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The Early Days of The Bus Museum At Wythall

Nice one horsencart. Love and dedication won the day(s). Must pay another visit soon.
jimbo
 
Im due to visit again this year as its been about 4 summers since i last visited.
good photos stream Horse & cart well done ...... unbelievable what it looks like today.
thank you Ragga :fat:
 
Interesting photographs, I was suprised that some of the buses were in such good condition way back then, or at least they look in good condition, I know looks can be very deceptive! The D7 was a bus that never really fell into my favourite category, the D9 did but thats another story but I would love a ride in one right now!!
 
There are a number of roadworthy D9s Bill so fairly easy to get a spin if you go to any of the local rallies. The D7 is much more difficult to sample, the one at BAMMOT is nicely restored but possibly not roadworthy yet as it hasn't appeared out at recent open days. Personally I like the D7 as well and look forward to the day, probably well into the future, when the sole remaining D5B makes an appearance. The D5/D5B and of course the earlier AD2 had a certain rugged beauty about them that I like.....

Simon
 
Hello Simon,

I have just re-read my post and what I really meant was I would love a ride in a D7 as opposed to a D9, the later of which I had had a few rides in and drove one last year around the Black Country Museum's site, I'm occasionally let loose with one of the trolleybuses too!!
I had not realised there was a D5 or a D5B still in existance and oddly enough I was chatting to Stan letts, a well known BMMO chap about both D7s and D5s. Stan liked the D7s and regularly drove them as a part time driver, his full time job beeing a time table scheduler at Bearwood. He said the D5s were heavy and a bit sluggish were as the lightweight construction of the D7 resulted in a much livelier performer. I remember riding on D5s when I was a youngster and they had a really quiet smooth solid feel to them as indeed they were fitted with traditional heavy bodywork as opposed to the lightweight "orion" style Met-Cam of the D7s, as I'm sure you well know. Cheers Simon and below is a link to "our" D9 at Dudley

https://www.flickr.com/photos/48235702@N06/sets/72157631424419528/
 
I have footage of Stan applying the Midland Red, to your bus at the Black Country Museum (two or three years back now) I must some time in the future have look at it and get it onto the interweb, but I should not hold your breath for it just yet,

Hello Simon,

I have just re-read my post and what I really meant was I would love a ride in a D7 as opposed to a D9, the later of which I had had a few rides in and drove one last year around the Black Country Museum's site, I'm occasionally let loose with one of the trolleybuses too!!
I had not realised there was a D5 or a D5B still in existance and oddly enough I was chatting to Stan letts, a well known BMMO chap about both D7s and D5s. Stan liked the D7s and regularly drove them as a part time driver, his full time job beeing a time table scheduler at Bearwood. He said the D5s were heavy and a bit sluggish were as the lightweight construction of the D7 resulted in a much livelier performer. I remember riding on D5s when I was a youngster and they had a really quiet smooth solid feel to them as indeed they were fitted with traditional heavy bodywork as opposed to the lightweight "orion" style Met-Cam of the D7s, as I'm sure you well know. Cheers Simon and below is a link to "our" D9 at Dudley

https://www.flickr.com/photos/48235702@N06/sets/72157631424419528/
 
It would be great to see 4482 the D7 at Wythall back on the road, it was a Digbeth bus when I worked there and I passed my PSV test in a D7.
 
I have footage of Stan applying the Midland Red, to your bus at the Black Country Museum (two or three years back now) I must some time in the future have look at it and get it onto the interweb, but I should not hold your breath for it just yet,

Apparently Stans transfers adorn many preserved buses, he also painted the Dudley Zoo advert onto the D9.
 
Sadly Stan Letts recently passed away another preservationist gone, I liked Stan a good bloke

Stans sudden death was a huge shock to all, he was a very knowledgeable chap especially thing Midland Red and also tramways and there are many buses and trams that are adorned with his art. He had a good sense of humour too.
The Transport Group at the Black country Living Museum intended to take the D9 5342 to his funeral but it had an electrical fault at the time and so we took recently restored West Bromwich 174 which had also attended another of our members funeral about a month earlier that of Joe Morris. I believe Stan's son, Peter intends to carry one making transfers.
 
A few years back I filmed Stan applying the transfers to 5342 the hope/plan is to put an edited footage on to the web if only to show the degree of work that is involved in the transfers



Stans sudden death was a huge shock to all, he was a very knowledgeable chap especially thing Midland Red and also tramways and there are many buses and trams that are adorned with his art. He had a good sense of humour too.
The Transport Group at the Black country Living Museum intended to take the D9 5342 to his funeral but it had an electrical fault at the time and so we took recently restored West Bromwich 174 which had also attended another of our members funeral about a month earlier that of Joe Morris. I believe Stan's son, Peter intends to carry one making transfers.
 
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