• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team

buses

The Number 26 ran from town, down to Stetchford, and up to the Fox and Goose Pub then through to Washwood Heath. The 55 bus ran from the terminus at Kingshurst, through Shard End, up through Alum Rock and into town. Probably changed now though..:smile2:
 
Gillian, I think you are a bit muddled with the route of the No.26 bus. From town it came down Lister Street and then over Saltley Bridge up to Highfield Road where it proceeded down to Washwood Heath Road, into Drews Lane, turning left into Bromford Road, then right into Bromford Drive to the terminus. When I moved to Bromford Bridge estate in 1967 there were no buses serving the estate for a few months, then the No.26 was put on but only went as far as Highfield Road, if you needed to go to town you would have to catch another bus usually the No.14. The 26 never went near The Fox & Goose.
 
That is the route Sylvia.

My exhusband drove 56,55 and 26 buses.

In the early 70s we had our car stolen in Erdington High street and a couple of nights later when he was driving a No.26 he halted at the end of Drews lane and saw it parked across the road.

The passengers waited whilst he checked it,it was minus the radiator and had been dumped.
 
Michael went to see if his old bus garage was still there in Washwood Heath last week. Its now an Indian supermarket:( Still he had to go in and buy some food:)
 
Speaking of buses. I have a great memory of the 29A service that ran from Baldwins Lane Hall Green to Pheasey.

When I was a young girl my dad would put me on the bus in Bandywood Road with a basket of his pidgeons. I'd then sit upstairs in the front seat with the pidgeons on the floor and ride to the terminus in Baldwins Lane where I'd then get off and let out the birds, get back on the same bus and come all the way back where someone would meet me.

I knew that if my dad was waiting at the bus stop then the pidgeons had beaten me to it. If it was my mom then he was still waiting for a couple to return.

I don't think you'd be allowed to take a basket of birds onto the bus now.

Joanio
 
I used to live with my parents quite close to the 29a bus stop in Kettlehouse Rd Kingstanding, and the bus tickets, do you remember the bus tickets, they used to be discarded as passengers got off the bus and invariably finished up in the front garden.
It was always a bonus to catch the 29a in Birmingham coming home, as opposed to the 29 that is, as it saved a walk up the hill.
 
Yes I remember the bus tickets Goffy, I always wanted to be a conductress and have a machine of my own.

I lived in Cooksey Lane and I got off in Kettlehouse if I wanted the corner shops in Cooksey, if not I'd go over the hill and get off in Bandywood. Always a bonus to get the 29a though, otherwise a long walk up Kingstanding Hill to Cooksey.

The 33 runs up Cooksey Lane now.

Cheers.
 
Wendy said:
Hello angeleyes, what year are we looking at my husband drove all these buses back in 1958/60 he says the 55 and 56 came from Washwood Heath garage and the number 14 from Kits Green garage.
Click to expand...

Here's one for you Wendy, a view your husband must have taken in at Washwood Heath Depot many a time. I's not brilliant but was taken in 1956 on a Kodak 127 Brownie that didn't do flash. I only got in to the depot because my cousins grandad was Senior Driving Instructor Ernie Siviter. I think he was still there in 1958.
Mike
 
Thanks for that Mike I am sure my husband will love the photo. My husband is at work now but I asked him if he remembered Ernie he said he thought so. He remembers him as a big man. He has many happy memories of working at Washwood Heath depot.
 
I remember my aunt who worked at Yardley Wood garage during the war as a clippy, telling me that coming out of town one day on a 24 to Warstock they stopped just past Camp Hill at a coffee house, as they did reguarly, to get a can of tea, while she was in the coffee house someone on the bus rang the bell and her bus went off without her, she flagged the next one down, a 32 and told the driver to chase hers which they caught up with at the Mermaid.
 
Wendy,
Another pic from Washwood Heath this time out on the patch that later was covered over when they extended the shed. That's Ernie Siviter there with a Daimler and two Crossleys. Your husband might have known the union rep from Washwood Heath that was always at Head Office in Congreve Street to go in with the staff attending disciplinary interviews. I only knew him as Percy, he bred Boxer dogs as a hobby. I worked at Congreve Street and caught a 55[?] that started from the Pelham at 8am every morning. There was a short conductor, Charlie Court who insisted I rang the bell whilst he got his fares in. The drivers got used to this and would flash the inside lights if they got the wire there was an inspector ahead, then I would move off the platform a bit smartish.

Mike
 
Mike great photo's, my hubby remembers Charlie Court as a conductor when he was at school and he was still there when he worked on the buses. He has a few stories about Charlie but I don't want to put them on here.:rolleyes: You have certainly spaked some memories!
 
Goffy said:
I used to live with my parents quite close to the 29a bus stop in Kettlehouse Rd Kingstanding, and the bus tickets, do you remember the bus tickets, they used to be discarded as passengers got off the bus and invariably finished up in the front garden.
It was always a bonus to catch the 29a in Birmingham coming home, as opposed to the 29 that is, as it saved a walk up the hill.
Click to expand...

Tickets like these?
 
I collected the tickets when young, do you remember the brown gummed strip that joined the last of an old roll to a new one? It was printed with the word "MOOSE" and my friends and I always wondered what it meant. Why should the name of a huge American deer be on the back of Birmingham bus tickets? None of the conductors we asked knew (or cared, probably!) and it was years later I heard that simply, the gummed strips were made by the Moose glue company!
 
