Midland Red Around Birmingham.

[farmerdave]

This Midland Red bus was seen last Thursday running short bus trips within the Black Country Living Museum near Tipton. Dave.

 

[Radiorails]

Thank you for posting that more than interesting picture Farmer Dave. I wonder if that bus goes outside the museum grounds and onto public roads? I have a picture which says it has done so in the past.

Post amended to reflect new information correcting the incorrect detail posted.
The reference I used was partially incorrect.

 

[Brummygirl66]

Can anyone help me with finding pictures of the buses that ran just over the border in Smethwick such as the 221, 220, 233, 229, 214, 215, and the bus my husband caught to school the 212. I've searched in a lot of different websites but can't really find anything. Any help would be great, thanks.

 

[Radiorails]

There is a book by the well known transport writer, David Harvey, with lots of pics and info about West Bromwich Corporation buses. I am not sure the time period you speak of Brummiegirl, however as I travelled rarely on West Brom buses I am not that familiar with their routes. Hopefully someone with more info will also respond.
Most WB bus routes had single or double figures, the three figure ones were Midland Red numbers which WB ran a joint service on some of them. 220 was WB to Bearwood, 221 seems also to be a WB to Bearwood but presumably by different roads and ending up in a different part. I don't know about the other routes you mention. Of interest 252 was always a single deck route until 1967 when a lower than usual double deck buses were bought. This was due to a canal aqueduct bridge in Wednesbury. I believe the WMPTE renumbered some of the routes.
The West Brom area, together with most of the other large municipal buses operations in the West Midlands became the WMPTE in 1979.
I hope that gives you something to go one. Keep searching, you never know what might turn up.

 

[DavidGrain]

220 Joint MR & WBCT Bearwood to West Brom via Smethwick
221 Joint MR & WBCT Bearwood to West Brom via Warley and West Smethwick (my bus home from school)
252 Joint MR & WBCT Shireland Road (connecting with BCT 5A/7 to West Brom & Carters Green. This should have been 222 but MR buses did not carry 3 of any numbers which was why, before roller number blinds, there was no 111, 222 or 333 etc.
233 MR Bearwood to Oldbury via Warley and Causeway Green
229 MR Bearwood to Blackheath via Warley, Rood End and Oldbury (My first job, 229 to work and home except on Friday I went home on 233 as we left work 15 minutes earlier)
214 MR Warley to Smethwick Cape Hill via Bearwood Always single deck
215 I don't recall this one
124 MR Birmingham to Langley via Bearwood and Warley
224 MR Bearwood to Warley. Purely a shortworking, I think just peak periods only
There was also
211 MR Bearwood to Oldbury via Brandhall Estate

Bearwood to Warley must have been one of the most busiest areas for bus operations

 

[Radiorails]

That puts a lot more flesh on the bones David. Living south of the city meant that the Black Country wasn't a place I visited often and when I did it was usually Dudley.
Regarding the 111, 222 etc of Midland Red it always, to me, that the metal stencils were one of the quaint practices of the company - along with the bell cords rather than the electric push buttons of the BCT.

 

[Brummygirl66]

There is a book by the well known transport writer, David Harvey, with lots of pics and info about West Bromwich Corporation buses. I am not sure the time period you speak of Brummiegirl, however as I travelled rarely on West Brom buses I am not that familiar with their routes. Hopefully someone with more info will also respond.
Most WB bus routes had single or double figures, the three figure ones were Midland Red numbers which WB ran a joint service on some of them. 220 was WB to Bearwood, 221 seems also to be a WB to Bearwood but presumably by different roads and ending up in a different part. I don't know about the other routes you mention. Of interest 252 was always a single deck route until 1967 when a lower than usual double deck buses were bought. This was due to a canal aqueduct bridge in Wednesbury. I believe the WMPTE renumbered some of the routes.
The West Brom area, together with most of the other large municipal buses operations in the West Midlands became the WMPTE in 1979.
I hope that gives you something to go one. Keep searching, you never know what might turn up.

I'm really looking early '70's as I know the buses changed around 1974? to become WMPTE, the 229/233 I never travelled on as Midland Red, but the Smethwick services I remember from when I was a little girl. Thank you for mentioning that book, I'll certainly have a look for it after Christmas.

