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Birmingham buses

New Street

This great view is one of several taken one November morning in 1962 (at ten to nine - see the clock nearly halfway up the left hand side!) to show the volume of traffic in the city. I have another in a book (taken at 9:08 by the same clock!) showing more of the distance, stationary buses and cars right back to Victoria Square.
I think they were taken because the City Council was in the early stages of considering the closure of city centre roads to traffic, as has now happened.
There are a lot of archived pictures like this, showing heavy (rush hour) traffic before a road scheme came into operation, and corresponding ones showing little or no traffic (taken at an off-peak time, or even Sunday!) afterwards.
Presumably the pictures proved the schemes worked!
 
I remember the buses cream and Dark blue and their licence numbers always began with JOJ or HOV. We used to go to school on an ticket for eightpence, I think it was.


Harborne
 
I tavelled to school for a Half Penny and some of us drove those Buses see other posts I'm not sure where they are on the Forum:)
 
Bus registrations

Post war buses were GOE, HOV, JOJ and MOF mainly. There was one JOC and a couple of LOG's as well, then when the engines moved to the back came DOC, KOV and BON-C.
 
YER great, in the 60s i lived in phillip st,my friend was a fitter at miller st
depot he checked the buses as they come in.wash them and park them up,od and evens i dont know what that meant,any how he learnt me to drive a pre select box.how wierd,but great fun.
 
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Re Old Buses

Hello alf,yer the crosslies guys was very stiff sticks i was only 14. there was one bus a training bus with 2 steering weels did you ever see it?
 
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od and evens i dont know what that meant
"Odds and Evens" - half the garage's fleet was washed every night, odd numbered ones one day, even numbered ones the next.

a training bus with 2 steering wheels did you ever see it?
Some of the wartime Guy 'Arab' buses were converted to special training vehicles after they were withdrawn, having an instructor's seat inside behind the cab with steering and brake controls, as most new drivers didn't have cars and couldn't drive before they started. They were 'crash' gearboxes in those days, requiring 'double declutching' to change gear.
BCT had gone over to Daimler preselect gears in the 30s, but in wartime had to take what buses they were given by the ministry of supply, (mostly Guys, Daimlers and a few Leylands) so crash boxes came back. Postwar Leyland and Crossley buses were similar, and until the rear engined buses came drivers had to push heavy clutches (or for the Daimlers, gearchange pedals) for every gearchange they did.
1383  FOP 383.jpg
 
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Thats one of them Lloyd:)
 
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Busses

I Used To Go To Icknield Stret Hockley Brook On The Bus,s
Around On The No,8 From Aston Cross In Rocky Lane
We Was So Poor Mom Got A Load Of Plastic Tokens From The Education Dept , Some Was Grren And Some Was Red Ones
And They Was Thevalue Of 1 Penny Other Wise We Couldnt Get To School And Also Old Man Kitchener Wouldappearat The Front Door
Asking Why Ain,t We Are In School
Blimy They Was The Days
Diid Any Body Else Get These Tokens ,? .
Best Wishes Astonian ,;;
 
Re Buses

astonian,hello there,yer i remember them tokens i had a pile,red and green.I had to go to slade rd clinic each day for sub light treatment,as a child,so they give me them to pay my fare
 
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re buses

RAGGA.Great pic of the buses.It reminds me of "i hate you butler" I can JUST about remember when the no 14 route kitts green had a bus with the engine at the back
 
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14 Route

Lea Hall garage and in particular the 14 route was used to try out several 'demonstration' buses either bought by or loaned to the Corporation in order to decide what the next fleet was going to be. Stan Palmer and Bill Godden were the regular 'test' drivers, as before the advent of the rear-engined bus there were several designs on trial. I'll put a few photos on for you.VKV 99  30' standard.jpg SDU 711  with doors.jpg 3228 9 JML c.jpg 3229 2211 MK Lea Hall Garage.jpg
 
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