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Classic photos
- Thread starter ragga
- Start date
D
daimlerman
Guest
What great piccies Ragga, Me and my cousin,who lived in Wellhead lane, Perry Barr used to try and imitate the sounds of Daimler and Crossley buses. Then we'd try the sounds of Guy buses....We would fall about in hysterics then my auntie would tell us to Pack it in as it sounded rude. Well, we did go a bit O.T.T with the Guys.
Another lad could do a real take off of a Fleetline powereing up and a brilliant impression of a Wilson epicyclic gearbox in neutral. Er, he was taken away. hmmmm wonder why?.
All harmless fun in the school holidays. However, passes by would give us that 1000 yard stare and one day an elderly lady who ran a small shop near the garage chased us off with a broom! We were only about 10 yrs old and the greatest achievement was to get inside Perry Barr garage and play on the old withdrawn Daimlers. They were quite spooky as i remember, Sunday afternoons sitting in the cabs of those old beasts, dead quiet, only the odd sparrow flitting around inside.. The spooky silence would then be shattered by one of the "White coats" OYE! get outa there you buggers! whoosh, we were gone in a flash.....Until the next time.
Eventually we managed to scrounge a couple of ancient destination blinds from one of the nicer garage men..mine was mounted in my bedroom on a couple of broom stales bearing the destination "special".. My mum and my aunty thought it all a bit daft but they would roll them around and chatter about some of the road names which no longer exsited.
I wish i still had them now.
Another lad could do a real take off of a Fleetline powereing up and a brilliant impression of a Wilson epicyclic gearbox in neutral. Er, he was taken away. hmmmm wonder why?.
All harmless fun in the school holidays. However, passes by would give us that 1000 yard stare and one day an elderly lady who ran a small shop near the garage chased us off with a broom! We were only about 10 yrs old and the greatest achievement was to get inside Perry Barr garage and play on the old withdrawn Daimlers. They were quite spooky as i remember, Sunday afternoons sitting in the cabs of those old beasts, dead quiet, only the odd sparrow flitting around inside.. The spooky silence would then be shattered by one of the "White coats" OYE! get outa there you buggers! whoosh, we were gone in a flash.....Until the next time.
Eventually we managed to scrounge a couple of ancient destination blinds from one of the nicer garage men..mine was mounted in my bedroom on a couple of broom stales bearing the destination "special".. My mum and my aunty thought it all a bit daft but they would roll them around and chatter about some of the road names which no longer exsited.
I wish i still had them now.
C
Catkin
Guest
Made me Laugh
That made me laugh Daimlerman, reminded me of my brothers....... boys will be boys....Cat
That made me laugh Daimlerman,
reminded me of my brothers....... boys will be boys....CatNice memories Daimlerman :grinsmile: the rear of Washwood Heath garage was
my playground they stored buses there ready for the scrapman , Guys,
Crossleys , leylands , Daimlers ............ nice memories ....... made a
change from Trainspotting
ALF .......... Classic setting yes
I remember that terminus when i use to go to the lickeys
there was always a line of buses waiting for there the
return back to Birmingham.
ragga
my playground they stored buses there ready for the scrapman , Guys,
Crossleys , leylands , Daimlers ............ nice memories ....... made a
change from Trainspotting
ALF .......... Classic setting yes
I remember that terminus when i use to go to the lickeys
there was always a line of buses waiting for there the
return back to Birmingham.
ragga
D
daimlerman
Guest
Hey Alf, Cat might have had a dolls pram, dolls prams are good. My sister had one and it had a Guy Motors "Feathers in our cap" Indians head mounted on it. We found it near the 33 terminius in Finchley road. When we got hold of the dolls pram the dolls and teddies were chucked out and now we had our very own bus. SO, HAIL THE DOLLS PRAM!
