-
Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.
We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team
Birmingham buses
- Thread starter ragga
- Start date
Pedrocut
Master Barmmie
Yes sadly Eric you are right, I went to Malta again in 2006 and had to search around the Terminus in Valletta to find these 2 photos of the oldest buses. (Click on to enlarge)
https://www.panoramio.com/photo/20945811
https://www.panoramio.com/photo/20945826
For anyone interested in Malta I have about 38 photos accepted for Google Earth that can be seen here, again click to enlarge...
https://www.panoramio.com/user/2465971/tags/Malta?photo_page=1
All the best Peter
Lloyd
master brummie
I'm afraid the quaint and attractive bus scene in Malta and Gozo is soon to be swept away as the international corporate Arriva takes over the islands' bus services - and seems to want to run them with bendy buses!
Arriva of course runs trains and many bus areas in the UK, including the northern sector of the former Midland Red company including Shrewsbury, Telford, Lichfield and Tamworth areas, and on 17 June 2010 Arriva’s shareholders voted in favour of a recommended offer for Arriva by a wholly-owned subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn AG., the German Railway Company.
"The supervisory board of the British transport enterprise Arriva agrees the takeover bid of the German Railways (DB). The Railway offers 1.8 billion euro for Arriva - the most expensive additional purchase of the Railway." reads the start of this German media article.
DB has already taken over the former British EWS rail freight company, and locos are appearing in DB livery.
(Sorry to be off-topic, but thought you might like to know!
)
Arriva of course runs trains and many bus areas in the UK, including the northern sector of the former Midland Red company including Shrewsbury, Telford, Lichfield and Tamworth areas, and on 17 June 2010 Arriva’s shareholders voted in favour of a recommended offer for Arriva by a wholly-owned subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn AG., the German Railway Company.
"The supervisory board of the British transport enterprise Arriva agrees the takeover bid of the German Railways (DB). The Railway offers 1.8 billion euro for Arriva - the most expensive additional purchase of the Railway." reads the start of this German media article.
DB has already taken over the former British EWS rail freight company, and locos are appearing in DB livery.
(Sorry to be off-topic, but thought you might like to know!
)DavidGrain
master brummie
I have never been to Malta but I understand that all the buses were operated by owner-drivers who are all having to be bought out. There are of course many ex London bendy-buses available with London Mayor, Boris's "Debendification" project converting all the bendy-bus routes to double-deckers.
Pedrocut
Master Barmmie
Thanks Llyod for the article, it has put me off for the day. I stood here and took a photo at the Siege Bell in the George Cross Island in 2004, it was the second time that I had heard it rung at mid-day...
https://commondatastorage.googleapis.com/static.panoramio.com/photos/original/20891727.jpg
A German company takes over one of Britain's biggest train firms, and they have the tender to provide scheduled bus services in Malta!
Even in 2004 most of the roads in Malta were bad, but that was one of the adventures, hanging on to the straps!
All the best Peter
https://commondatastorage.googleapis.com/static.panoramio.com/photos/original/20891727.jpg
A German company takes over one of Britain's biggest train firms, and they have the tender to provide scheduled bus services in Malta!
Even in 2004 most of the roads in Malta were bad, but that was one of the adventures, hanging on to the straps!
All the best Peter
Thylacine
master brummie
Jean, I'm sure we would all love to see them. Perhaps you could post them on the appropriate thread (see quote) for us. No hurry though!
Thylacine
master brummie
Fans of the buses of Malta (and Gozo) are invited to view and contribute to a new thread: "Buses of Malta (Including Gozo)". Jean kindly e-mailed me a lovely collection of pictures from the 1960s and 1970s, which I have posted on the new thread.
Pedrocut
Master Barmmie
Noticed on BrowhillsBob’s Brownhills Blog an article and picture of an old number 23 bus that served Browhills.
https://brownhillsbob.com/2010/12/19/the-post-bus/#comments
Bob raises the question of a post box fitted on the 8.00pm service…
I noticed at the time of compiling the article that the two busses in the gardenhad similar letterboxes on the front. Was this a national, or purely local thing? Why on the offside, and not the nearside? Did they actually get used, and was anyone ever hurt in so doing? When did the practice die out?
I’m interested because it seems like a genuine example of civic interaction and co-operation which is seldom seen today
Anyone heard of this in Brum?
All the best Peter
https://brownhillsbob.com/2010/12/19/the-post-bus/#comments
Bob raises the question of a post box fitted on the 8.00pm service…
I noticed at the time of compiling the article that the two busses in the gardenhad similar letterboxes on the front. Was this a national, or purely local thing? Why on the offside, and not the nearside? Did they actually get used, and was anyone ever hurt in so doing? When did the practice die out?
