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Birmingham buses

Robert Ensor (bob) said:
After my post I got to thinking the ticket codes were in fact to check on employee theft or at least a attempt to keep them honest ?,
So now I wonder if they used ticket sales to gather information as to how many buses to run and at what times ?.
So easy to do these days but back in the day did they ask the clippy's if they thought the #11 route needed a extra bus on Friday at quiting time ?.
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The conductors waybills would show the ticket numbers at each terminus and at designated stage points en route so a study of the waybills would show number of passengers boarding at the various points. This would give an indication of the patronage of the bus route at various times of the day.
 
A study of the introduction dates of routes, initially tram and later buses, show the development of the city. I am sure this information is on BHF, probably in the Peter Walker archive.
 
Some Drivers I've worked with have tried all the tricks in the book and that was only a few years ago. Taking fares and not issuing tickets, giving out children's tickets instead of adults and even issuing 50p dog tickets. This was in the days before cctv and satellite monitoring and only one inspector to cover the whole of Cornwall. How many passengers even look at their ticket and once they've got off the bus the Drivers in the clear. Obviously not worth the risk with returns as the return driver may check the ticket when you attempt to board.
 
mw0njm. said:
thanks Lloyd.i was reading that early buses justs had engine pads....and they increased the flywheel size. there must have been loads of vibration...
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9
mwOnjm, the early engine pads were basically solid rubber (natural) as there really was not any synthetic materials. The solid material really got pounded when big engines were started, particularly diesels with high compression. Eventually the mounts were converted to a form of hydraulic support and absorber.
 
Richarddye said:
9
mwOnjm, the early engine pads were basically solid rubber (natural) as there really was not any synthetic materials. The solid material really got pounded when big engines were started, particularly diesels with high compression. Eventually the mounts were converted to a form of hydraulic support and absorber.
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Thanks for that. i remember some of the buses at miller st depot shaking on tick over. while i was washing them
 
Richarddye said:
The only thing in common with those two transmissions is the name, the how it is done is completely different and for very different purposes. The new CVT's are designed for emission/environmental/ecconomy purposes the DAF version was low cost but did not work too well particularly in the rain!
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I tell you what they did do, leave a skid marks as long as you liked from the tyre spin it one belt broke.
Nasty little job replacing the belts, ask me how I know about tyre spin and a belt change.
 
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I did not notice which route the tram was on, nor the bus route (possibly a 29/29A), as I was more interested in looking at the two vehicles involved in the crash which was at Lancaster Place. The trams, from Steelhouse Lane went through the traffic islands in one direction and buses went through one of those islands - at right angles to the trams - when heading from Steelhouse Lane to Corporation Street. The BCT bus also came off worse in this instance as did the Red in the news cutting.
 
I have TWO copies of an Evening mail Souvenir paper "Tram Days" sold for 12p then says twenty five years ago? About 19 pages lots of photos etc. If anyone would like them and is willing to pay of post from the USA to them, I will gladly send them to you Email me [email protected] (I can take PayPal for the postage)
 
Powerful though and certainly showed the general feeling about our enemies at that time, now we would have to be so conciliatory towards them. I was going to put alternative 21st Century statements, but for once I could not find the words and of course nowadays the social media on the world wide web would be riven with screams of anguish from the offended (#naughtymidlandred), but then of course they would not have lost a loved one, been bombed out of their home, evacuated or become a one parent family WWII style ( I did not see my father from 1941 to 1945 and when he came home I did not know who he was and he frightened my sister).
Bob
 
ex_B28_resident said:
Isn't this round the back of Perry Barr garage? I'm sure that 3199 was one of the batch of MOF Daimlers allocated there c. 1974? Like the DAF car. Wasn't it called a Variomatic and had a belt drive automatic transmission? A work colleague had one in a lovely avacado green colour!
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To match his bathroom. :)
 
sospiri said:
Nick, re: your post #1760,

None of that technology here in Crete, but compared with 27 years ago when I first came here, the service is now a dream - runs on time with a nice fleet of coaches. 27 years ago was old wrecks of buses with people carrying chickens and even sheep with perhaps three services day, but very unreliable. Now on the main roads, two or three serices an hour between the main cities in the summer, but perhaps half of that number in the winter. But once you get away from the main east west highway, it may be one bus a day and you can get somewhere, but not back on the same day!

Maurice :cool:
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Superb bus services along main east to west main route including Charnia, Rethimnon and Heraklion using a mixture of articulated and ordinary three-doored buses with capacity of around 85 including standees. I think that MAN and Mercedes have been the main suppliers. Going to the south the buses are certainly more elderly but are these days less than 20 years old; this compares with some really old buses 30 years ago with even a converted American Firs Army lorry fitted with a bus body. Unlike Cyprus, the "village" buses were not of British origin but were a mixed bag of mainly German vehicles the newest being Mercedes_Benz 0305? coaches dating from the mid 1950s.
 
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