Hi Mike, I remember the bus tickets in your picture, but the tickets I was referring to where much older than those. Probably about the same size, but were a single ticket, not off a roll. these tickets were carried by the conductor clipped, by wire springs, into a wooden holder. the conductor took these tickets form the holder and "clipped" them with a notch or hole, I think to indicate which stage you got on the bus, I may be corrected there, which you sat clutching in case an inspector got on. there was a slot by the platform to deposit these tickets as you got off, but generally, they were discarded after leaving the bus. I believe thats where the nickname "clippie" given to bus conductors originated. Goffy
 
These are some of the earlier tickets, usually called 'Bell Punch' after the machine that cancelled them (and rang a little bell to tell you it was freshly done, not a used one being fobbed off on you). The machine collected the little disc punched out, which could be audited if necessary by an army of staff with needles and magnifying glasses separating them into the different colours, therefore different price values.
The tickets had numbers on the sides and were clipped to show the stage you boarded. Earlier ones had the stage names printed on (these were called 'Geographic' tickets) and were limited to one specific route, these illustrated could be used on any route.
 
Thank you Lloyd, Those are the tickets I remember, the small tear at the bottom I think was made when the ticket was pulled from the spring holder.
Goffy
 
Thats right Goffy, the tickets were stapled in blocks of 50 for each value. By bending the block in a certain way some of the older conductors would remove the staple but most didn't bother so you got a torn ticket. Those of a less honest nature when they knew the road inspector was gone in the opposite direction would when they had a block of tickets with a wide margin at the bottom sell those punched in the margin. At the terminus they would check the floor and used ticket box for any of these wrongly punched tickets and recover them, produce a small pair of scissors from their pocket and cut off the punched margin. the ticket was then put back in the rack and resold, thus making them a "profit". The waybill was "doctored" accordingly. Because of the long routes on the Midland Red the conductors had double bank ticket racks to hold all of the values needed but the tickets had to be punched as a single or return instead of in stage numbers. I have tickets, racks and a Bell Punch in my collection which I could photo to post if anyone is interested. It all started with one of these (and I still have the punch but none of the rest of it!).
Mike
 
Thanks Mike, did'nt know such things went on. bet they were not to pleased with people throwing them on the floor after leaving the bus. I would be interested to see photos of your collection of bus conductor equipment.
Goffy
 
Lloyd was that 6d Special one a workmans. I not sure but I think mine was grey or white when I started work 1951:)

I don't know if it was 5 or 6 days to take in Saturday if you went in for half day

Mind you they could have been made of stone that far back
 
Last edited:
No Alf, workmen's were overprinted with a 'W', the ones with 2 'X' on were used in the West Bromwich area, remember you had to pay again at the Albion Ground on the Soho Road services going though to Dudley, Wednesbury or West Bromwich.
Tickets with a large single 'X' like the first one above were for the Dudley Road Tram Replacement services (Dudley via Oldbury, Bearwood etc) and used on sections of route outside the city boundary.
 
Will be posting pics of conductors ticket racks and ticket machines but came across this and couldn't resist sharing it here. Not a "Where is this?" but a "Who is this?" (in the old uniform). Identify yourself young man or those on Peter's bash to Wythall Museum will. Tell us why this was in the Evening Mail. (I was tempted to post it under Famous people of Birmingham you know!)
 
Modest to a fault is Lloyd. Here for Wendy - that beard in glorious technicolour! Quite a nautical look about it or was it King George V that comes to mind.
 
If you would like to see Loyd in full preservation mode he is driving the matador when we (BaMMOT) collected the 1933 Morris Imperial Bus from bewdley
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CI8-cLiSvY&feature=related"]YouTube - Birmingham City Transport Bus OC 527 Part One[/ame]

and
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hk55uRCkrG4&feature=related"]YouTube - Birmingham City Transport Bus OC 527 Part Two[/ame]

and on a Bammot tour of the black country 1980
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CI59lKI73y4&feature=related"]YouTube - W.M.P.T.E Buses Part One in the Late 1970.s and Early 1980.s[/ame]

and a brief apperance in 1979 at Wythall if you blink you will miss him

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQpsXncAw1o"]YouTube - The Tansport Museum, Wythall at 30 years of age[/ame]

And wearing a white coat driving the CM6 Mid Red coach at Digbeth to celebrate the 25 aniversery of the opening of the M1

https://my.bus.photos.fotopic.net/p45454526.html

50 year old in 2009 the M1 not Lloyd he is 21 that is what he told me
 
That commemorative trip down the M1 had a brand new coach, and the museum piece, running in tandem. Here they are at Digbeth before the run, interesting to note that BVP 775V was scrapped some years ago after a full life, but BHA 565C is still at the museum, and will be out next year doing it again - the M1 will be 50 years old then!
https://my.bus.photos.fotopic.net/p45454552.html
 
Re the colour photo, the 'new' (actually newly refurbished and repainted) coach behind Mike & I, NOE 614R, is still with the Midland Red (or First, as that part of it is called now) - with the back cut off, it is the tow truck at Worcester now!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top