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Midland Red Early Days

Yes, Sheepcote St (known as 'Toytown' to Digbeth crews in derogatory reference to a children's TV programme starring Larry the Lamb) passed to the WMPTE in December 1973 but closed operationally just short of than two years later - the reason being the PTA's desire to end what they saw as crippling wage and condition agreements inherited from the Midland Red, which saw all of the former BMMO garges closed as soon as rescheduling could possibly allow. The supposed 'dangerous roof' (given as the official reason for closure) did not prevent the garage being used for vehicle storage, with occasional suggestions of reopening, until it was swept away with the wholesale redevelopment of the area west of Broad Street. I don't know why the London based vehicles parked there rather than the Miller St depot, but it may have been just a personal choice of their company, staff or union.
Midland Red had an arrangement with London Transport for fuelling, parking and toilet-dropping of 'Rapide' coaches at Camberwell garage (over Vauxhall Bridge and past The Oval cricket ground).
 
Larry the Lamb and Toytown by S G Hulme Beaman "Yes Mister M-M-M-Mayor" that brought back memories of early 1955s and Children's Hour on BBC Midland Home Service.
 
Sheepcote Street Garage was transferred to the PTE and was operational until 16th November 1975. As well as the wages and conditions inherited from Midland Red there was the high proportion of Midland Red built buses at Sheepcote Street and Moseley Road which were difficult to obtain spares for so the closure of the two garages went a long way towards solving that problem. Moseley road was already due for closure on December 31st 1975 because of a cash grant for its conversion to PTE Engineering Training Centre that would be lost if it did not close. Industrial action brought the closure forward.
 
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motorman-mike said:
... Midland Red built buses ... which were difficult to obtain spares for ...
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Midland Red's secret weapon! ;) (Actually I'm surprised that the December 1973 sale contract didn't cover supply of spares for the Midland Red makes: might have been good for the Carlyle Works balance sheet. Or were parts contracted out anyway?)
 
Thylacine said:
Actually I'm surprised that the December 1973 sale contract didn't cover supply of spares for the Midland Red makes: might have been good for the Carlyle Works balance sheet. Or were parts contracted out anyway?
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Oh but it did - supply of and repairs to parts and complete vehicles if necessary - some of the repaints were done at Carlyle.
I sometimes 'covered' for holidays on the works delivery lorry, and one route would include Sutton Coldfield in with the two Leicester garages, and Wigston, and Swadlincote, so it was all interchanged.
Floris Beerholder, the Sutton dock foreman (the Flying Dutchman!), would rummage though the returned parts from the other garages and occasionally lift a part-worn piece off, with a curt "I haff this! You tell them it fall off the lorry!"
Back at the Carlyle stores dock they didn't ask. They knew.
 
Mike, don't tempt me! (And don't tell Molesworth! ;)) Floris "Flying Dutchman" Beerholder: truth is indeed stranger than fiction. Was he a teetotaller by any chance, Lloyd?
 
That I wouldn't know - but I did recognise his voice when he visited Wythall about ten+ years ago!

Just looked him up on Ancestry - Floris Bierhaalder, b.1918 d.Oct 2000, Birmingham. RIP old friend.
 
Yes, RIP Floris Bierhaalder, former dock foreman at "my" Midland Red garage. He was a year younger than my Dad.
 
Thylacine said:
Mike, don't tempt me! (And don't tell Molesworth! ;)) Floris "Flying Dutchman" Beerholder: truth is indeed stranger than fiction. Was he a teetotaller by any chance, Lloyd?
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I hear all.

And that's the best offer you may get today Lloyd!
 
I should be so lucky!
Duty at Rackhams done - it doesn't take long at my age - now, back to studying...no, not form, Moleworth - and by the way, your pet slug is asleep across your top lip.
 
Ah - that's where I put it....Thanks Lloyd.

I'm sure I saw the hint of a glossy mag between the covers of your Midland Red Vol.1...
 
Floris actually transferred from Digbeth to Moseley Road in the PTE takeover, so must have then transferred to Sutton Coldfield Garage at a later date.

Of Midland Red interest was the main cover picture of the August edition of the superb nostagia magazine "Best of British".
 
Associated Motorways 1934-1973.

[Mike, thanks for that fine cover painting of Midland Red 1949 C1 coach KHA325. "Best of British" indeed! :thumbsup: Are we told the name of the artist by any chance? The Black & White Motorways depot in the background reminds me of the Associated Motorways story.]

On 1 July 1934 six long-distance coach operators established a consortium called Associated Motorways. The founding members were: [1] Black & White Motorways Ltd; [2] Elliot Brothers (Bournemouth) Ltd (trading as Royal Blue Automobile Services); [3] Greyhound Motors (1929) Ltd (a subsidiary of Bristol Tramways & Carriage Co Ltd); [4] Midland Red; [5] Red & White Services Ltd; [6] United Counties Omnibus & Road Transport Co Ltd. Associated Motorways was based at the coach station at Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, and soon developed a nationwide network of services. The operating agreement embraced the pooling of receipts on many long-distance coach services, but permitted members to operate certain services in their own right.

Associated Motorways was suspended due to World War 2 in the period 1942-1946. After the war, additional members joined the consortium. These included: Eastern Counties Omnibus Co Ltd (1956); Lincolnshire Road Car Co Ltd (1956); Crosville Motor Services Ltd (1965); Southdown Motor Services Ltd (1972). All of the members had become subsidiaries of the state-owned National Bus Co by 1969. Associated Motorways was disbanded on 17 October 1973, services passing to National Travel (South West) on 11 February 1974.