Now the sad part, when the dolls pram became inevitably wrecked,and my cousin and pals had gone home, I would take one wheel off a pram axle, stick the sharp end in the grass and sit behind my very own steering wheel on a kitchen chair. I must have driven miles and miles in my imaginary bus.......then the white coats came again.........very different men in white coats,
They're coming to take me away ha haa, they're coming to take me away ha haaaaaaaaaa:explode:
Now the sad part, when the dolls pram became inevitably wrecked,and my cousin and pals had gone home, I would take one wheel off a pram axle, stick the sharp end in the grass and sit behind my very own steering wheel on a kitchen chair. I must have driven miles and miles in my imaginary bus.......then the white coats came again.........very different men in white coats,
They're coming to take me away ha haa, they're coming to take me away ha haaaaaaaaaa:explode:
Lloyd
master brummie
I used to sneak in the garages, too, as a kid - and saw the last of the wartime buses as trainers, pre-war Daimlers with snow plough blades underneath, and older ones with lorry bodies on.
Fascinating places, bus garages.View attachment 12465
View attachment 12466
Fascinating places, bus garages.View attachment 12465
View attachment 12466
the silver fox
master brummie
Bus garages.
As a youngster a couple of mates and I would visit the garages; always asking permission to have a mooch around. We were always allowed in - who needs health and safety!
At Highgate Road Garage I looked into one of the ventilation grids in the wall and noticed there was a long-established accumulation of tickets. With much perseverence I extracted a great collection - many old Bell Punch and some of very ancient 'geographic' type, I think they dated from around 1900-1910.
Another great place to visit was Birds scrap yard in Stratford; this was a marvellous day out comprising a trip on the Stratford Blue much exploratory rambling around the hundreds of buses and trolleybuses, many of them ex-Birmingham. I discovered more tickets stuck behind the hinges on the used-ticket bins. And yes, I've still got them!
As a youngster a couple of mates and I would visit the garages; always asking permission to have a mooch around. We were always allowed in - who needs health and safety!
At Highgate Road Garage I looked into one of the ventilation grids in the wall and noticed there was a long-established accumulation of tickets. With much perseverence I extracted a great collection - many old Bell Punch and some of very ancient 'geographic' type, I think they dated from around 1900-1910.
Another great place to visit was Birds scrap yard in Stratford; this was a marvellous day out comprising a trip on the Stratford Blue much exploratory rambling around the hundreds of buses and trolleybuses, many of them ex-Birmingham. I discovered more tickets stuck behind the hinges on the used-ticket bins. And yes, I've still got them!
D
daimlerman
Guest
I can remember another GOE reg daimler in private use,no doubt a works bus. It used to travel through kingstanding in the evenings.The lower paintwork was green and so were the narrower mouldings. I've no idea who that belonged to.
Another strange demise i remember was when i was in the sea Cadets at gas street basin. Mored up in the basin was a barge, probably a coal barge, and mounted on the top was the upper deck of an ex brum bus.
I was never allowed to go as far as stratford, a bit too young i guess but if i had i would have been there for days. I sill live in hope of one day on my travels finding one of those old beasts in need of restoration. I've seen plenty of derelict buses but never an ex B.C.T. Just as well 'cos my wife has just about seen enough Wolseley 6/80s, and a plethora of old B.M.C cars painstakingly revived. The last project was a cast iron phone kiosk and that was a real heavy beast. It now sits proudly in my garden and Robins have just decided to squat and build a nest in it. My wife reckons i have a thing for street furniture but would go potty if i towed a bus home.
Last saturday,we were in the local and just for a laugh i told her i'd bought a 25% share in a bus at Wythall....She was not amused. It did however test the water somewhat.
Another strange demise i remember was when i was in the sea Cadets at gas street basin. Mored up in the basin was a barge, probably a coal barge, and mounted on the top was the upper deck of an ex brum bus.
I was never allowed to go as far as stratford, a bit too young i guess but if i had i would have been there for days. I sill live in hope of one day on my travels finding one of those old beasts in need of restoration. I've seen plenty of derelict buses but never an ex B.C.T. Just as well 'cos my wife has just about seen enough Wolseley 6/80s, and a plethora of old B.M.C cars painstakingly revived. The last project was a cast iron phone kiosk and that was a real heavy beast. It now sits proudly in my garden and Robins have just decided to squat and build a nest in it. My wife reckons i have a thing for street furniture but would go potty if i towed a bus home.