I’m interested because it seems like a genuine example of civic interaction and co-operation which is seldom seen today
Anyone heard of this in Brum?
All the best Peter
DavidGrain
master brummie
I remember back in the 1960s seeing a post box on the back of a Crosville single decker in Llandudno.
Midland Red conductors used to take stamped letters for posting at a cost of 1d for which a bus ticket would be issued. I don't know when this prectice stopped.
Midland Red conductors used to take stamped letters for posting at a cost of 1d for which a bus ticket would be issued. I don't know when this prectice stopped.
Bill Parker
master brummie
Midland Red did a parcel delivery service I believe. The only otheer postal carriers I can think of were David Mc Brayne, which of course are no where near Brum!!
paul stacey
master brummie
I love the idea of the post box on the bus, where, ho where, has our old country gone, I always caught the old light blue bus from colmore row to soho road handsworth, west brom/wolverhamton bus's.
paul
paul
paul stacey
master brummie
They very well could have been glynis, but as a small boy going to my nan's the excitment was everything, and they were different from the other BCT and MR, just as a matter of old world history, my mom used a big brown lable tyed to my collar with my name address and where to get on and off and the clippys used to hand me over to each other? imagin that to-day.
paul
paul
DavidGrain
master brummie
I was always told by my mother that if I needed to get home and I did not have any money just to give my name and address to the conductor. Fortunately I never had to resort to that.
Going back to the comment about the blue buses from Colmore Row on the Soho Road routes, they would have been West Bromwich Corporation buses. The odd point about that route was that you had to pay again at the Hawthorns as Birmingham had all the money collected inside the city boundary and West Brom had all the money collected from there to Dudley.
Going back to the comment about the blue buses from Colmore Row on the Soho Road routes, they would have been West Bromwich Corporation buses. The odd point about that route was that you had to pay again at the Hawthorns as Birmingham had all the money collected inside the city boundary and West Brom had all the money collected from there to Dudley.
There was also a green bus that went through Brownhills, I think it was run by Harper Bros of Heath Hayes. The route was Kingstanding to Cannock, via Aldridge. The route was later extended into Brum
https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3071/3003998131_f48a59776c.jpg
Remember a Harpers driver coming to work for Stocklands in the mid sixties, had the mickey taken out of him as he used to wear his Harpers green blazer, got nicknamed greenfly.
Bill Parker
master brummie
Interesting, from where I am sitting it looks like 30 buses to 15 cars!!
Bill Parker
master brummie
Re: Re Buses
Trolley buses were used by many municipal operators . They had many advantages one of whick was , I believe, running costs even taking into account the cost and maintenance of the overhead wires. Both Wolverhampton and Walsall used them until the late 1960s.
I often travelled on the 58 route from Dudley, towards Sedgley apaert from the quieter running these buses could accelarate far more quickly then an equvalent Diesel powered bus and they did not produce any exhaust emmisions, that was done back at the power station! Electric motors only have one moving part and the only other complexity was the resistors and the switching contactors, no gearbox was needed.
There is an example of a Wolverhampton one at the Black Country Living Musuem fleet no 433 reg EJW 433. The chassis was built by Sunbeam at Wolverhampton and was originally a wartime product so it carried a typical ulility body which was replaced in around 1953 by a new body by Roe of Leeds. Also at the BCLM is a Walsall example a later build with a quite modern looking Willowbrook body.
The accelerator on a trolley bus is on the left and the footbrake to the right!! The museum had quite a collection of Sunbeams but the new management only want buses that are of the Black Country so four are having to find new homes.
It was not uncommon to have a de-wirement, usually either caused by poor driving or badly maintained overhead. I remember reading a book on how to drive one and the author suggested driving it with the wires over ones right shoulder. Im hoping to eventually have go in one of the BCLM ones at some point but Im not holding my breath.
Trolley buses were used by many municipal operators . They had many advantages one of whick was , I believe, running costs even taking into account the cost and maintenance of the overhead wires. Both Wolverhampton and Walsall used them until the late 1960s.
I often travelled on the 58 route from Dudley, towards Sedgley apaert from the quieter running these buses could accelarate far more quickly then an equvalent Diesel powered bus and they did not produce any exhaust emmisions, that was done back at the power station! Electric motors only have one moving part and the only other complexity was the resistors and the switching contactors, no gearbox was needed.
There is an example of a Wolverhampton one at the Black Country Living Musuem fleet no 433 reg EJW 433. The chassis was built by Sunbeam at Wolverhampton and was originally a wartime product so it carried a typical ulility body which was replaced in around 1953 by a new body by Roe of Leeds. Also at the BCLM is a Walsall example a later build with a quite modern looking Willowbrook body.
