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Midland Red Early Days

Lloyd, I love that 1934 picture of Bearwood. How fortunate you are to have grown up there! Keep 'em coming! :cool:
 
I'll try to find a picture of an old cap badge.

Meanwhile, two 1926 SOS 'FS' single deckers load in Clifton Rd Rugby, near its junction with Railway Terrace (behind the buses). No trees now, but the buildings can still be identified in this present day view.
 
Thanks Lloyd - nice pic of SOSs in action - and I love "before" and "now" pics! Everything always seems so fresh and clear in those days, it can't just be my misty eyes. An alternative view of possible traffic conditions on my post here
 
Another recogniseable scene is Angel Place, Worcester where 1936 SOS 'IM6' HA 6244 is seen loading outside the Scala cinema. This bus carried the fleet number 1314 after WW2. Angel place is now a (mostly) pedestrianised thoroughfare with permanently fixed street market stalls, and the Scala is now a home for Shipley's Amusements (one-armed bandits to me and you!) but the city's Crowngate shopping centre and bus station is to the left of this view, and all services traverse Angel Street behind, past the Horn and Trumpet pub to get there. Here's the view today.
 
Someone Should Rescue This Clock!

Lloyd, your pictures of Angel Place, Worcester, remind me of this picture of the Midland Red clock from there. I've posted it before, but it won't hurt to show it again. ;)
 
San Francisco 1906 Movie - Highly Recommended!

Aidan, thanks for linking us (post #423) to your post of the San Francisco 1906 movie, which I hadn't noticed before. I can't recommend this movie highly enough - 14 minutes of San Francisco street scenes shot from a moving cable-driven streetcar. I'm sure all participants and readers of this thread will enjoy it immenseley. :cool:

[If only we had something similar shot in the Midlands!]
 
Nice one, Aidan. Keep 'em coming! Trams are fine, but buses are better! ;)

Police Constable A199 with the white cotton gloves is a star. Incidentally, did you notice the 1906 San Francisco policeman who looked just like a British "bobbie"?
 
I love that 1933 movie of Birmingham cyclists, Lloyd. The traffic police are wearing white jackets and helmets here! My Dad was 16 in 1933 and was a keen cyclist; he could well have taken part in that rally. At time 1:01 to 1:09 we see two double-decker buses. The one on the left (behind the statue of Queen Victoria) looks odd to my untrained eye - could it be a REDD, Lloyd? On second glance it has an open cab?!?!

These old movies are lots of fun, but I think I prefer still pictures when it comes to buses. :rolleyes:
 
No sorry, both BCT buses. On the left an AEC or ADC 507 similar to the one shown below (if you'll allow a BCT intrusion into a Midland Red thread!), on the right an AEC Regent.
 
The Pathe site has some good footage, but for me it keeps stopping with a big "Loading ..." logo. Any tips on how to get a smooth showing?
 
Some do that for me, too. Start viewing, then press the pause button and let it load 2-3-4 mins depending on size / time of day / world internet slowness.
Up early, off to Wythall soon (it's only 10 minutes away), I'm rewiring an S12 (3744) who's electrics currently resemble a birds nest after an arsonist's attack!
 
Lucky Lloyd!

Half your luck, Lloyd! I hope you have / had a productive day. :)

Thanks for the tip for the Pathe movies, which works a treat. There's quite a lot of Birmingham footage there, and quite a lot of bus footage, but sadly not much "Birmingham bus" footage. :(

The Birmingham AEC 507 has fancy solid tyres with a tread! (They are solid aren't they?) Its "cab" looks a lot like that on the prototype FS.

I must admit my education is somewhat lacking as regards BCT, but I've been improving myself by viewing the many interesting posts and pictures on the Corporation Transport threads.
 
Yes good luck Lloyd and thanks for the pathe link, one I had not come across before and most interesting - I was going to post it wider but someone already has (there is so much useful and interesting info on this forum I am struggling to keep up!) :explode:
 
Re: Lucky Lloyd!

Thylacine said:
Half your luck, Lloyd! I hope you have / had a productive day. :)

Thanks for the tip for the Pathe movies, which works a treat. There's quite a lot of Birmingham footage there, and quite a lot of bus footage, but sadly not much "Birmingham bus" footage :(

The Birmingham AEC 507 has fancy solid tyres with a tread! (They are solid aren't they?) Its "cab" looks a lot like that on the prototype FS.

