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Tyburn Road Bus Works

Hi Alf....I knew you worked there from a posting I read somewhere last night....I did try to send you a P.M but your box is full, so I though I would find the photo's out and post them.....I am glad that you and Di like them....

I started Tyburn in 1985, 22 years later I am still with Travel, but for my sins I am based at Wolverhampton....working from 6 in the evening until 02.00 am.....

The only old names I can think of would be.......Jimmy Banks, Denis Gilman, Brian Hanies.....I cannot think of too many, I moved out about 1991ish to Walsall, Tyburn closed about 1993, transfered to Walsall, then closed completely in 95, with some section being transfered to other garages, including Adderley Street, and all the trim to Miller Street......Adderley Street is now gone also....Miller street next....the word is that Miller street is going to be pulled down, then a new workshop will be built, and Perry Barr fleet being relocated there and Perry Barr being sold off......its only a rumour at the moment....but we do know that we have brought Miller Street itself not just the garage but all the land....we are trying to relocate the firm at the top of Miller Street and Newton Row some where else....Of all the Birmingham Bus Garages you must have visited only Perry Barr, Liverpool Street (Birmingham Central), Lea Hall, Accoks Green and Yardley Wood are still in use, the rest have gone.......outside of Brum...Covenrty, Westbrom. Merry Hill (new garage 1999) Walsall and Wolverhampton, the midlands must have losted 30 plus garages over the last 25 years........and the chances of either Yardley Wood or Acocks Green going in the near future is quite high....the plan in the early 1990s was to have 5 super garages, it looks like that is still the plan....my garage has 232 buses was or still could be the largest public transport garage in the country if not Europe...I was told the world....but ....all I know its hard work trying to get 204 of them out everyday apart from Sunday to meet service requirements........John
Hi John, you may not remember me - worked on the semi's and unit sections in the good old days of Jim Banks, Sheldon and Vic Perry? How's life treating you these days?
 
Photos taken today.
I don't understand why Palletline moved out. They must have payed a lot of money for that extension to be done. Look how well they tried to match it with the rest of the building.
I really don't think the building will be demolished
 
Photos taken today.
I don't understand why Palletline moved out. They must have payed a lot of money for that extension to be done. Look how well they tried to match it with the rest of the building.
I really don't think the building will be demolished
Frothy - I suppose it's all to do with investment and return? Looks quite good though I thought. Never will forget the memories of such a fantastic place to work.....Vince
 
I watched that rebuilding going on when I worked in Wood Lane (North Birmingham Busways) and looked in every time I drove past. there never seemed to be much in there, Palletline had a place next door as well, I think. I hope it is saved, but not much demand for huge warehouses like that now in an urban area. 250 cardboard box houses would be my guess for the site.


 
The peugeot dealer at the Clock garage Colshill road is moving into the new part of the old Palletline building. The old Tyburn road bus garage part still lays empty:(
 
Burnt Out.








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2964 (WVP104A) started life with West Midlands PTE as 8104 in June 1984. This bus was one of a batch of MCW Metrobuses (8101-8114, A101WVP-A114WVP) allocated to Miller Street Garage that had been especially adapted by Metro Cammell Weymann to run along a 600 yard section of ‘Guided bus rail’ constructed on the 65 route at Short Heath in Birmingham.

Known as ‘Tracline-65’, the experimental guided-bus route was quite revolutionary at the time and is believed to have been instrumental in WMPTE’s/Centro’s eventual development of the Midland Metro. The experimental Tracline-65 proved that high capacity buses on mainline routes could run along reserved sections of narrow roadway, guided by rails thus avoiding traffic congestion, which was considered a big step forward in resurrecting trams in the west Midlands.

After the demise of Tracline-65, these ‘guided’ Metrobuses were demoted to normal bus work and received standard bus livery, receiving fleet numbers 2961-2974. However, the unique destination blind layout fitted to these vehicles would always give away their Tracline-65 origin.

Sadly, 2964 was destroyed in a fire at Hockley Garage in July 1994 and was subsequently sold for scrap. In accordance with WMT’s policy of that time, badly damaged buses were generally moved from garage to garage at night to minimise any adverse publicity. 2964 is pictured after being moved from Hockley to the rear of the former Tyburn Road Works, Birmingham and awaiting collection by Barnsley based scrap dealers, Wigley of Carlton, who bought the bus in November 1994 and broke her up.

It's interesting to see how well the fibreglass panels (and paint) survived the intense heat, but the aluminium panels and framework just melted! . Interesting experiment. Len.
 
Lloyd (and anyone else interested :))

Just so as you know, Palletline usd Tyburn Works as a hub - similar to the sort of thing that used to go on at Cheltenham Coach Station many moons ago - all the separate companies in the network would collect pallets locally then trunk them into Tyburn at night where each truck would drive in, be attacked by loads of forklifts who'd unload you and take each pallet to the bay for the area its destined for, the empty truck then pulls out, waits, then once everyones been offloaded you'd drive back in again and load all your freight for your area back on. It was quite an impressive set up and although the place would be a total ghost town during the day, it was a totally different job at night where they had about 70 fork lifts flying around and maybe 70 - 80 artics going through in a 6/7hour period.

It is a shame its empty now, while Palletline were in there its future was pretty safe but who knows now. Especially now that whoever owns it is paying business rates on it to stand empty - hence why with so many similar places its cheaper for the owners to pay to demolish it (and pay no rates then) and develop it at a later date

I really hope this doesnt happen, but unfortunately ££££££ will dictate I suppose
 
The former bus garage on Tyburn road as been sold to Colliers motor group of Sutton new road. Their old site is going to be sold to Sainsburys.
I have emailed 3 City councilors to try and find out what is happening to the building.
 
i worked at liverpool st for 9 years and did stores duties from liverpool st, cov rd, hockley, perry barr delivering used items back to tyburn and then refurbished ones back to the garages, thats where i met my now wife she worked in the offices,for those who would know her she was june

i had some good days there spending most of my time wandering round
 
I worked there from 1957 to late 1961 what year did you meet the wife zircon.

It would be nice if we had your name someone might know you, if zircon is your name I apologise:)
 
i was late on in life and visited there from 1980 to 1989

my name is rob vaughan and as i said i worked at liverpool st as my base but visited on a daily basis
i remember dennis gilman
i will ask my wife for other people who worked there she was there from about 1982 to about 199o odd then went to summer lane, st pauls square and now bordsley
 
Thanks Rob I was one of the Drivers who delivered the refurbished Buses every evening to the various garages and in the daytime moved the buses to various parts of the works with a couple of workmates and we were called shunter's.:)
 
Thought I would put my first post here having worked at Tyburn Road as an Apprentice Machinist, 1st Class, between 1964-1969
Wonder if anyone remembers Graham Miles when he played in the canteen of a lunchtime? He was a fitter at Tyburn Road before he became a professional snooker player.
The canteen would always be packed when he was on the table.
Fisho
 
The former bus garage on Tyburn road as been sold to Colliers motor group of Sutton new road. Their old site is going to be sold to Sainsburys.
I have emailed 3 City councilors to try and find out what is happening to the building.

Guess what no replies from any of the Councilors ( Well there a surprise) the old Bus Garage must have some claim to fame, it was the largest floor space under one roof in the world when it was built. I'll go to Colliers see if they can tell me anything. Looks like a one man campaign by me. I really would hate to see this building knocked down:( It's been there all my life.
 
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