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Birmingham buses

I believe the bus shown in post 2400# was once the proud possession of the late David Harvey. David was well known to BHF Members in the past and of course was a contributor to BHF threads and also well known for his books particularly with reference to Birmingham and its transport.
No, it (2548, JOJ 548) was bought straight off service and is still owned by Rob Handford who has painstakingly restored it over the years. David Harvey was in a group that owned Crossley 2489 (JOJ 489). Both vehicles are kept at the Transport Museum, Wythall.
 
Just took my dad to visit my mother-in-law for a few days up in Northumberland. We visited the Drift Cafe at Cresswell Beach and they have an old bus parked up around the back. My dad saw it and said "They've got an old Birmingham bus". I went around the back to investigate and, sure enough, it's an old Guy Arab that I notice has been written about before on this forum - MOF 102. Not sure what they use it for (the downstairs seats had all been replaced by tables) and it doesn't look like it's been driven in many years, found some pictures online of it being used as a wedding bus from many years ago. My dad was happy to see it and it brought back memories for him.
When it was withdrawn, it was bought by a company in Lancashire who used it as a "Wedding bus". it had been restored but painted in the wrong blue and cream. I heard it had been moved elsewhere as a static fast food outlet and that is probably where it is now.
 
These buses, 1-10 [OA 1601-10] were new in 1913 with bodies by the London General Omnibus Company, seating 16 inside and 18 outside (as 'on top' used to be called) for the feeder services from Rednal and Rubery to the then tram terminus at Selly Oak. The chassis were comandeered ay the war departmant in 1914, and the bodies retained and fitted to Tilling Stevens chassis in 1915, retaining the registrations numbers but carrying fleet numbers 31-40, so this photo can be dated to 1913/4.
 
Don’t know if this type of bus was used in Birmingham ? Came across this on YouTube that may be of interest to those interested in buses…

Birmingham did have two hundred Leyland PD2s, 100 with Brush of Loughborough bodywork, 1656-1755; 50 with Leyland bodies (another Lancashire coachbuilder), 2131-2180; and 50 with Park Royal ones, built in London, 2181-2230. There were also 30 single-deck versions with Weymann coachwork, also from London, 2231-2260.
It looks like the West Brom bus, I used to catch outside Snow Hill main entrance , to go up the Soho Road, to my Nans in Handsworth!!
It may look similar, but West Bromwich used to have Daimlers with Metro Cammell bodies, a totally different animal completely. The Soho Road routes were worked jointly by West Bromwich and Birmingham Corporations; the latter did use its Leyland PD2s on the routes.
 
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