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Midland Red Around Birmingham.

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.
 
I can remember as a child being taken by mother to visit relatives in Dudley using a Midland Red. I think we caught it just outside the Art Gallery in the centre of Birmingham. I was always very intrigued as it was always seemed to be one of the FEDD buses with the front entrance. We always tried to 'bag' the front seat upstairs which I remember was a long bench seat running virtually the full width of the bus. Were these pre-war buses? are any preserved?
 
Yes the FEDDs were prewar buses. The route to Dudley was the B87 and was a joint service with BCT although BCT never ran further than Smethwick St Pauls Road (Service B85). This service ran from Edmund Street under the Museum and Art Gallery bridge. There are tram lines laid in the road surface to commemorate the fact that this was originally a tram service.

Not sure if there are any remains of the FEDDs in preservation but I am sure there are non running.
 
Whilst I used the Midland B87 (and the other routes which commenced in Edmund Street) to visit relatives in that part of the City I never went as far as Dudley. My preference was always for BCT vehicles. When I went to Dudley - not often however - I used the BCT/West Bromwich joint route 74 from Snow Hill Station forecourt. The curious event on this journey (which I believe I mentioned a while ago on this Forum) was that when the City/West Bromwich boundary was reached you had to pay another fare.
 
Thank you all for the memories. During the mid-sixties my pals and I would catch the Midland Red S71 (or was it S72?) from Eachelhurst Rd to Erdington Swimming Baths. It was an up market affair compared with the Birmingham Corporation ones. There was also a 114 which ran into town. It cost pennies more than the Corporation 66 so we usually avoided it.
 
My old route list shows routes S62 to S76 all ran from Erdington or Chester Road to various places. S71 was Erdington to Ashfurlong Corner via Walmley. S72 was the exception as it ran Sutton to Minworth
 
hansonbridge said:
Thank you all for the memories. During the mid-sixties my pals and I would catch the Midland Red S71 (or was it S72?) from Eachelhurst Rd to Erdington Swimming Baths. It was an up market affair compared with the Birmingham Corporation ones. There was also a 114 which ran into town. It cost pennies more than the Corporation 66 so we usually avoided it.
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We usually caught the 51 or 52 into town from Perry Avenue instead of the 118 unless we were late, preferred to spend the difference in the fare on my lunch:)
 
DavidGrain said:
My old route list shows routes S62 to S76 all ran from Erdington or Chester Road to various places. S71 was Erdington to Ashfurlong Corner via Walmley. S72 was the exception as it ran Sutton to Minworth
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Must have been the S71 then as Warmley was down the Eachlehurst Rd. I don't recall Ashfurlong Corner ( I left Brum in '67)
 
6.jpg8.jpg10.jpg9.jpg

No 1 Bristol Street i think ?.
No 2 New Street
No 3 Digbeth yard i think ?.
No 4 Not Sure Can anyone locate ? ............... thanks in advance ........ ragga :fat:
 
ragga

Re post 39

I think you are correct with No 1, No 2 is Corporation St and not New Street, No 3 I haven't a clue. No 4 is Kettlehouse road Kingstanding.
 
No 3 Not too clear but I think those are DH Digbeth based buses
No 4 Are you sure, Phil? 944 is a Midland Red Shrewsbury area bus route. However the blue stripe above the red on the bus stop does appear to say West Midlands
 
Silly me .. you are right phil Corporation St and not New street :upset:
but im still puzzled with the 944 service on photo no 4.
ragga :fat:
 
ragga

I know nothing about buses and even less about Kingstanding, but the photo reminded me of another in my collection. This is a grabbed photo from Google of the same position recently.
 

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I have studied both pictures and they do look the same location
would kettle house road be around kingstanding circle ??
ragga :pride:
 
Kettlehouse Road is one of the roads off the Circle at Kingstanding. Is it possible to enlarge the bus stop to see the route numbers? I am sure the blue stripe is West Midlands and the red stripe is Midland Red. The fact that the destination board is blank suggests that it might be a bus out of its normal area, perhaps borrowed from another garage.
 
I see that on the current list of National Express West Midlands Routes 934 and 935 run through Kingstanding so it is possible there was a 944 route in WMPTE days and they were using an ex Midland Red but this bus is still liveried as National Bus Co and does not have the WMPTE decals which were fixed to Midland Reds before repainting.
 
The trio of BMMO D9's are definitely in Digbeth yard. I have several photos in my collection taken at the same place. Great photos.

Simon
 
1950s.jpg I like this shot cus of the buildings and the shops .
The bus looks like a M/Red drivers training bus operating in Navigation Street.
ragga :smug:
 
An old friend of mine used to go around the back yard at Digbeth change the destination blinds to something ridiculous and then photograph them.

Example 'Solihull via Stourbridge'...
 
tardebigge said:
re ragga photo #1 - I think Bristol St incorrect, probably Horsefair based on
see https://www.macearchive.org/archive.html?Title=3247
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In post no.39 photo number 1 is i am sure Bristol Street. Behind the Midland Red Bus is Alfred Allen's furniture showroom with its distinctive pointed gable and circular porthole window now filled in as seen in this more recent shot

b_bf11d0ec6f.jpg


The road furthest away disappearing to the right is Essex Street, maybe?

https://www.lookingatbuildings.org.uk/cities/birmingham/motown/showrooms/showrooms-after-1918.html
 
hagley road.jpg

Hers a nice and cheerful photo taken along the hagley road , that roundish building behind
can someone remind me what it was used for ?
thanks you in advanced . ragga :friendly_wink:
 
ragga said:
View attachment 83728

Hers a nice and cheerful photo taken along the hagley road , that roundish building behind
can someone remind me what it was used for ?
thanks you in advanced . ragga :friendly_wink:
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Is it still a Thistle Hotel? Someone seems to be still taking bookings for it now
https://en.academic.ru/dic.nsf/hotels/351688728

Or is it an offices by now and the internet taking scam bookings? :excitement:

Look at that RAC sign nearby! What a memento that is!
 
Don't trust anything with a .ru web address unless you know who they are. They could be a genuine booking agency but why not go direct instead of via Russia. The Strathallen Hotel is now a Menzies Hotel.
 
I have a Corgi model of a Midland Red single decker bus coach? the sign on front says LONDON? thik this was made in 1959 on the side top of the bus it says Birmingham London Motorway Express. John Crump Parker, Co USA
 
oldbrit said:
I have a Corgi model of a Midland Red single decker bus coach? the sign on front says LONDON? thik this was made in 1959 on the side top of the bus it says Birmingham London Motorway Express. John Crump Parker, Co USA
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What wonderful motors they were, very few cars, let alone coaches, could catch them.
 
oldbrit said:
I have a Corgi model of a Midland Red single decker bus coach? the sign on front says LONDON? thik this was made in 1959 on the side top of the bus it says Birmingham London Motorway Express. John Crump Parker, Co USA
Click to expand...

This was the CM5T the coach which started Motorway coachj services in 1959. See https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Corgi-Mi...hicles_DiecastVehicles_JN&hash=item23269755a3 for one which did not sell probably because the seller was asking too higbn a price £85 +£7.00 for deleivery
 
Hi The second picture was taken on Fordbridge Road Kingshurst 1966, The family are now my inlaws, it's an old picture they gave me so i put it on FlickR
Dennis Chelmsley Wood
 
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