• 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

Midland Red at Digbeth

john70 said:
I liked the D7,s Mike. Passed my test in 4727, which one did you pass in?. John.
Click to expand...

4087 John, which many at Digbeth thought must be an LD8 when I told them the number. As you know, all our LD8s at Digbeth were in the 4000s. I would welcome a pic of 4087 if anyone could oblige. By coincidence some 4 years later I found myself driving 4088 which had been cut down to become a mobile workshop and was run on tradeplates. Meanwhile here is LD8 4035. Another coincidence is that it was in a Ford Popular like the one by it that I had my first unofficial driving lessons (in a mate's dad's Pop) This mate used to have me drive a complete trip round the Inner Circle bus route from Highgate Road but always towards Moseley Road direction. Although I had a provisional licence he insisted we didn't use L plates because as he said, without them "you had to get it right or attract attention" (this was because he had learnt to drive himself that way with his Dad). The things we used to do!
 
Hi. Mike. I haven,t got a photo of 4087, but have found one of 4086, and of a Ford "pop", this was my second car, the J type Morris van was my dads works van.
 
I'm only a passenger who used to travel on Midland Red many many years ago. Sorry for intruding in the thread but its been interesting looking through it.
I used the 188 Beeches Estate bus, and waited in enormous queues in the evenings on the waste ground opposite Christchurch in Perry Barr.
We used to see a 188 Beeches bus arrive with Perry Barr as its destination, it turned round and suddenly it had become a 118 Walsall bus - I suppose there was more revenue from that route, even though Walsall queues were usually shorter. One other thing I remember on the early buses, was a cord that ran along the ceilings which the conductor pulled to ring a puny sounding bell - it may have been 2 tinkles to go - one to stop.
 
Cracking photos, tardebigge, thanks for those. Here, I am borrowing an excellent photo from Fatmark and his Dad. I have many happy memories of eats from the Midland Red little wooden canteen in Moor St whilst the Bull Ring Bus Station was being built. The Red services had been moved there from outside St. Martins Church and in this photo a magnifying glass shows several busmen outside the canteen as there was not much space inside it. For toilet facilities we had to use those over on Moor Street railway station. Certain drivers were known to take advantage of this when they would inform the duty inspector that they would need more time to use the toilet than their break would permit. The inspector was then obliged to drive the bus for it to depart on time. The driver would then hurry across the station as if desperate and then stand out of sight in the concourse to watch his bus go past, then saunter back to the canteen to await the return of his bus after the trip he had got out of. (Conductors were not eligible for cover as their driver was expected to make up any lost time caused by the conductor attending the 'Temple of Convenience')
My special thanks to Mark for making this photo available on his D. Norton Photo site.
 
and a couple of older ones I may have missed earlier
I think that concludes all my Midland Red pictures..
Now to work on the massive pile of BCT - trams and buses from the late Kevin Saunders
 
Thankyou once again Tardibigge, great photo,s, will look forward to the B C T. ones. Regards. John70
 
Motorman Mike. I do not know the origins of BMMO. could it be that this is a Midland Red built by another company before the Red built their own?
 
Yes stiticher, these were Tilling-Stevens (of Maidstone) TS3 models which BMMO under engineer LG Wyndham Shire rebuilt from earlier vehicles (including ex WW1 army lorries) into these, the first 'forward control' vehicles in the fleet, bodied as double decks in the early 20s.
The first successful Midland Red motorbuses were earlier Tilling Stevens, which like these 'deckers had an electric transmission, no awkward gearchanging for the drivers!
Thomas Tilling, a horse vehicle operator and 'job master' (horse hirer) of London, and William Arthur Stevens, an electrical engineer from Maidstone, patented the Petrol-Electric transmission and went on to build the first really successful specially designed bus chassis in Britain.
The first Midland Red built vehicles were rebuilds of Tillings, and the first sole BMMO design was in fact an improved lightweight Tilling-Stevens, in fact the chassis were made by Tillings.
The first one of these double deckers had a 'minimal' cab - imagine doing a 10 hour duty in howling rain and biting winds in this!
 
Thanks lloyd,as you know I am not an enthusiast as such but the way MIDLAND was on the side made me think.You'r right about driver comfort, good god yes, but it was the same for truckers in those early years. When I started on lorries I had an enclosed cab but there were no rubbers around the pedals and hand brake, just holes where the wind and cold could howl through. On the Red we didnt have to wear the hat but if we did it should not have finger-marks on it. The two things have gone in opposite directions. The drivers are like tramps and new buses/lorries are luxurious. My Grandson drives a lorry and trailer, not an artic. It carries three large industrial skips and he goes all over the country. He tells me it is nicer to drive than his BMW car.
 
In the early 1960's when I joined the Red at Digbeth the Union and the Social Club were run by coachmen. Leyland Harding encouraged by the Cheeky Cockney Harry Harvey decided the Social Club was for fuddy duddys so would form an alternativve club to appeal to the younger blokes coming in to the job. Reg said he had a name for the club already, how about the 'Leyland Club' so that was it. The first meeting was in the small room to the left off the corner entrance to the Old Crown pub in Digbeth. Future meetings would be here every Thursday night (payday). It was decided that I should design a badge for the club, which is shown below. We had a run of 20 made at Gomm's in Hockley who were happy to accept the design without any alteration. As we wanted to acknowledge we were a Midland Red Club this was put on the badge. Trouble was I went ahead with the ordering before I had met with Mr Youngs the Staff Manager at Bearwood. When he saw my design he said the words Midland Red must not be included because it would look as if they were "endorsing" Leyland buses (a joke when considering how many Leylands they ran) so this wording must be deleted. We got round it by painting out the words with black paint on each badge. A second batch of badges had the words enamelled over in black. Here is also is a photo of some of the members at our Christmas 1962 meeting. Leyland Harding is missing from it by taking the pic. For the record we were ignored by the official Social Club and barred from their functions and outings to begin with but all was well after about 18 months and the Leyland Club folded as the coachmen were replaced by younger committee members to run the official Social Club..
Happy New Year to all who visit this Thread.
Mike
 
Hi. Mike. Thanks for your story about the Leyland (Red) club, those coachmen in those days really were old fuddy duddy,s as you say, can you put any names to the faces on the photo?. Happy new year Mav. John70
 
john70 said:


Greetings John,
The chaps at the back from left to right were Eddie Nicholls, Tim Edwards, Ray Ashfield and Mick (sorry, have forgotten his surname for now). In front of Tim is Clive Mann. In next row is Glynn Davies with girlfriend Cathy who worked in Fred's Cafe at Acocks Green, then next a couple from Acocks Green and on the end, me. At the front is Harry Harvey.
Mike
Click to expand...
 
The Midland Red maps used to be drawn up by a friend of mine who worked for the company, Stan Letts. His maps had a small 'S.E.L.' at the bottom edge.
 
Please look at the next post, I posted before I loaded the picture.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
This is a Midland Red vehicle but I don't know if it was at Digbeth. I saw a few posts awhile back about gas producers being towed behind buses to supply the fuel. This one is running during 1942.
 
I am trying to do too many things at once. I'll try again. I must apologise. The picture will not uploa. I will try re-sizing it and have another go later.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top