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Birmingham Buses Part 2

All the heavy air raids on Birmingham were in 1940 - 1943 which I am not sure fits with a withdrawal date of 1945. Additionally I would expect bomb blast to have shattered all the windows on the side nearest the bomb. The bus looks as if it has fallen down an incline. My theory is it was struck on the platform area and then partially overturned.
 
The photos were taken in the yard of Witton tram depot, which was the nearest Corporation property to where the incident occurred. Apparently the bus "fell into some roadworks" but details of exactly what and where elude me. I wonder if the damage to the cab (i.e. most of it missing) was the result of rescuing the driver.
 
1.jpg2.jpg3.jpg4.jpg5.jpg

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:
 
Post 184.
Mother of God and Guardian Angels, Hurst Lane /Freasley Road, Shard End.
Multi storey flats in the background were known as the Australian blocks (called after Australian cities) in Kitsland Road, they are all now demolished.
 
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Is 1 in post 183 Sarehole Mill, Cole Bank Rd?
2 Ritchie is right, Shah Jahan restaurant behind.
3 Colmore Circus
4 Digbeth, the start of the hill to St Martins. The Police Stn is hidden behind the bus.
5 I think High St / Dale End too. Is that the start of the 'cartoons' cinema to the right? There was the "News" and the "Jacey", the other being in Station Street, but I never remember which is which!
 
Is 1 in post 183 Sarehole Mill, Cole Bank Rd?
2 Ritchie is right, Shah Jahan restaurant behind.
3 Colmore Circus
4 Digbeth, the start of the hill to St Martins. The Police Stn is hidden behind the bus.
5 I think High St / Dale End too. Is that the start of the 'cartoons' cinema to the right? There was the "News" and the "Jacey", the other being in Station Street, but I never remember which is which!

No.5 confirmed as High Street/Dale End. Here's the News Theatre (proper name) almost hidden except for the tiling by the bus. Next door (left) is the Ansells pub and next door (right) is Phillips furniture store (we can just see the letter 'S' in the bus photo).

*The Jacey in Birmingham was in Station Street. The Jacey we see in the mini-video is a central London branch of the same chain.

**If you want to see individual frames of the video, go to the bottom of the 'start' page and you can click on each frame-by-frame in the "Stills" category (saves having to struggle getting the video to pause bang-on).
https://www.britishpathe.com/video/cinema-celebrates-21st-birthday/query/Birmingham+cinema
 
Is 1 in post 183 Sarehole Mill, Cole Bank Rd?
I would agree that this is outside Sarehole Mill at the "clock-in" point (11A). I would say this was taken in 1974 as 2552 was withdrawn later that year. It ended up down at Adderley Street awaiting the inevitable tow up to Barnsley.

The bus behind looks to be a 29 (JOJ) but can't quite see which one it is 290x or 293x? The driver has got out of his cab and is probably chatting with the conductor.

I've sat on these buses at this place so many times on way home from school awaiting departure time. Happy days!
 
The fifth photo in post #186 is outside the Oxford Restaurant in Dale End. Used to go in to the snack bar there and have a toasted teacake and milkshake. Lovely interior. The third photo in that post was definitely Priory Queensway/ Colmore Circus. Behind the bus you can see the Bell Nicolson Lunt offices, below which was a Post Office, obscured by the blue arrow. The bus must be travelling towards Colmore Row or Snow Hill. Viv.
 
View attachment 83734

No 1 Unsure , name of estate/road/church please ?

ragga :unconscious:

Originally, I thought the flats in the background were those between Duddeston Manor Road & the current Nechells Parkway and the bus location was Bloomsbury St Nechells, but realised that the bus, being from Washwood Heath Garage, could be a 14, 55 or 56, so possibly taken on those routes?. Anyway, I looked elsewhere, using the historical element of Google Earth.

Result!
The bus is photographed on Packington Avenue, with the backdrop of The Mother of God and Guardian Angels RC Church, cnr Hurst Lane/Freasley Road/Kitsland Rd. Castle Bromwich, B34 7NA - here is the Google link:- https://goo.gl/maps/Iw8kQ

The flats in the background were in Kitsland Rd, now demolished.(early 2000s)
 
In response to post 191, 252 was actually withdrawn in 1975 and subsequently sold to Barnsley in January 1976. The only possibles that meet his suggestions are
2908 and 2932 (retired 1976), or
2901,2902, 2903, 2905, 2906, 2931, 2034 or 2939 retired 1977, although of course there are many other possibilities and quite a number of the 2900 series were withdrawn in 1975,6,and 7.
However, after re-examing the picture I think it might be a 25XX.
 
