouright roumour) part of the the buses will be used again glass,seat frames, panels, and other bits, will go the keep the present fleet on the road, and keep other operators buses on the road, a small number of the buses will go to new owners for school contracts and the like, a very small number of buses will go for preservation, so that side of Miller St is allways on the go

Now the other side of Miller St the former Tram/Bus side is a different story, this is were the scrap/spare fleet in kept, the building its self is in a poor state there is a crack in one othe walls there are a number of trees growing from parts of the roof and there is a hole in the roof, the rumour was that the plan was that Miller St road would be in time be closed to traffic on a permanant basis this would mean that they could use the land to make a really big garage this would mean the old tram/bus garage would rebuilt,

Perry Barr bus garage would then closed and all the buses would move to Miller St, all of this was some time back, the latest rumour is that the roof will be taken of the tram/bus garage the walls lowered but kept at a hight to keep out the public, so that the land would be used for open space storage how true the above is I have no idea I am not a N.E.W.M. employee, it will be interesting to see what happens to Miller St in the next few years.
Click to expand...

Hi there

I wouldn't be a bit surprised if the engines finished up powering Chinese junks. M-CW supplied a lot of Metrobuses to Hong Kong, and with an expected bus life of 20 years I bet many of the engines have gone that way.

Kind regards

Dave.
 
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