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Birmingham Buses Part 2

424 had a Vulcan body and entered service on 12/9/1930. The chassis was sold to AEC in August 1932 and parts were used in the rebuilding of East Sussex PG 7976. The chassis of 442, OG 442 was renumbered 424 when it lost its body to Cross;ley Condor OJ 5442. Presumably the body was rebuilt as the "new" 424 was in service until 4/7/1945.
 
ragga said:
Just picked up on the latest post here ....... Well done Curly comparing the two semi houses and the distants apart
and the down brick facade you see on the corner of first house you see it on the early bus photo i posted.
Thank you for your detetive work on this matter .
ragga ........
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Lloyd is correct, this was an enthusiast's tour and Curley is also correct with the location. I can be sure of this as not only was I on the tour but I also took the photograph.
 
I have just posted this on a thread on another topic but I think it deserves repeating here.
BIF.jpg
The British Industries Fair at Castle Bromwich was a predecessor of the NEC. This photo taken in the early 1930s shows business men, all wearing hats going into the exhibition
 
How did some of those Corporation Buses ( during WW2 ) function regarding the use of some sort of a ' Fire trailer' pulled at the back of the Bus which supplied the engine with , I assume, combustible gases.
 
Twenty five AEC Regents were converted to run on gas between 1942 and 1944. The gas was produced by burning anthracite in a hopper carried on a trailer towed by the bus. The end result was smelly and not very efficient, but could rely on home produced fuel. The producer gas Regents were put to work on service 33 (Kingstanding - City), the route being entirely transferred to Perry Barr Garage for the purpose and re-timed to allow for their inferior performance.

From Birmingham City Transport by Malcolm Keeley, Monty Russell and Paul Gray. Sorry I can't scan the photos well enough to show here.
 
Thank you David Grain for the reply regarding the WW2 gas fuelled Buses. Spot on I think. Efficiency was a problem I remember because there was an occasion, when returning from work, on a 33 Bus and heading for Kingstanding,some of us blokes where asked to get off the bus at the bottom of Kingstanding Road ( at the College Road end) in order to lighten the bus load whilst it ' chugged ' it's way up the hill. We walked to the top of the hill, waited for it to arrive and then re-entered to complete our journey.
 
Did not some transport have a weighted gas envelope on top of the roof of the vehicle which forced the gas into the carb. I had a work mate at B.S.A who had a nylon ballon trapped between the front and rear of his 1950s Ford which he used to start the engine in the Winter months.
Dave
 
Midland Red had some buses fitted with a gas balloon on the roof during the First World War. Apparently when the balloon deflated it could fall anywhere over the vehicle.
 
There is this pic of a gas powered bus in this post in the Birchfield Road..Perry Barr thread...
Gas_Bus.jpg
 
Yes Eddie14. The old ' Gas Bags ' appeared here and there on top of some cars. Looking at modern' Roof luggage boxes ' reminds me very much of the old gas bag arrangement.
To old Mohawk. Yes,that's exactly how I remember them.
 
You can still see a lot of "old gasbags" if you spend a little while in the Westminster area of London.:biggrin:
 
Stop it you pair we don't want this thread to get political ...... laughing out load ..... heres a photo to cheer you both up 9431925544_993d0605c8_h.jpgcourtesy of jeffjohnlloydd ....... ragga :fat:
 
Thank you for the pic: I don't recognize where it is but guess it is either just north of Snow Hill or maybe the Hockley area. The West Bromwich bus is a good clue.
 
Radiorails said:
Thank you for the pic: I don't recognize where it is but guess it is either just north of Snow Hill or maybe the Hockley area. The West Bromwich bus is a good clue.
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The then new St Chads Circus with the JFK memorial at the bottom of Show Hill.
 
Many thanks for the information. My initial thought was at that place but having moved to Devon, from Warwickshire, in 1954 I have never seen the circuit road system for which Birmingham is famous.
 
Does anyone know what number bus would need to have been caught from Birmingham City Centre to get to Birdbrook Road in Kingstanding in the early 1960s? (I know strange question, but would like to include this detail in a book/memoir I'm writing).
 
In the early1960s I would have used either the 29 or 29a or 33 and got off at the junction of Goodway Road and Kingstanding Road and walked down to Birdbrook Road. Others might have done it differently
Image1.jpg
 
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oldMohawk said:
In the early1960s I would have used either the 29 or 29a or 33 and got off at the junction of Goodway Road and Kingstanding Road and walked down to Birdbrook Road. Others might have done it differently
View attachment 173880
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Brilliant thank you!! ....yes No 33, that rings a bell, and I remember Goodway Road well - quite a long walk for a small child!! Thank you so much, very grateful.
 
Wasdale said:
Thank you so much, it's wider than I remember it, thought I think I'm right in saying the houses in Goodway Road were better class than the ones my Nan lived in in Birdbrook Road (she lived at 103).
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If you search for Birdbrook in the forum search there are lots of posts with comments about it ..... Here is a post (not about Birdbrook Rd but does show it) and I think your Nan's house is probably in the aerial view. See Goodway Rd running down from Kingstanding Rd click pic twice and it enlarges it or save it
oldMohawk said:
I played in those sandpits as a child and knew them well.
An aerial view of the area dated 1938
index.php

from 'britainfromabove' EPW059310 ENGLAND (1938)
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and if you haven't already seen it, here is a modern view of your Nan's house ... red car.
103 Birdbrook.jpg
 
ragga said:
View attachment 83729View attachment 83730View attachment 83731View attachment 83732View attachment 83733

No 1 location unsure maybe King Heath ?
No 2 Lancaster Circus ?
No 3 Around Snow Hill ?
No 4 Digbeth .
No 5 Unsure possible High st/Dale end.
ragga :unconscious:
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Hi Ragga, Started reading this thread earlier, absolute amazing. Lots of the buses bring back fond memories. I must mention #183, would you know if the corner of the road is the top end of Coleshill Street with Stafford Street. I can't quite get my bearings, I lived a few minutes walk from the Indian restaurant. Thank you so much for all the pics, brilliant. Thanks too for other members and their contributions. Will get back to reading the rest of the thread now.
If ever you have any pics of the 56 or 55 that ran down Coleshill Street, I would be over the moon.

Kind regards, Sue
 
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