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Birmingham Tram Books

JohnT

JohnT

Warstock Boy
I visited the Crich Tramway Village & Museum in Derbyshire (www.tramway.co.uk) this weekend and found the following titles in their gift shop, which people on this thread may or not know of:

'Birmingham Trams: on old picture postcards' John Marks, Yesterday's Warwickshire Series no.4 , ISBN 0 946245 53 3

'Birmingham Trolleybuses' David Harvey, Trolleybus Classics Number 23, Middleton Press, ISBN 978 1906008 19 2

'Birmingham's Horse Transport' Eric Armstrong, Tempus Publishing, ISBN 978 0 7524 46134

'Camwell's Birmingham: One man's transport perspective' edited by Peter Jaques, Birmingham Transport Historical Group, ISBN 978 1 872863 13 9

All have great photos and information to pour over. I don't know how readily available these titles are in Birmingham, but if anyone is keen to see any of them and can't find a copy, please PM me and I'll be happy to send you my copy through the post (if you promise to send it back!).

:)
 
John T,I am an amateur watercolourist, one of my favourite subjects is Trams, my sister in law knowing this gave me a booklet called :-
BRITISH TRAMWAYS IN PICTURES
3 BIRMINGHAM By R.J.S.WISEMAN, B.A. Published in 1972 only 40 pages but full of black white pics and lots of info on fleet no.s routes etc......
The publishers are The Advertiser Press Ltd, Huddersfield HD3 4ES
 
Hi Cookie

Hopefully my list and the one you've added will prompt others to list the titles they know of too.

If you are a watercolourist and like using trams as your subject I think you would love the Crich Tram Village. It has an amazing selection of trams from all over the world, plus the 'village' has a visually impressive mix of renovated Edwardian buildings (some with stained glass windows, others with lovely old billboard avertisements on their sides), robust stone walls, solid wrought iron railings and period lamp-posts, a lovely arched bridge over the tram lines, characterful tram stops and signal boxes; and the trams they run along the line for visitors to travel on, go right up a wild and pretty hillside ridge, passing a limestone quarry too. It's also a calm and secluded place where photographers and painters would be in their element.

Regards
 
hi Guy's here's a couple opf pics I took at Crich Railway museum
hope they are of interest to you
deebee
 
dennis
, excellent pics, I have been to Crich a few time, and rode the trams but it was a long time ago. I am 78 yo so used the bham trams a lot till i wet abroad in 1952
 
Thanks for the Tranway link, John, which has one of the best postcards sites that I have come across. I have ordered one of the books, too.
 
cookie273uk said:
winter tramride stockland green circa 1951
Click to expand...

Brilliant painting cookie. Any chance you might get it on to a Christmas card?. I would be happy to buy a dozen and I bet there's a few more in the Forum that might like some as well.
Got some more paintings to show us please. (You might have noticed I have just a bit of a liking for trams).
Mike
 
Thanks BordesleyExile

Actually I hadn't spotted the postcard searcher so I'm glad you mentioned it. Quite a treasure trove of images for Birmingham!

:)
 
Hi all, I have a book entitled ' a short review of birmingham corporation tramways', also I have a couple of books on Birmingham trams by Alton Douglas which I think are still available, I recently purchased a couple of DVD's entitled 'Birmingham trams & trolleybuses, and ' Another look at Birmingham trams & trolleybuses'. Both of these are very good and bring back many memories, one of them is complete with a sound track of a tram ride, complete with all the rattles, squeals and bangs- great stuff! Mal.
 
motorman mike, unfortunately I sold the painting 2 years ago at an Exhibition in Kenilworth, in fact I have sold all my tram paintings but if you want to down load and print of this copy I have no objection and certainly not bothered about copyright (which I hold and not the buyer). I have a couple more on my Pc which I will now upload, although I do not think they are as good ( done a few years ago) but if any one wants to download my guest they are as good. Eric Cook
 
correction last letter should end "be my guest, but I do not think they are as good, they were some of my first attempts at trams"
 
2 paintings as promised, the winter one was printed on front cover of an Arts magazine January 1994
 
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I like all of them, though I admit I think the first one is the best. Can anyone tell me what "Chunky" was in the advert of two of the trams? My guess would be chocolate, but i don't remember it.
Mike
 
cookie273uk said:
Cookie,
Many thanks for reply extra pics, and now thanks to your permission I will be converting the first snow pic to Christmas cards to my friends and family this year. Your fame will spread far and wide! Have you caught up with the 'Birmingham Trams' thread for more tram photos? On books, I still have my original 1940's Ian Allan ABC of Birmingham Trams & Trolleybuses which was probably about the first book to come out about Brum trams.
Mike
Click to expand...
 
motor man mike, Glad you like the painting, like to see one of the Xmas cards. I am just researching old photos for future tram paintings, have to alter things round a bit so I dont break copyright laws - dont want to finish in the nick at my age. Any paintings I do I will put on "My Album" with the rest. I have just bought a stunning print by Eric Bottomy of Aston Cross circa 1952/53, 39 bus plus 3 trams I am just going to photgraph and upload it
 
Here is a print by Eric Bottomly of Aston Cross circa 1952/53 24" X 16", he also does cards
 
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Lloyd, sorry about CHUNKY error,but when I was researching for the painting an old BCT employee informed me it was a dog food advert and I vaguely remember a dog food of that name or very similar around the 40s or 50s, as we kept dogs - my mistake
 
Hi, can anyone tell me how and if i can find out anything about my great grandad William Wilkes who drove trams in birmingham and up the Hagley Road, to the Lickey Hills from 1919 till the second world war? i know that there was photos of him by his tram but does the BCT hold records of emloyee's service? or anyhting like that?

Thanks

Lee
 
Trams only ran along Hagley Rd as far as Bearwood. If your GGF drove trams to the Lickey Terminus that route was along the Bristol Road and he would most likely to have been based at Selly Oak garage.As regards employee records I dont know if any were kept, the best route maybe Birmingham Central Library as a starting point.
 
Hi Mike,

Thanks for that, i believe he did several routes so my Grandma says, one being along the Hagley Road to Bearwood, one being the outer circular, and one to the Lickeys (where in 1927 he slipped on the ice changing the line over and broke his ankle, ending up at the Transport and General Convalesent Home at Littleport for 3 months https://www.postcardworld.co.uk/cards/England/cambs/conv.jpg ) I know Grandma says that she had to go down from Smethwick to Birmingham to collect her dads pension from their offices there during the war. I will have to have a look in the library next time im home,

Thanks!

Lee
 
I have a few books, purchased a few years ago, on BCT tramcars, buses and trolley buses plus a couple about the Midland Red.

In one of the tramcar books, part of a two part history, much to my amazement and delight I saw a picture which contained my father outside his shop. The same book also contained a photo of the van and shop of a childhood friends father.
 
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