Part 5 — The later twenties and early thirties
1925 - 1930: Replacing smaller tramway systems
Although the Birmingham and Midland Tramways Joint Committee had made a brave attempt to modernise its aging fleet by introducing over 40 progressive ’Tividale’ single deck trams in 1917- 20, by 1924 it was apparent that the future of the undertaking was not rosy. Aided and abetted by the other Black Country local authorities, Birmingham, Walsall and Wolverhampton Corporations took over the trunk tram routes between 1924 and 1928, converting several routes to trolleybus operation. With the growth of independent rival bus companies in competition with the BET-owned tramways, the BMMO was invited to join the fray. The routes from Dudley to Stourbridge, Cradley Heath and Blackheath were particularly vulnerable to competition from smaller bus companies, and the BMMO stepped up its activities, taking over Hartshill tram depot at Brierley Hill in 1925. The Kingswinford trams were replaced by BMMO buses in early 1926, followed by Blackheath, the Lye in 1927, Willenhall - Darlaston in September 1929, Dudley - Cradley Heath in December 1929, Kinver in February 1929, and the finally Wednesbury - Dudley - Stourbridge on 1 March 1930. To handle the additional traffic, the BMMO opened new garages in Stourbridge in 1926 and Dudley in 1930.
Further afield, BMMO buses replaced trams of the Burton and Ashby Light Railway in February 1926 and, in that year Worcester Corporation decided to acquire the BET-owned tramways within the city boundary and at the same time sought powers to operate motorbuses. The BMMO had been operating in the Worcester area since the First World War and, after protracted negotiations with the city council, secured a 21-year agreement to operate all bus services within the city after closure of the tramways on 31 May 1928, on behalf of the Corporation, who received the net receipts from the BMMO mileage within the city boundary. This arrangement was adopted in negotiations with other towns later. The Kidderminster and Stourport Tramway, opened in 1898, was closed on 2 April 1929, and replaced by Midland Red buses. The Leamington and Warwick Tramway Company replaced its trams by buses in 1930, and continued to operate until it was taken over by the BMMO in 1935.
Map 5 — The route map of 1925 shows a denser web of routes, extending in some places over a wider area.
By 1928 the route numbering system adopted in 1925 had become outgrown, and the pattern was again reorganised in a form that never needed major changing again.
101+ Birmingham & Black Country
288+ Kidderminster
318+ Bromsgrove & Redditch
352+ Worcester, Malvern & Evesham
422+ Hereford
479+ Banbury
513+ Leamington & Stratford-upon-Avon
576+ Rugby & Coventry
601+ Leicester, Coalville & Ashby
725+ Nuneaton
776+ Atherton & Tamworth
821+ Rugeley, Cannock & Stafford
879+ Wolverhampton
898+ Oakengates & Wellington
925+ Shrewsbury
After the Worcester trams were replaced in 1928, the prefix W was used for local services in that city, and in later years the following letters were also used: A - Austin works services; B - Banbury, Birmingham, Bridgnorth, Brierley Hill, Bromsgrove; C - Tamworth colliery services, Coalville; D - Dudley, Droitwich; E - Evesham; H - Hereford, Hinckley; K - Kidderminster, Kenilworth; L - Leamington & Warwick, Leicester; M - Malvern; N - Nuneaton; O Ordnance factory services (during WW2); R - Redditch, Rugby; S - Shrewsbury, Solihull, Stafford, Stourbridge, Sutton Coldfield; W -Wellington, Worcester.
The growth of the motor bus in the 1920s took a good deal of local traffic away from the main-line railways, who after some attempts to run their own rival bus services, decided to acquire a financial interest in the bigger omnibus companies, rather than take part in costly competition. On 24 April 1930 the Great Western Railway and the London, Midland and Scottish Railway companies purchased from a 50% holding of the issued share capital of Midland Red. The few bus services already operated in the Black Country by the Great Western Railway passed to the BMMO services in 1930. In April that year the BMMO purchased Black and White Motorways of Cheltenham, which had established a number of long-distance routes. As a result, the 'Associated Motorways' was formed on 1st July 1934 to combine the long-distance routes of a number of operators in a 'pool' arrangement, the services being operated as a joint network.
Before the Road Traffic Acts of 1930-1934, local authorities could obtain powers to license bus services in their area. The new Acts set up area Traffic Commissioners to control the operation of motor buses and introduced regulations on vehicle design, construction and use - including such matters as emergency exits. From this time the BMMO take-over of smaller independent companies increased, and during the 1930s more than 150 small businesses were acquired. Generally the BMMO preferred to use its own buses on the new routes, and few ’foreign’ buses were acquired, the exceptions being six Albion single deckers from the Leicester and District Bus Company, which were given the MIDLAND fleet name and lasted for almost a year. Two subsidiary companies, the Leamington and Warwick Transport Company Ltd and Stratford Blue Motors Ltd. were acquired in 1935, and Midland red buses took over in Leamington in 1937, but Stratford Blue services were to remain independent for another 36 years.
