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Buses To West Bromwich

Yes, that bus looks very familiar Ragga! I would have caught the No.74 many times, especially when going dancing on a Saturday night to the Adelphi in West Brom.

Judy
 
Didn't you have to pay again at the hawthorns boundary on the way into West Brom?
 
I can't recollect ever having to pay again at the Hawthorns on the way to West Bromwich Neville - but it was a long time ago!

Judy
 
There was a clock outside the football ground Judy, and the conductor had two bags I seem to remember. You paid from your pick up to 'The Boundary', then you had to pay again. Some money went to West Brom Council, some went to Birmingham. A bit fiddly for passengers, but even more fiddly for the conductor I imagine, and also probably did not do his back any good, all those 'coppers' which were heavy if you remember.
 
Thanks Shortie - I didn't remember that, but me and my friend Jean Thomas only used to go to West Brom on Saturday nights dancing and I had completely forgotten about paying again at the football ground, but it does make sense now that I think about it.

Judy
 
Did you go to the Gala Baths then Judy? I went once, I cannot remember who we went with, but I do remember taking a red brolly because it was raining and finding it had gone when I went to get my coat. Never had much luck with brollies!
 
Shortie said:
There was a clock outside the football ground Judy, and the conductor had two bags I seem to remember. You paid from your pick up to 'The Boundary', then you had to pay again. Some money went to West Brom Council, some went to Birmingham. A bit fiddly for passengers, but even more fiddly for the conductor I imagine, and also probably did not do his back any good, all those 'coppers' which were heavy if you remember.
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I can remember that - maybe from the 60s/ early 70s?

The Staffordshire buses were different from the Birmingham ones, think they were more navy blue than cream. They used to run the Birmingham - Wolverhampton or Dudley routes from the Hawthorns.
 
Post No. 9, of this thread, shows what the 'Staffordshire' buses looked like. They belonged, in fact, to West Bromwich Corporation.

I once travelled to Dudley on the 74 route ( I wanted to ride on a West Bromwich bus) , in the early 1950's, and was surprised to find that I had to pay again at the Hawthorns.
 
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I have not looked at Post No 58, but I know the West Brom buses were not navy blue, but a kind of petrol blue and cream but as you say, more blue than cream. Birmingham buses were navy and cream, and in my view, were a bit 'smarter' than the West Brom ones. The West Brom buses also ran into Birmingham, you could pick a West Brom bus up at the same place as the Birmingham ones. I used to mainly catch a number 72, but a 71 (Oxhill Road) or a 73, 74 or 75 (all West Brom) and they would take me to the same place. I think the only difference was that the 72 used to stop at the Hawthorns, whereas the others went straight through, just re-clocking (and I think having a cuppa) at the football ground. I do believe there was a cafe on the corner of Middlemore Road, where they used to get their tea, but I might be just romancing here, I am going back to 1962.
 
Hi Shortie - No, I never went to the Gala Baths only ever to the Adelphi and this was in 1955/56 I don't remember which street the ballroom was in but do remember there was a fish and chip shop almost opposite!!

Judy
 
The arrangement about paying again at the Hawthorns was that Birmingham Corporation had all the money collected in Birmingham and West Bromwich Corporation had all the money collected outside the city boundary. However to equal the milages West Bromwich Corporation buses sometimes had to run the 72 route which of course was wholly inside Birmingham so they got no money for that. I think this arrangement may have stoped sometime before they all became WMPTE.
 
Oh Judy I did not know the Adelphi, but I am now speaking about 1964 onwards, so slighgtly later than you. We moved to Hamstead in 1964 and often went into West Brom. The Gala Baths were quite good - a brilliant floor was laid over the swimming pool, but as my boyfriend (later my husband) did not (and will not) dance, we did not go very often.
 
Can't be absolutely sure that this West Bromwich bus travelled to Birmingham but it was seen at the Black Country Museum last week. Dave.
 

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The West Bromwich bus used to go to the bottom of Shireland Road Smethwick where it joined Portland Road, the Edgbaston boundary. I can't remember which roads it used to turn round. I think it was Selsey Road then Westbury Road and back onto Portland Road but you had to get off at the boundary.
rosie.
 
When I lived in Hamstead during 1957/58, we kids used to catch a West Brom double decker (#1) school bus to Churchfields Comp. It used to start around Green Lane and go down to Hamstead, up the Old Walsall Rd to the Scott Arms and down the Newton Rd to Old Church. There were always two or three buses because, if we were on the last bus we would sing "Last Bus to Churchfields....if you miss this one....etc etc", a parody of a Johnny Duncan song at the time "Last Train to San Fernando"
 
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farmerdave said:
Can't be absolutely sure that this West Bromwich bus travelled to Birmingham but it was seen at the Black Country Museum last week. Dave.
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We used this bus as a not so Black Maria at the Peaky Blinders event recently.Cops at BCLM copy.jpg
 
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GS1VDs.jpg


This is what the bus, MXX 340, looked like originally when owned by London Transport (fleet no. GS 40) was Guy Vixen and ran in the Epping area. It later moved to Windsor.
In 1961 it was sold to West Bromwich Corporation, initially for the Welfare Department as number 49 but went into the bus fleet in 1962, where it became fleet no. 252. It then passed to the WMPTE as 252H in 1969 eventually being sold in 1973 to preservationists. It has been owned by preservationists since then. It arrived in West Bromwich along with sister bus MXX 341 (GS 41) becoming fleet no. 233 which lasted with them until 1973. It would be rare for these buses to run on route 74, the joint service with BCT from Snow Hill to Dudley as they were often used for special duties, many for the Welfare Department, other occasions such as the joint with Midland Red 252 route, to Smethwick and local services. They might well have been seen in Birmingham on some of the special duty trips however.
 
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rosie said:
The West Bromwich bus used to go to the bottom of Shireland Road Smethwick where it joined Portland Road, the Edgbaston boundary. I can't remember which roads it used to turn round. I think it was Selsey Road then Westbury Road and back onto Portland Road but you had to get off at the boundary.
rosie.
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The Number 7 (Perry Common), came down Portland Road, up Ridgeway, down Westbury Road, Selsey Road and back to the Terminus.
 
Hello Burwaybird, Yes I used to catch the 7 home from Victoria Square, it changed to 5a on the way into Town, wasn't sure why!
rosie.
 
The 5A (5) and 7 was a cross city service. It was a 7 on route to Portland Road and then became 5A when going to the other terminus at Perry Common. It commenced in 1926 as the 5 (city to Perry Common). 1927 saw the change to a cross city route 5 and 7. 1939 saw the extension to Court Lane 5A.
There was a 5 (5A) and 6. The 6 went to Sandon Road. Changes were made around the PTE time.
Curiously, as a youngster, I was intrigued by the name Perry Common. I knew of Perry Como, the American singer, I wondered if there was a connection in any way. Strange what you think as a child.
My eldest son once asked, when Edward Heath was defeated by Harold Wilson at a general election, "will Heathrow (airport) now be Wilson Row?" :D
 
Thank you, it was always strange giving directions! It was usually on time too as there was a Bundy Clock at the terminus.
rosie.
 
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