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Midland Red Around Birmingham.

Latest news about former Midland Red

[h=1]Rotala takes First's Worcs business[/h]
worcester301.jpg


The retrenchment at First UK Bus continues with the sale to Rotala of the company's Worcestershire operations. These involve 36 vehicles and 120 employees based at depots in Kidderminster and Redditch. The deal is valued at £1.5million. Although running just 36 buses, the two depots have between them the capacity to hold over 100.

Rotala says the acquisition will enable it to expand and consolidate its position in those parts of Worcestershire which are contiguous with its main areas of operation in the Birmingham conurbation. The Rotala fleet now numbers around 550 buses and coaches, mainly in the West Midlands, but with significant operations in Preston and Bristol.

www.rotalaplc.com
 
Having worked for First Bus for over 5 years I can only think that the bus passengers of Worcestershire should be grateful.
 
nickcc101 said:
Having worked for First Bus for over 5 years I can only think that the bus passengers of Worcestershire should be grateful.
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I would think so too, 'service' is no longer a product of their operations.
Incidentally it is only the Redditch and Kidderminster areas taken over: Worcester and Hereford remain under the First name (but how long for??).
 
Lloyd said:
I would think so too, 'service' is no longer a product of their operations.
Incidentally it is only the Redditch and Kidderminster areas taken over: Worcester and Hereford remain under the First name (but how long for??).
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It was thought First were pulling out of West Cornwall a couple of years ago and a far more passenger friendly company, Western Greyhound, would be taking over. Unfortunately Firsts bid for the tendered side of the business came in lower than the other companies so now we are left with a company that dislikes its passengers and drivers alike.
 
Astoness said:
i agree dave...shame hewards shop has closed...

lyn
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Yes it is.....but for those of us into Ham radio, electrics, electronics & gadgets, J&M Connections, using the last unit of the three that Hewards occupied, still provides what we want/need. It is run by two of the original team - John & Marcella Heward.
Dave
 
There were a total of 25 escalators between the Pallasades (New St Station) and the Bull Ring 9 on the station and 16 in the Bull Ring


DavidGrain said:
We seem to have got into an argument on the thread https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=20585&page=13&p=482064#post482064 which is about pictures of New Street Station. I say that between the Midland Red Bus Station and the Indoor Market were escalators leading up to the Bull Ring Centre. Can anyone back me up?
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DavidGrain said:
We seem to have got into an argument on the thread https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=20585&page=13&p=482064#post482064 which is about pictures of New Street Station. I say that between the Midland Red Bus Station and the Indoor Market were escalators leading up to the Bull Ring Centre. Can anyone back me up?
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Yes there were. The entrance was directly opposite lane 2 of the bus station. There was a photo booth at the bottom of the escalator and doors into the market. There was also a (separate) passage from the bus station to the fish market, with public toilets between the two.
 
hi Lloyed
nice to see you and hear from you again; its been some time since i have heard from you, on the subject of the ohoto booth ;
there was also a booth where you could make a recording of your voice and make a music record of your selfs singing ;
but i must admitt the quaility was a complete rubbish ;
Or kid my younger brother to me next one down to me Dave and his best mate tommy [ curly ] always together in there younger days
And when they went around together on the town pub or club ; they used to resemble and look like peter and gordon the pop duo
And peopl called them that because tom loked like the one identy with his glasses on he had to wear them for his health reasons
worned them from childhood thick darl rimmed glasses and our dave looked the other guy so they would always refere them as peter and gordon;
Duo and they went into that phoneo recording booth inside that arch way into the midland red bus station;
and my late mother inlaw worked in the midland red bus station canteen for the bus drivers of midland red buses her name was daisy williams
she worked there for years and she then she got tranfered to the sutton coldfield mid red station ;
She used to tell us about a coloured guy inspector there in brums mid red station ; there his nick name was holy joe as he was always practicing and preaching the bible every day ; this guy was there for years ; in fact i think there was an article on him in the birmingham mail
one of the years possibly around 1969-70 ;period
there was a pub above the midland red more to the market end and a resturuant which you had to go up the ramp to get to the indoor market
have a good day Lloyed best wishes Alan Astonan;
 
In the mid 1950's, once a week, I used to catch the Midland Red 120 bus from Bearwood to Oldbury and it always had a Guy with I think a Park Royal body, typical fleet no was I think 3565. They were very noisy and unlike the Birmingham Corpn. Guys had a crash gearbox. Anybody else remember them as they never appear in any articles or photo's?
 
HI ALL
Reading this thread brings back unhappy memories of a journey on a Midland Red bus. It was at the end of the 50s. My wife and i were courting
at the time. We left my mothers house in Formans Rd about 6pm and walked down to the Stratford Rd. We decided to get on the first bus
that came along. It was a Midland Red going to Tamworth in Arden. When we got there we decided to have a drink in the local pub. By this time
the bus had left Tamworth. Iwent into the village shop to get a Sports Argus and find out the times of buses back to Brum latter on.
Ihad a shock as the next bus to brum was on Tuesday.They only had 2 services to Brum on Tuesday and Saturday. We ended up having to
walk to Wood End station about 2 miles away to get a train back to Brum. I still have not had a drink in this pub,if it is still open
KEN
 
Hi Ken.
It would have been a 179 bus to Tanworth in Arden, I used to drive them when on the idland red in the 60s, I live in Burnham now also.
 