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Hi All i'm after a bit of info concerning the Trolley buses and the B'ham trams. First what was the arm that went to the electric cable called? Am i right the trams only had one of these arms but the trolley bus had two? I always thought that they both used the same cables but i must be confused about that. I seem to remember that the trams had wooden seats were very noisy and very uncomfortable but the trolly buses were exactly the opposite am i right? I have looked through the forum and although there is a lot about buses i cant find the info i'm after. I hope some one can help thanks
 
Hallo Podgery,
You are correct, trams did have one arm and trolley buses two, something to do with earthing as of course trolley buses had rubber tyres and trams steel wheels. Some trams had wooden seats but the later ones had upholstery. Trams on the Alum Rock routes had a catenary as those routes didn't go under any low bridges as did the Bristol Road routes for instance where the arm swung out and low to get under the bridges.
Hope this helps.
 
Just to add a bit more information. The arm on the trams is simply called a trolley pole, some tramway systems used different types of current collectors like bow collectors or pantographs (currently used in Blackpool) but the Birmingham system as far as i'm aware just used the conventional trolley pole. The collectors on a trolleybus are known as trolley booms, I have never heard them called anything else anyway. Birmingham ended trolleybus operation pretty early, even before the trams finished and no Brum trolleybus survives sadly. Walsall & Wolverhampton used them for a lot longer and there are thankfully survivors from both fleets. One of the regular posters here is involved with running trolleybuses at the Black Country museum so he would be able to give more details.

Regards

Simon
 
Must read up a bit more on the trams, hadn't realised some had pantographs in Birmingham.

There are several really good books on the Birmingham trams and an excellent one on the trolleybuses...

Simon
 
Thanks everyone for the info, I have been talking to my grand children about when i was a kid and because trams and trolly buses came up i want to get the information right. I have just looked at a photo of rednal terminus (that brought back some memories) but my memory tells me that a tram could be driven from both ends am i correct or as my memory let me down again?
 
Hi - Yes they simply moved the Trolley Pole round and used the driving position at the other end.
 
Anyone have a photo on a #17a or 17b from the early 50s, The bus stop was in front of the house at 126 Moat Lane Yardley 26 that I grew up in. John Crump OldBrit Parker. Colorado USA
 
Hi All,

I think that WW2 heralded the demise if trolley buses and trams. It was simply that when a diversion was necessary due to bomb damage, unexploded bombs or any other reason the trolley buses and trams could not be diverted for obvious reasons and the service had to be suspended I think that the powers that be made up their minds that they would do away with them ASAP.

Now the trams are coming back and, so far, I have not heard of any problems due to diversions but time will tell.

Old Boy.
 
The Fischer bow collectors, from memory, were common on trams servicing the 32 Lodge Road and 8 Alum Rock services. I am sure at other times, such as football and other special services they wandered from their usual haunts.

Actually one ex BCT trolleybus does survive but not as a trolley bus. OV1175 was sold and converted in to a petrol engined Leyland bus. I went to Jersey, in the Channel Islands, registered J1199 and survived the German occupation: it is now preserved. I haven't seen the bus for some years. It did get a Halifax Corporation livery I believe, but I think it now in its former JMT colours. I drove the vehicle once or twice when it was in North Devon at the West of England Transport Collection.

There are pictures on Flicker, just put J1199 bus into your search engine.
 
OLDBRIT - if I remember correctly in the 1950s the buses that went down Moat Lane were 15B. The 15A went to Whittington Oval and they split routes at the Yew Tree.
 
Sorry, Pantograph not Catenary, that was the name for the overhead wires.

<Pedant mode>

Nearly.

A catenary is the wire, under tension, that supports the contact or current carrying cable. This term is also used for any wire carrying power or telephone lines that are not capable of being self-supporting, between buildings.

<Pedant mode off>:friendly_wink:
 
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