The accelerator on a trolley bus is on the left and the footbrake to the right!! The museum had quite a collection of Sunbeams but the new management only want buses that are of the Black Country so four are having to find new homes.
It was not uncommon to have a de-wirement, usually either caused by poor driving or badly maintained overhead. I remember reading a book on how to drive one and the author suggested driving it with the wires over ones right shoulder. Im hoping to eventually have go in one of the BCLM ones at some point but Im not holding my breath.
Last edited:
DavidGrain
master brummie
Before electrity was nationalised in 1940s many local authorities generated electricity for their area and as they had to generate electricty for street lighting there were economies of scale in providng the electricity for the buses. Also it was sometimes possible to use the same posts for the street lights and for the overhead.
If you want to see a large trolley bus network in operation have a look at the Budapest system shown on https://villamos.zylon.hu/troli/tr-faq/index.html
If you want to see a large trolley bus network in operation have a look at the Budapest system shown on https://villamos.zylon.hu/troli/tr-faq/index.html
Radiorails
master brummie
The post by David, in which he mentions municipal electric supply companies, reminded me of a saucepan in my possession.
It is an aluminium 5 pint pan, Pyramid Brand, and has the following inscription on its outer side:
This pan is the property of the Birmingham Corporation Electric Supply Dept.
It also bears the following, hand stamped, inventory number on its handle: 244/4
I can only assume that this was once part of a works canteen kitchen inventory and was sold (stolen? :notlooking when the canteen closed permanently. I don't know when the canteen closure took place but I believe the Midlands Electricity Board took over municipal electric supplies around 1947.
It is an aluminium 5 pint pan, Pyramid Brand, and has the following inscription on its outer side:
This pan is the property of the Birmingham Corporation Electric Supply Dept.
It also bears the following, hand stamped, inventory number on its handle: 244/4
I can only assume that this was once part of a works canteen kitchen inventory and was sold (stolen? :notlooking
when the canteen closed permanently. I don't know when the canteen closure took place but I believe the Midlands Electricity Board took over municipal electric supplies around 1947.View attachment 62723
I am trying to work out which part of the city this photo was taken
can you ?? ......... ragga
I am trying to work out which part of the city this photo was taken
can you ?? ......... ragga
View attachment 62726View attachment 62725
We all know where and when these 2 were taken .......... ragga
We all know where and when these 2 were taken .......... ragga
View attachment 62728
Just for my information only can someone on here tell me the fleet number
given to this bus please . ragga
Just for my information only can someone on here tell me the fleet number
given to this bus please . ragga
Lloyd
master brummie
7000 HP, the very first Daimler Fleetline, never carried a fleet number.
The Fleetline, Daimler's answer to the Leyland Atlantean rear engined bus, was designed with the help of BCT's engineering department, and the first one (this bus) was supposed to come to BCT, but Daimler wanted to retain it as an experimental and demonstration vehicle, hence the Coventry registration.
Had it come to BCT new, it would have been 3229 - 3229 VP. The registration, already reserved, was then used on a Ferguson tractor in the Parks department. Fleet No 3229 was never used, 3228 was AEC Bridgemaster 9 JML, and 3230 was the first of 10 Leyland Atlantean buses, the only ones the Corporation bought.
The trams are indeed on Stratford Rd, the first one at least waiting to turn into Highgate Rd and the depot just a short distance up there. It is displaying destination 'Stoney Lane'.
The Fleetline, Daimler's answer to the Leyland Atlantean rear engined bus, was designed with the help of BCT's engineering department, and the first one (this bus) was supposed to come to BCT, but Daimler wanted to retain it as an experimental and demonstration vehicle, hence the Coventry registration.
Had it come to BCT new, it would have been 3229 - 3229 VP. The registration, already reserved, was then used on a Ferguson tractor in the Parks department. Fleet No 3229 was never used, 3228 was AEC Bridgemaster 9 JML, and 3230 was the first of 10 Leyland Atlantean buses, the only ones the Corporation bought.
The trams are indeed on Stratford Rd, the first one at least waiting to turn into Highgate Rd and the depot just a short distance up there. It is displaying destination 'Stoney Lane'.
DavidGrain
master brummie
Post 714 showing a BCT bus on service 74 in Birmingham Street Dudley about to turn into Fisher Street to start the return journey to Birmingham via West Bromwich. In the distance can be seen a West Brom Corporation bus on the same service. BCT had the peculiar practice of not changing the destination boards to show which way the bus was travelling. Within Birmingham it was normal to show the suburban terminus but on the joint services to Dudley the destination was show in this fashion BIRMINGHAM - DUDLEY on both the Soho Road and Dudley Road routes, a practice which was also used by their joint operators West Bromwich and Midland Red although both these operators would normally have changed the destination at the end of each route.