HI JOHN 30
Many thanks for reminding me of the bus number. Ihave spent the last 50 years trying to forget. Nice to see you are in Burnham,i live
in Rectory Rd
ken
 
ragga said:
View attachment 82253View attachment 82254

I have studied both pictures and they do look the same location
would kettle house road be around kingstanding circle ??
ragga :pride:
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Morning all,

Just bumbled into this one while browsing the forum and I think it's time to come out of "hiding" and post something as I can (I hope!) put you all out of your misery:
944 was the number Midland Red allocated to the Boney Hay to Birmingham Limited Stop service it inherited from Harpers of Heath Hayes (or possibly introduced to cover much the same road) - the Harpers stopping service became Midland Red's 853/854 which are shown on the stop plate.
I'm guessing that the bus is a fairly new allocation to Heath Hayes depot and probably still has its previous depot's destination blinds fitted, hence the blanks, and presumably the photo was taken around the mid-70s.
 
ragga said:
View attachment 82253View attachment 82254

I have studied both pictures and they do look the same location
would kettle house road be around kingstanding circle ??
ragga :pride:
Click to expand...

Yes Kettlehouse Rd is off Kingstanding Circle - Re: location and just for clarity, the phone box seen between the bus and the shelter in the first photo WAS located (in the second photo) on the footpath next to the grass, between the Kettlehouse sign and the hedge, opposite the lamp post. You can just see the location of the base in the tarmac.
 
Did something yesterday for only the second time in 40 years. I travelled on a Midland Red bus. OK it was a First Midland Red 144 not a real Midland Red as we used to know them. When going out for a day by train, it is my practice now rather than walk all the way to my nearest bus stop to get a bus into the city then walk across the city to New Street Station, I drive to Selly Oak, park my car there and catch a train into New Street for my onward journey. Yesterday, bank holiday Monday, I just missed a train and when I realised that there was only a 30 minute service I walked out onto Bristol Road to catch a bus. After a 10 minute wait along came a 144 which I got on and even received a ticket to prove it. This was even better for me as the bus stopped in Smallbrok Queensway which was neare to Moor Street station which I happened to be using yesterday. Midland Red ticket.jpg
 
https://www.tamworthtalks.co.uk/apps/photos/photo?photoid=137703105

One very memorable sound and smell: MR LNs 'revving up' to build start-up (Door Actuation) air pressure prior to departure inside Birmingham's outwardly vehicle exhaust-stained 'Dark Pit' of the Bull Ring Bus Station during the 1970s - 1990s. A cacophony of sound. smoke, fumes, and echoes - and something HSE would never allow in a modern enclosed building, hence a rather premature closure of the premises in June 1999 under the auspices of redevelopment of The Bull Ring (or 'Bullring' as it's since fashionably become) Shopping Centre.

Even so, today's bricked up Dudley Street Façade of the former Bus Station (if now somewhat cleaner) looks sadder than ever - and with not a Leyland National in sight!
 
Adept Brummie,

The three D9s are 'on the patch' at Digbeth. I collected the bus for my very first 'turn' one dark winter morning in January 1970.


ExMidlandRed
 
Dave P said:
Did the 118 also run from Sheepcote Street - my dad used to drive them in the 60's and I'm fairly certain he worked from there and never Bearwood.
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Just trawling through this thread and noticed nobody seems to have answered your query. The 118 was worked jointly by Bearwood and Sheepcote Street but there were also some peak time only workings by Digbeth more often than not being noticable for using Leyland LD8's at a time when D7's were favoured by the other two garages.
 
motorman-mike said:
Just trawling through this thread and noticed nobody seems to have answered your query. The 118 was worked jointly by Bearwood and Sheepcote Street but there were also some peak time only workings by Digbeth more often than not being noticable for using Leyland LD8's at a time when D7's were favoured by the other two garages.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the reply, confirms what I thought dad worked out of Sheepcote St.
 
On BBC TV Bargain Hunt yesterday 12th May, two Midland Red wheel chocks were sold. They were bought for £90 and sold in the auction for £40 making a loss of £50. This was the expert's bonus buy so good job the contestants did not take it.

I remember seeing the wheel chocks under the stairs on the buses but the only time I saw one of them in use was in the Bull Ring when I saw the conductor jump off and chock the wheel as the bus came to a stop.
 
I always thought it strange that when asked during your PSV test what the four things that must be carried that chock was one of them. We used to buy ours from a local woodworking factory on streetly road as every year when the annuals were due the chock was always missing, cold Winters in Erdington in those days :)
 
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