Recent content by Fireman Sam

Thanks Radiorails. I believe that the railway gauge was 4' 8 1/2" as this came from the days when horses pulled loaded trucks of coal in coalmine yards and this was an ideal gauge for the horses to work with. No wonder Brunel wanted to change it! As for the cable tram from Hockley Brook, you've...

Something that's always been on my mind and I'm sure that this is the place to get the answer! Why did Birmingham's trams run on a 3' 6" gauge when most others in the UK ran to the railway standard 4' 8 1/2"? Was it because of the narrow streets so that two tramcars could pass each other easily...

Having lived in one of the Wake Green Road prefabs for 25 years, of course I have feelings towards them. However, bearing in mind their current state and the possible high cost of keeping them in a liveable condition, I call into question the relative worth of doing so. What's important...

I'm a Brummie by birth but live in Lancashire now, the birthplace of the Co-operative movement in Rochdale (Now Greater Manchester). I've been to Toad Lane to see the original premises and museum and enjoyed the conducted tour. I was left in no doubt how big the movement had become and what...

As a former resident of these very prefabs, (I lived there for 25 years) I'm tempted to attend but think I'll be giving it a miss as I live in Lancashire these days. Of course, I've got many memories of growing up there, mostly happy. The prefabs were very cold in the winter with paper thin...

Thanks Lloyd, that's a fine photo and it settles my mind that the Midland Red DID have dual control training vehicles with the instructor sitting alongside the novice. My friends began to doubt my memory! As I worked in the commercial vehicle world, I'd have liked to have seen the linkage/set...

pjmburns, would that be the Pickwick Club opposite? I remember playing hockey there many times.

That photo of the Dingle brings back many memories for me although I recall it in the late 40's early 50's. My mother worked there as a nurse when it was a nursing home under the care of Miss King and Miss Edith who I believe were sisters. As I was recovering from a serious illness, I was...

Having read most of the contributors to this subject. many would think that living in a prefab was a very pleasant experience. I lived in one of them on Wake Green Road for 23 years and while we liked having two decent sized bedrooms, a good lounge, a fitted kitchen, a bathroom and separate...

Snow Hill Station had a system of dual numbering their through platforms so platform 1 was in fact numbered 1/2. The dead ends were numbered 3, 4, 9 & 10. They were used by local trains to/from Dudley and Stourbridge Junction and beyond. I often caught a train to Swan Village from the 'dead...

Just outside the Birmingham boundary, but I think I recall Midland Red having a dual control bus/coach operating out of Bearwood. It was a single decker, based on a coach body with a centre door. The striking thing was that the instructor sat in the nearside front seat with a duplicate steering...

Many thanks for the phots Lloyd. It brought back many memories although I never saw the tree lopper version. I remember the instructors had a badge at the top of their sleeve saying, appropriately, "DRIVING INSTRUCTOR" and they would often do a service turn at rush hour. If you were lucky to...

Does anyone else remember the dual control Guy double decker buses that operated out of Yardley Wood Garage in the 50's/60's for driver training? The instructor sat immediately behind the pupil and had his own steering wheel and, I think, controls. I remember the buses parked up on Swanshurst...