Last saturday,we were in the local and just for a laugh i told her i'd bought a 25% share in a bus at Wythall....She was not amused. It did however test the water somewhat.
jennyann
Gone but not forgotten. R.I.P.
Hi Daimlerman:
A friend of mine and his friend who are both in their 70's have collected old buses for several years. I am not sure what state their collection of
vehicles is. I don't think they have any BCT buses but I know that they bought the Midland Red Bus that was specially designed to transport the City of Birmingham Symphony orchestra around in the l950's i.e. it would have a special area at the back where the musicians could put their instruments.
They bought a site along the Moreton-in-the Marsh main railway line and stored some of the vehicles there. The city council in the area haven't made things easy and also the buses and other vehicles were attacked by vandals as there wasn't much security. The last year came the floods which also caused a huge amount of damage as the water rose up over five feet in places. I am not sure what is happening now. It's very sad that all these problems have happened.
It's difficult storing a bus in a suburban area I agree completely. There is a story on this forum of myself finding a red London Double Decker Bus in the back of a quiet street in the area where I live l7 km outside of Vancouver. I went for a walk along the right of way above a steep ravine at the top of my street and came across the London bus complete with banners and an open platform....double decker behind the owner's property. To say I was amazed was putting it mildly. I found out that the fellow who owned it bought it in an auction in London and had it shipped out to Canada to put on display in his "Lost in the Fifties" hamburger joint. Sadly, he painted it a pale green and put it on the forecourt of his restaurant where it sat forlornly for three or four years. It has gone now and I have no idea where it is. I liked the fact that I found it in it's true state and was able to imagine all the thousands of people who had ridden this bus in the London area over the years.
A friend of mine and his friend who are both in their 70's have collected old buses for several years. I am not sure what state their collection of
vehicles is. I don't think they have any BCT buses but I know that they bought the Midland Red Bus that was specially designed to transport the City of Birmingham Symphony orchestra around in the l950's i.e. it would have a special area at the back where the musicians could put their instruments.
They bought a site along the Moreton-in-the Marsh main railway line and stored some of the vehicles there. The city council in the area haven't made things easy and also the buses and other vehicles were attacked by vandals as there wasn't much security. The last year came the floods which also caused a huge amount of damage as the water rose up over five feet in places. I am not sure what is happening now. It's very sad that all these problems have happened.
It's difficult storing a bus in a suburban area I agree completely. There is a story on this forum of myself finding a red London Double Decker Bus in the back of a quiet street in the area where I live l7 km outside of Vancouver. I went for a walk along the right of way above a steep ravine at the top of my street and came across the London bus complete with banners and an open platform....double decker behind the owner's property. To say I was amazed was putting it mildly. I found out that the fellow who owned it bought it in an auction in London and had it shipped out to Canada to put on display in his "Lost in the Fifties" hamburger joint. Sadly, he painted it a pale green and put it on the forecourt of his restaurant where it sat forlornly for three or four years. It has gone now and I have no idea where it is. I liked the fact that I found it in it's true state and was able to imagine all the thousands of people who had ridden this bus in the London area over the years.
D
daimlerman
Guest
Hello jennyann in vancouver,
who'd have thought that "bus tales" would be circumnavigating the globe, across the wild wastes of the Atlantic!....What a smashing story of the london bus..Where i live in the semi-rural wastes of Northamptonshire, i only know of a couple of ancient buses parked up in a half open barn near Towcester. I believe the owner passed away some years ago and they have been there since. I think an article appeared in "Practical Classics" about 12 yrs ago. They are, I believe, ex- Northampton buses. Incidentally, In Northampton's bus garage there hibernates a Daimler bus of 1940s vintage. I pass it most days in the course of my work but have yet to see it on the road.
I was touched by your thoughts of all those people who would have travelled on the London bus. I have similar thoughts on such matters regarding Birmingham buses. All those wind-blown souls who year in, year out, rode the Metro-Cammell. Cold rainy days, foggy days and nights and even quiet nights when only the crew were there to tell the tale picking away at a bag of fish and chips. Buses Packed solid with saturday shoppers, red hot summer evenings when the workers went home, and early morning runs starting out with just a couple of early birds and then increasing in passenger numbers until bursting. If a Bus could tell a tale or two it would make a fantasic autobiography. I am sure there are plenty of old timers on this forum who rode the Metro- Cammell for a living and could, if they chose to, tell us some really absorbing stories.
