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No 8 Bus Route

Hello Liz,
A narrow escape – sometimes luck rides with you, sounds like it was your turn to have a bit of the good stuff that day
I was at Hope St 61,65, were you there then
 
I was at Hope Street from infants right through until 1965.
I was in the same class/stream as Michael Ladlow, Billy France, Robert Day, Sofffik Meah, Shagufta Aziz, Michael and Stephen McGuinness (twins), Timothy Feeley and many others.
 
Concerning the boys on the top deck of the no 8 bus. I saw a blown up version of the photo on Sunday at the Birmingham Lives Fair. There are actually three boys on the front seats. There is a third boy who has fair hair to the far right as we look at the picture. The gentleman who took the photograph tells me that the location is the junction of Monument Road and Icknield Port Road and the picture was taken the week that President Kennedy died.
 
Hi David,

Thank you for the information - I wish i had seen that photo!
Still sounds right to me - the third lad would be Williams younger brother George (Not Ben as I may have inadvertently called him in a previous post). We were often 'bribed' to take George with us when we went on our rambles, though it wasn't that bad as George had blond hair and very blue eyes and was a magnet for the girls whenever we went down the local parks.
The timing would be right too (Nov 1963) as we did all our travelling on the 8 between 1962 and 1965.
Thanks again - now I have a date and a location to add to the information I have gatherewd so far.
 
Hi everyone
My dad, Frank Basnett, drove the Number 8 bus from 1933 until 1965 when he died. He took great pride in his job, turning out in all weathers and he never had a day off sick or an accident (I have several of the medals he was awarded by Birmingham City Transport for safe driving!) He worked out of the garage in Perry Barr. I used to love walking down to the garage with him to collect his wages when I was young. He often found it difficult to "switch off" from the job though - when we were out driving in the car he used to pull up at the bus stops out of habit and embarrass my mother no end!
Barbara
 
Hi everyone
My dad, Frank Basnett, drove the Number 8 bus from 1933 until 1965 when he died. He took great pride in his job, turning out in all weathers and he never had a day off sick or an accident (I have several of the medals he was awarded by Birmingham City Transport for safe driving!) He worked out of the garage in Perry Barr. I used to love walking down to the garage with him to collect his wages when I was young. He often found it difficult to "switch off" from the job though - when we were out driving in the car he used to pull up at the bus stops out of habit and embarrass my mother no end!
Barbara

Lovely story Barbara. thanks:)
(Shame the drivers today haven't got your late dad's pride.)
 
Re: Bus Routes

have internet have no life BUT yes but we would not all be enjoying this ride of nostalga without it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
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No 8 bus was the inner circle, there was 8A anticlockwise, 8C clockwise, 8E not completing the circle. The route was (8A) Small Heath-Bordesley Green-Saltley-Aston-Hockley-Ladywood-Highgate-Sparkbrook-Small Heath.
 
The post Sasha made regarding her father (which was last year) refers to the BCT days when the route was just 8 whichever direction it took. I don't know when the A and C suffixes came in but I am sure it was into the WMPTE jurisdiction.
 
Hi All
I worked at Hockley Garage from Nov 1963 to Nov 1971 ... The No 8 route in those days was a killer for the "Guard" (Conductor) you would start a shift at 5am and not get off the platform after the first half hour in service until you returned to garage after 9 am. The A C & E number was not used under BCT and was something that I think was started in the late 70's .
Regards
Rich
Keep smiling
 
hi mrpastry..were you a conductor on the no 8..if so you must have given me me ticket more than once..

lyn
 
Hi Lyn
Worked the number 8 for a short time them went on to the 15/16 Hamstead to Whittington Oval before becoming a driver ... was a happy 8 years at a great garage and with some of the best people you coulsd wish to meet.
Regards
Rich
Keep Smiling
 
glad you enjoyed the job rich...i would have caught the no 8 from outside and opposite the sally army in nursery road..lived in villa st...

lyn
 
Would I be right in thinking the trip around the number 8 was about 1 hour?
Or did I imagine it.
It's about an hour and a quarter now and I doubt it's changed much. Might be a little quicker than it used to be if anything.
 
Hi Bill123 & Lyn
The travel time was 1hr with a Bundy Clock at Saltley and that was also a smoking point I think there were two Bundy clocks the other being at Five Ways ? Whoo be tide any driver that was running early and the Road Inspector caught you.If you were more that 5 min early you would be reported and disciplined ... which meant attending in front of the Garage Superintendent and receiving a warning and if you continued to do the same you would be "Put back on the back" in other words you were back conducting .
Remember Nursery Rd well and Villa Street my family had strong links to the area all though I lived in Handsworth off Booth St.
Regards
Rich
Keep Smiling
 
Hi Rich.
I remember the clock on the bridge at Monument rd.
We used to climb up it to look at the barges on the "cut" and I think we could just about see the trains as well.
 
thanks rich...dont know why but i had it in my minds eye that there was a clock kind of outside tubes in rocky lane..mind you it was a long time ago and me memory is not what it was lol.

lyn
 
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