I must admit my education is somewhat lacking as regards BCT, but I've been improving myself by viewing the many interesting posts and pictures on the Corporation Transport threads.
Click to expand...

Productive? Hmmm. Worse than I expected, the whole lot has to be replaced I think. Several circuits dead short, or short to the body frame - and there has been some codging up in the past which isn't up to standard. Midland Red electrics are never of the best - a good job they never ran trolleybuses, I think!
The restoration so far was initially only going to be cosmetic, but the guys doing it have done such a good job that we have got the engine to run and the brakes to stop it, so it could move around the site under its own power. Then it's mainly only the electrics keeping it from being roadworthy, so, I said I'd have a go. It was my trade 40 years ago, before I discovered bus driving!

Solid tyres with a tread - yes - 'anti slip' or 'no skid'. I still wouldn't fancy trusting them on a wet night on a cobbled street!

If you want to improve your BCT knowledge, there's a companion volume to the two Midland Red ones, "Birmingham City Transport" by Keeley, Russell and Grey, published by TPC (the Transport Publishung Co, Glossop, Derbyshire) in 1977.

A visit to Wythall museum is quite educational, too! (Hint, hint!)
 
X999 Launceston to Wythall!

Well I can become a member of BaMMOT without the long bus ride, can't I Lloyd? After I'm settled in to my new home (and see how much is left in the bank!). But that would be a wonderful bus trip, Mike - where do I queue for the Wythall bus? Will the driver-conductor accept my Tasmanian "Metro" card? The D10 would be nice! ;)

Aidan, I know that "overwhelmed" feeling. Just remember that you are very welcome at this wonderful forum, and any contribution you care to make is most welcome. :) (We also appear to have thousands of "silent" readers!)
 
I have once taken a Midland Red coach to Launceston, but only the Cornwall one!

You could always bring us a bus - always fancied an Australian Denning!
This one went to the Northern Territories as a camper, just last year I believe - what a fabulous mobile home!!
 
Lovely coach, Lloyd. Redline is indeed our local inter-town coach operator, but I've never seen that one before. Stop putting ideas in my head!
 
My ISP tells me it will take two to five business days to disconnect my current internet service, followed by five to ten business days to connect at my new address (at a cost of $150). Sounds like the horse-bus era doesn't it (except for the fare)?

I'm not sure exactly when the switch will be turned off, but I'll be "off the air" for a week or two. Keep up the good work while I'm away, folks.
 
The Thylacine is Back!

Just letting you know the internet is now connected at my new home (only four days down time - I take back any aspersions cast on my ISP!).

Loving it here in Latrobe so far, but lot's of unpacking etc to do. So it will take me a while to get back into Midland Red harness.

My nearest city is Devonport and my local bus company is called Merseylink (Tasmania is full of British placenames!). :)
 
Welcome to your new home! Hope the move went OK, minimal if any breakages, I know moving is a traumatic experience, I've done it a few times!
 
It all went remarkably smoothly, thanks Lloyd. That's despite my being completely stressed out for several weeks! Stress is completely useless and counter-productive, but why aren't we fitted with an "off" button? It is so peaceful and quiet here that I'm catching up on some well-earned sleep.

What Midland Red topic can we start on now? Time for some more "mystery pics" perhaps, to get the ball rolling.
 
Glad you are settling in. Forum & this thread has missed you!

The only mystery Midland Red pics I can offer at the moment is not "early days" (although it was for me! :rolleyes:) being early 1980s but there are a couple of Midland Reds on the short "Telly Savalas looks at Birmingham" might be able to tell the type & even the route - if nothing else should help with the de-stress
 
Thanks Aidan!

Anything with Telly Savalas in has to be "early days" doesn't it?!?! I'll look at it as I drink my morning coffee.
 
Aidan, when I link to that Savalas-narrated video, all I get is the message: "This video contains content from bbc, who has blocked it in your country on copyright grounds". Ah well! It seems that we "colonials" are not allowed to see Brum as it was in the 1970s.

At the other (BBC) site, I can only see the recent promo (on a ridiculously small screen). Presumably they want me to part with some of my hard-earned Aussie dollars!

But thanks for the thought.
 
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