 

[Brummygirl66]

220 Joint MR & WBCT Bearwood to West Brom via Smethwick
221 Joint MR & WBCT Bearwood to West Brom via Warley and West Smethwick (my bus home from school)
252 Joint MR & WBCT Shireland Road (connecting with BCT 5A/7 to West Brom & Carters Green. This should have been 222 but MR buses did not carry 3 of any numbers which was why, before roller number blinds, there was no 111, 222 or 333 etc.
233 MR Bearwood to Oldbury via Warley and Causeway Green
229 MR Bearwood to Blackheath via Warley, Rood End and Oldbury (My first job, 229 to work and home except on Friday I went home on 233 as we left work 15 minutes earlier)
214 MR Warley to Smethwick Cape Hill via Bearwood Always single deck
215 I don't recall this one
124 MR Birmingham to Langley via Bearwood and Warley
224 MR Bearwood to Warley. Purely a shortworking, I think just peak periods only
There was also
211 MR Bearwood to Oldbury via Brandhall Estate

Bearwood to Warley must have been one of the most busiest areas for bus operations

The 229, 233 and 221 were my school buses when I went to Bristnall Hall, I'm guessing you were from Bearwood as well! The 214 we would catch home from the Cape and when I lived in Smethwick, my nan and I would meet my mom off the 252 when she worked at Baines on the Cape. Thank you for the route details, it really seems as if as you say, Bearwood and Warley were especially well off for bus routes.

I should add that when I was catching the 221, 229 and 233 they were WMPTE buses and became the 128, 129 and 448 in about 1980/81

 

[adap2it]

I may have posted this photo to another thread, I think it belongs here.
Dave A

 

[Astoness]

nice photo dave...is that you leaning up the bus

lyn

 

[Stitcher]

 

[adap2it]

nice photo dave...is that you leaning up the bus

lyn

Yes, it is I, just a child....
Dave A

 

[badpenny]

I seem to remember that Midland Red buses used to have their home garage in small letters on the route blind...

 

[Stitcher]

Just left the Bull Ring bus station

 

[Radiorails]

I seem to remember that Midland Red buses used to have their home garage in small letters on the route blind...

Apparently so, it was at the extreme left hand side of the blind. This was a post war feature as was the double blind named A and B, plus a three track route number, (letters in the first column on some cases). This up to date and usually very informative and readable destination box was trialled with some of the wartime bus rebuilds and featured on all new buses after 1946. It made a welcome change from the peculiar sloping names seen in the photo below,


The bus here was new in 1936 and lasted until 1954.

 

[Stitcher]

 

[Radiorails]

The X92 route was to Kidderminster and on summer week-ends and bank holidays went as far as Llandrindnod Wells. The bus itself was new in 1965 and withdrawn 1980. It still exists and can be seen at Wythall Museum.

 

[horsencart]

This is footage on the x92 https://www.flickr.com/photos/dofartshavelumps/8543586913/in/photolist-e1Y7JD-dLwi9b-dLqL1i

 

[DavidGrain]

I seem to remember that Midland Red buses used to have their home garage in small letters on the route blind...

If you look at the photo of a 159 bus leaving the Bus Station (posted by Stitcher post #134) you will see little letters on the left of the blind which show the home garage. I have tried enlarging the picture and I think it shows SH which was Sheepcote Street garage, It could have been DH for Digbeth)

View attachment 121231

Sticher's photo of a no.9 bus (post #131). The present no. 9 route from Birmingham to Stourbridge was a combination of BCT no. 9 City Centre to Quinton and Midland Red 130 Birmingham to Stourbridge although the route has changed as the 130 went via Mucklow Hill whereas the present route is via Spies Lane and Manor Lane.

 

[Radiorails]

I meant to make comment about posts 134 and 136.
THA 153 (4155) was new in July 1954 and withdrawn in December 1967, I was one of a batch of 100 buses.
BHA 399C (5399) new in July 1965 withdrawn in March 1980. The bus still exists at Wythall.