[Cheltenham coach station must have been a coach enthusiast's paradise! What are coach enthusiasts called? "Anorak" doesn't cover it somehow. Thanks to Mike Kingsbury's brilliant Black & White Motorways website for most of the details. As usual, corrections, additions and comments are welcome. Does anyone have a picture of Cheltenham coach station in its Assciated Motorways prime?]
 
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Associate Motorways is possibly unique in being an 'operator' who never owned a vehicle, and having a livery that was never applied to one either. The 'house colours' were a pale duck egg blue and orange (gaudy even for the 1920s) and were only ever used on signage and publications. Attached is an agency sign (digitally improved from the damaged original, an e-bay sale item) displaying the art deco feel that was AM.
 
Excellent, Lloyd! That's what I like to see.

I don't suppose you have any 1930s pictures of MR (or other AM) coaches at Cheltenham? :rolleyes:
 
Lloyd, I am interested that you say that Associated Motorways never owned a vehicle. I was told a few years ago that National Express owned just one coach in order to keep their operators licence.

I remember the Midland Red coaches and others such as Black and White showing Associated Motorways on their destination boards when operating on Associated Motorways services. I realise that this was to comply with the law in the same way that Stratford Blue buses operating on service 150 to Birmingham always showed "On Hire to Midland Red" as Stratford Blue were not licensed to operate in Birmingham.
 
That'll teach me to consult the internet before I rush into print! :rolleyes: Wikipedia has articles on Associated Motorways and many of the member companies. I've supplied links and made one or two corrections to post #1215.
 
DavidGrain said:
Lloyd, I am interested that you say that Associated Motorways never owned a vehicle. I was told a few years ago that National Express owned just one coach in order to keep their operators licence.

I remember the Midland Red coaches and others such as Black and White showing Associated Motorways on their destination boards when operating on Associated Motorways services. I realise that this was to comply with the law in the same way that Stratford Blue buses operating on service 150 to Birmingham always showed "On Hire to Midland Red" as Stratford Blue were not licensed to operate in Birmingham.
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Correct, but Associated Motorways was merely an organ to advertise and sell journeys on constituent "associated" companies' services, mainly centred around the main coach stations of those companies - and encouraged them to adapt timetables so services would connect for through bookings. National Express was started by the NBC (National Bus Company) in the same way, but then took over the 'ownership' of the routes and franchised them to operators under certain conditions (uniformity of vehicle specification and livery, staff uniform, operating proceedures etc) under a tendering system whereby 'fines' could be levied if these were not adhered to. NX had to have at least one vehicle (although usually they had three) to keep their status as an 'operator' as the rules were slightly different in the 1970s, but the route licences were applied for and held by the relevant operator.
 
Re: Associated Motorways 1934-1973.

Thylacine said:
[Mike, thanks for that fine cover painting of Midland Red 1949 C1 coach KHA325. "Best of British" indeed! :thumbsup: Are we told the name of the artist by any chance? The Black & White Motorways depot in the background reminds me of the Associated Motorways story.]



The artist is Mike Jeffries www.redbubble.com/people/artistjeffries from whom prints may be purchased.His whole range of transport paintings are well worth a look.
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Thanks for that information, Mike. But he appears to have changed his URL to Transport Artist. Lots of Midlands buses there.

[Note added: sorry, Mike, your link works too! He has two websites.]
 
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With the advancing motorway age, Cheltenham was no longer an easily accessible hub for the south west, Birmingham and Bristol were far better placed. The old coach station was torn down in 1984, but for a while it was used as an open air car park with plenty of reminders of what had been there before.
 
The opening of the Severn Bridge spelt the end of the great St Margaret's Coach Station at Cheltenham. Gone was the need for overland connections to south and mid Wales from Cheltenham. Following closure of the station the network then relied on Birmingham's Digbeth as the replacement interchange which in summer and at Bank Holidays is considered by many as squeezing a pint into a half pint pot to this day(despite recent improvements...).
 
Lloyd said:
... The old coach station was torn down in 1984 ...
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Thanks Lloyd. It was a rather fine example of Art Deco architecture, so of course they demolished it. That kind of vandalism makes the Thylacine's blood boil (not a pretty sight). :redface:

I'm attaching a magnified view of the picture you linked to. I trust the Oxford & Chilterns Bus Page won't object. Actually the picture appears to have come from the Black & White Motorways website originally.
 
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Midland Reds were certainly no strangers to St Margaret's. I spent many an hour there passing through or laying over. Here we see C5 4828 back in 1961 in pole position for quick getaway to Birmingham. In his white cowgown Driver Ernie Webb of Stratford-upon-Avon Garage will be in charge.
 
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After a Midland Red in Black & White territory, here from an earlier time is a Black & White in Midland Red territory at Hereford on a commercial post card view.
 
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Nice pictures, Mike! I love the one of 4828.

Astonite, thanks for that fascinating Tamworth view. I can't help with the identification, but I've magnified the picture so we can all get a better look.
 
The picture pixellates too much to identify if enlarged, Astonite - can it be rescanned (or a link to it provided?) as there could be writing on the bus rear end.
It doesn't look like a Midland Red - although there were a few experiments with a simlar white / maroon / red livery layout which I thought never left Carlyle Works, but the rear D shaped windows don't look right somehow.
 
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