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Midland Red Early Days

Have fond memories of the old Midland. Used to catch the Ludlow service out of Station St garage quite regularly to go and visit a great aunt in Far Forest (think that is somewhere between Bewdley and Ludlow). I know it took ages to get there.
 
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I know nothing about these two photo's.

Great photos Trevor. A pair of BMMO S14 type Midland Red single deckers. (The ones with single back wheels - not nice on wet and icy roads).

4573 on the X73 Birmingham - Cheltenham service has just arrived at the Royal Well Bus Station in Cheltenham. Digbeth Garage used to work this route. (Tea and sarnies in Doris's Cafe in Cheltenham Bus Station).

4701 on the 409 Hereford - Birmingham via Tenbury Wells service is more of a mystery. This service ran one round journey from Hereford on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays only. It came in to Birmingham via Bearwood and the Hagley road but is seen here in Bromsgrove Street. My guess is that because it hung up from 11-57am until 6-25pm in Birmingham it was on it's way to Digbeth Garage or Adderley Street Yard for parking. This bus left Hereford at 8-15am and got back at 9-58pm, a long day for the crew but a lovely scenic run. (This was in the 1960's, Driver's hours regulations wouldn't allow it today!)
 
Hello Mike, I do seem to recall doing the Cheltenham route once I think but I never did the Hereford run.
 
4701 on the 409 Hereford - Birmingham via Tenbury Wells service is more of a mystery. This service ran one round journey from Hereford on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays only. It came in to Birmingham via Bearwood and the Hagley road

Thanks Mike for this information. I thought I knew the Midland Red routes into Birmingham especially those along the Hagley Road which was my home area but 409 was completely unknown to me.
 
Time for a cuppa............
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The "Midland Red Style" is a great book, got it on my last trip over from Ian Allan in Ethel St.

Mention of Tenbury Wells above reminds me of my Great Grandfather who was from there. Yet another place I have to visit some time. Is there a bus service there from Brum these days?
 
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I have posted this on here because it refer to BMMO and it seems more at home here than it would on the Ctiy Cenre Pics thread.
An omnibus of the Birminhgam Motor Express Company going past the General Post Office in 1904.
The B.M.E. Company was formed in 1903 and in December that year thecompany ordered 6 Milnes - Daimler double deckers, one of which (0264)is shown here. In
April 1904 a twenty minute service between the Grammer School in New Street and The Bear Hotel in Bearwood was introduced. Due to the succes of this route a service to Harborne was begun in September of the same year. At a later date??? the B.M.E. Company was absorbed into the Midland Red Company.
April
 
Morning stitcher,this picture shows the same bus service as the one shown in yours,it is going in the opposite direction,taken in Sandon Road in 1912.Moss
 

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Morning mossg, I wonder if they were always on time all those years ago??
 
Thanks, another super photo.

Now, the prvious photo showed O 264, which was new in 1904 and is a Milnes Daimler vehicle.

The photo above shows O 8210, which was new to the BMMO (Midland Red) company in 1912 and is of a Tilling Stevens TTA1 type.
Please, everyone, keep these photos coming.

Thanks again, Brian
 
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I know I have posted this before but I can not remember where, I think it was this picture and M.Mike commented on the 144 Malvern bus. I have posted it here because of the two old single deckers and the Midland Red Bus Station sign. The view is looking towards Hill Street from Worcester Street 1946.
 
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I know I have posted this before but I can not remember where, I think it was this picture and M.Mike commented on the 144 Malvern bus. I have posted it here because of the two old single deckers and the Midland Red Bus Station sign. The view is looking towards Hill Street from Worcester Street 1946.

Afraid I cannot place location. Can you be more specific. As I remember it Worcester Street was on the other side of New Street Station from Hill Street. I know there was a Midland Red enquiry/parcels office in Worcester Street but I never knew that it was described as a bus station.
 
I am afraid we need Mike or Lloyd once again, I have posted what was on the picture and could not add anything to it.
 
This is looking along Station Street from the Worcester Street junction, towards Hill Street (the 'flat' bit of it!) in the far distance. The Market Hotel, on the corner of Dudley Street, is visible centre background.
All of this area fron Dudley Street towards the camera was later cleared and buried under the Bull Ring Centre, principally the Midland Red Bus Station at road level.
 
This mishap took place on 27th May 1949 on the canal bridge in Lode Lane Solihull. The single decker travelling from Solihull had just crossed the bridge which was very narrow at the time and on a slight bend, and swerved to avoid the double decker. The road was wet and slippery as it was the first rain for several weeks and the bus skidded, hit the bank and rolled over. I was on the single decker making my way to the front to get off at the Rover Works when it happened. Fortunately the side windows broke and many of us fell out onto the road otherwise we may have been crushed. I believe the only injuries were a girl who had a broken collar bone and a woman with a nasty foot injury.
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This mishap took place on the canal bridge in Lode Lane Solihull. The single decker travelling from Solihull had just crossed the bridge which was very narrow at the time and on a slight bend, and swerved to avoid the double decker. The road was wet and slippery as it was the first rain for several weeks and the bus skidded, hit the bank and rolled over. I was on the single decker making my way to the front to get off at the Rover Works when it happened. Fortunately the side windows broke and many of us fell out onto the road otherwise we may have been crushed. I believe the only injury was someone who had a broken collar bone. I'll try and find the exact date - it would have been between 1947 and 1949.

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Fantastic photo. Trevor and I both drove on the 175 in the 1960's/70's by which time the road had been widened and the bridge renewed to as it is now. I didn't know of this accident so thank you for posting about it. It would be interesting to know the number of the single deck involved.
 
The accident described in post #1418 was on 27th May 1949 (I have amended the post). Unfortunately the original photo isn't clear enough to see the registration number of the single decker.
 
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