Co-ordination of services between undertakings now made business sense and a joint service with West Bromwich Corporation, between West Bromwich and Bearwood, opened on 6 April 1935. Within the city of Birmingham, the BMMO was authorised to operate local services ‘on behalf of the Corporation’. The only route wholly within the city was the Beeches Estate route, but the Walsall Road and most of College Road were served only by Midland Red. Fare-levels were fixed by the Corporation, which received the net income from these services. The tickets issued were very similar to the standard Corporation designs.
Various joint bus services were operated by the Black County municipalities, and the BMMO missed an opportunity to take part in the joint Birmingham - Wednesbury and Birmingham - Dudley services operated by Birmingham and West Bromwich after abandonment of the tramways in April 1939. However it was able to operate jointly with Birmingham when the Birmingham - Oldbury - Dudley tram route was converted in October 1939.
The constantly growing fleet made more garage space necessary, and several garages were enlarged in the 1930s, while new premises were opened at Evesham, Redditch and Swadlincote in 1931, Sutton Coldfield in 1934, Hinckley in 1935, Sandacre Street, Leicester in 1937 and Cradley Heath in 1939.
1930s – Developments in bus design
The new RR2LB engine was designed in 1930 and was fitted to 50 new chassis, known as the SOS RR, which were given the redundant bodies from the unsuccessful XL coaches, followed by 21 of the BRR type for dual bus or coach operation. Over 120 new single deckers of about 10 different types, were built by Midland Red during 1930 alone! 1931 saw production of single deckers fall to 53, but work was progressing on the development of a new double decker. Since 1928 the bus fleet had been entirely single-deck, after the withdrawal of the archaic Tilling-Stevens solid-tyred open toppers. By 1930, double-deckers in almost universal use elsewhere in the country for busy town routes, and it was clearly time for BMMO to return to this field of operation. An adaptation of the powerful RR bus chassis was built in 1931, fitted with a RR2LB engine and a 48-seat double-deck body by Short Brothers. This was followed in 1932 - 33 by a production series of 50 buses with 52-seat bodies. In 1933 a prototype front-entrance 52-seat double-decker was built, soon followed by a first production batch with 56-seat bodies. A further 135 buses of this design were supplied in 1935 - 36. In 1938, another 50 double-deckers were delivered, but with a K-type diesel engine, and a final batch of 50 were delivered in 1939.
Fig 17 — The decision in 1928 to discontinue with double-decker operation was soon reversed, as other operators introduced successful models. REDD class HA 8041 was one of a batch of 50 supplied in 1932
Fig 18 — Following the success of the rear-entrance double decker, a front-entrance version was soon developed with extra seating. With minor developments, this type was to continue in production until 1939, a total of 335 being built.
On the single deck front, again 50 new buses were built during 1932, but fewer in 1933, including a prototype variation of the RR type, the low-slung LRR 36-seat coach, of which 31 were built in 1933 - 35.
During 1934 some major changes were made while 50 more buses were being built to older designs. In that year regulations were relaxed to permit a maximum length of 27ft 6in, and a completely new design of new single-deck bus - the ON type - was developed. The first 36 buses with 32-seat bodies were supplied to associated companies, but more were built for the BMMO, later ones having AEC diesel engines, redesignated DON. Some were given a new BMMO diesel engine and redesignated CON. A solitary Dennis Lancet chassis was obtained in 1937, but the chassis was sold later that year, and the 38-seat body kept for re-use.
Fig 19 — Midland Red built over 300 of these stylish single deckers in the SON series between 1936 and 1939.
For the long-distance extended touring business, 25 OLR normal-control 29-seat coaches with folding roofs were supplied in 1935 to replace some of the QLCs of 1929. In the early days of World War 2 these buses were rebuilt with forward control and a rigid roof. In 1937 50 new SOS SLR coaches with forward control and 30 seats were supplied. In 1939, 25 ONC coaches were built, with elaborate 30-seat bodies, on a chassis similar to the SON bus, also with a K-type diesel engine.
While Wyndham Shire’s Carlyle Works had become one of the country’s leading bus producers, its head had been looking to the future, in particularly with rear-engined buses. In 1935 the first of his four prototype rear-engined 40-seat single deckers appeared (BHA 1, CHA 1-3), with the entrance forward of the front wheels, an arrangement now internationally accepted as standard. This was the first in the country, and BHA covered 25 000 miles over six months in regular passenger service. CHA 1 had a 32-seat coach body with centre entrance. During their relatively short life, these buses were subjected to constant experiments, but the main problems of overheating and of dirt entering the air intake were never resolved.
In 1936 the first SON single-decker, a development of the ON, but with the BMMO K diesel engine and a 39-seat body. 65 of these buses were supplied that year, followed by 100 in 1937 with 38-seat bodies, 50 in 1938, 38 in 1939 and 50 in 1940.
Fig 20 — At the same time a good deal of development work was done on the construction of rear-engined single decker buses. This picture taken in 1936 shows the Chief Engineer, Wyndham Shire in front of his latest creation, the experimental BHA 1, which, with its partners CHA 1-3, was to serve as a guinea pig for many experiments over the next few years, even in wartime.