I can only speak of my own interests as a child living around buses and subsequently working on them as a youth. How times change though, nobody seems interested in buses any more, Maybe its the nature of the beast that is built for the job or maybe buses are just seen as a transport means, capturing little interest or imagination....Or maybe small boys have better things to do with their time. Who knows??????????.
who'd have thought that "bus tales" would be circumnavigating the globe, across the wild wastes of the Atlantic!....What a smashing story of the london bus..Where i live in the semi-rural wastes of Northamptonshire, i only know of a couple of ancient buses parked up in a half open barn near Towcester. I believe the owner passed away some years ago and they have been there since. I think an article appeared in "Practical Classics" about 12 yrs ago. They are, I believe, ex- Northampton buses. Incidentally, In Northampton's bus garage there hibernates a Daimler bus of 1940s vintage. I pass it most days in the course of my work but have yet to see it on the road.
I was touched by your thoughts of all those people who would have travelled on the London bus. I have similar thoughts on such matters regarding Birmingham buses. All those wind-blown souls who year in, year out, rode the Metro-Cammell. Cold rainy days, foggy days and nights and even quiet nights when only the crew were there to tell the tale picking away at a bag of fish and chips. Buses Packed solid with saturday shoppers, red hot summer evenings when the workers went home, and early morning runs starting out with just a couple of early birds and then increasing in passenger numbers until bursting. If a Bus could tell a tale or two it would make a fantasic autobiography. I am sure there are plenty of old timers on this forum who rode the Metro- Cammell for a living and could, if they chose to, tell us some really absorbing stories.
I can only speak of my own interests as a child living around buses and subsequently working on them as a youth. How times change though, nobody seems interested in buses any more, Maybe its the nature of the beast that is built for the job or maybe buses are just seen as a transport means, capturing little interest or imagination....Or maybe small boys have better things to do with their time. Who knows??????????.
Lloyd
master brummie
A few scrapyard shots...
Daimlers 1793 and 1803 (with the prototype 'triple number' destination display) at Birds scrapyard, Stratford.
A 1933 Morris 'Imperial' ex Birmingham Corporation in Passey's Scrapyard, Newbury about 20 years ago.
1320 (FVP 920) one of the Daimlers built for Johannesburg that were allocated to Birmingham during the war. They were the first 8' wide buses to run in the city.
Daimlers 1793 and 1803 (with the prototype 'triple number' destination display) at Birds scrapyard, Stratford.
A 1933 Morris 'Imperial' ex Birmingham Corporation in Passey's Scrapyard, Newbury about 20 years ago.
1320 (FVP 920) one of the Daimlers built for Johannesburg that were allocated to Birmingham during the war. They were the first 8' wide buses to run in the city.
Lloyd
master brummie
Not every day is perfect...
2608 was fairly new when it had a very serious front, side and rear collision. It was rebuilt and lived a full service life afterwards, though. Taken in the yard at Perry Barr garage.
2954 was also newish (note the wheel trim discs - they were removed after a couple of years to help brake overheating troubles) when it took a dislike to a small tree on Bristol Road.
Do you remember those square street lights as well?
2608 was fairly new when it had a very serious front, side and rear collision. It was rebuilt and lived a full service life afterwards, though. Taken in the yard at Perry Barr garage.
2954 was also newish (note the wheel trim discs - they were removed after a couple of years to help brake overheating troubles) when it took a dislike to a small tree on Bristol Road.
Do you remember those square street lights as well?
the silver fox
master brummie
Greetings Alfie boy,
I have just realised that you were referring to my post about bus tickets!
Loks like I have to get my camera out!!:grinsmile:
I have just realised that you were referring to my post about bus tickets!
Loks like I have to get my camera out!!:grinsmile:
dereklcg
master brummie
hi Lloyd just spent the week in Arnold notts, with my sister,and they,ve started using old buses in the town,
great to see them on the road.
regards dereklcg.
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