 

[oldMohawk]

Digbeth office of the Midland Red on the corner of Mill Lane which is to the right. No date but that car and the motor bike suggest the 1920's.

The aerial view below dated 1935 shows the quadrant shaped roof of the office on the right with Digbeth Police Station left of centre.

edited ref following post ...

 

[Lloyd]

Spencer House, Digbeth, office of the Midland Red on the corner of Mill Lane which is to the right. No date but that car and the motor bike suggest the 1920's.

The office wasn't Spencer House, it was replaced by the larger building carrying that name (after John Spencer Wills, a director of the company) and the photo dates from the opening of the garage in 1929, at the time just that and not a coach station. The new office was built coinciding with the conversion of the road 'Digbeth' to a dual carriageway.

Incidentally, the present 'new' offices at the coach station were built using the framework of Spencer House, from which everything had been removed.

 

[farmerdave]

An April 1962 leaflet for the Midland Red Motorway Express between Birmingham and London. There were usually 3 trips, each way, every day, between Digbeth and Victoria Coach Station. The journey was scheduled to take 2 hours 55 minutes. It was advertised that "you can spend 7 hours in London at a cost of only 26/3". Assume this means 26 shillings and 3 pence. Dave.

 

[Radiorails]

Assume this means 26 shillings and 3 pence.
It does indeed Dave.

 

[DavidGrain]

I believe the restriction to three departures each day was imposed by the British Transport Commission who owned a 50% share in the Midland Red (a legacy of 25% LMS and 25% GWR shareholdings) to avoid competition with the railways who in those days had similar timings from Birmingham to London. In my experience 2 hours 30 minutes was more likely than the scheduled 2 hours 55 minute. Remember those coaches were quite capable of running at 100mph. I remember the service coach and as many as 7 relief coaches pulling out of the coach station and crossing Digbeth to run to Coventry to pick up the M45 which was the route in those days.

 

[Dave89]

Hi,
The time of 2 1/2 hours was indeed a similar time to the New Street to Euston journey in the 1950s
There was a daily excursion which left New Street at 7.30AM, and made a stop at Stechford.
The return fare was 22/6, - again very similar
Kind regards
Dave

 

[Gerry Cannell]

Right, hope you don't mind me posting a few more Midland Red photo's

View attachment 80969View attachment 80970View attachment 80971View attachment 80972View attachment 80973

Back in the year of 1957 I was a conductor based at Sutton Coldfield, Midland Red garage. That was when they operated D5's and D7s. Later in 1975/6/7 I came back to Sutton Garage, and drove the D9, which was a favourite bus of mine. They took delivery in 1976 of the new Ailsa Volvo automatic transmission buses, and I was given the chance to drive 4742 into Birmingham on the Main Road Service, (as against the 107, via Jockey Road, and Perry Barr) the bus was amazing, very quick turbo unit under her. We had been taken over by WUMPTY, and we sometimes had to take out buses half painted, Midland Red/West Midlands Passenger Transport, must have been confusing to the passengers. Just to be nostalgic, and for no other reason here's my pictures. The second photograph was taken with me at the wheel, at Six Ways Erdington. The others are the fantastic D9. Thanks Gerry

 

[mw0njm.]

Ragga, I think you have just solveda mystery for us - there is a very old faded photo of grandad which nan alwayssaid was at the depot and from what we can see, he is holding something with a crest on I wonder if that iswhat it is? It would have been in 1942 just before he died we think.
Sue

yuk i hope they washed it first. some pics of the single deckers if you find some. 112 x99 please

 

[Gerry Cannell]

Unsure if this is of any interest to bus fans. When we were taken over at Sutton Garage, by WUMPTY, we were given bits and pieces of paperwork. Also, and this was a bit unnerving ( as we were so used to OUR routes) we had to learn routes which took us PRIVATE into Brum, and then onto WUMPTY routes! We hadn't a clue where Chelmsley Wood, or Kingsbury were; but we soon learned. Here's some stuff I kept. The Left hand page was the NEW stuff, and the Right hand is our regular runs. Gerry

 

[Astoness]

thanks for the great photos and written notes gerry...i will show them to my bus enthusiast son who now drives for arriva buses..oh what year were the notes written please

lyn