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Birmingham buses

No 11 Outer Circle bus pics from the Image Host in various locations ...
An unusual looking No 11 overtakes a normal looking No 11
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I've no idea where this bus is ..
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MOF 225 on the No 11 route, the road sign on the left could probably give clue to location. (now identified in post#1203)
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JOJ 964 No 11 by a Co Op shop and there is a pub across the road
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MOF 221 in unidentified road.
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From the pics uploaded by ragga in forum Image Host.
378 KOV had a bad crash in Digbeth, perhaps the bus on the right had cut across ...
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More City Centre pics from the forum Image Host.
MOF 73in Colmore Row opposite Snow Hill Station Passenger Entrance.
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MOF 150 carries good passenger load in the city centre.
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A No 74 at the stop by the car park near Snow Hill Station.
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LOG 301 in Colmore Row.
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Buses in Digbeth from the forum Image Host
VOB 528W passes the Midland Red Coach Station
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BON 555C pulling away from the stop by the Digbeth Coach Station.
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MOF 3 also at the Digbeth Coach Station stop.
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Three buses in this pic by the Digbeth Coach Station.
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JOJ 784 at the stop.
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The 'unusual' red and cream bus is a former Coventy Corporation vehicle. Apparently on the formation of WMPTE many buses of former administrations wandered far from home. For instance former BCT buses were to be seen in Walsall. It is noticeable that the PTE did not keep their buses in as pristine condition associated with the Corporation.
bus LOG 301 (3001), on the 32 route, was unique. There were only three BCT buses which carries LOG registrations - LOG 300/301/302 (3000/1/2). They followed the JOJ 1- 999 series and preceeded the MOF 3 - 227 series. All three vehicles had experimental lightweight bodies and some mechanical differences. LOG 300 entered service in early 1953 and was, in fact, the last of the JOJ 901 - 999 batch. LOG 302 did not take to the cities streets until October 1954 by which time MOF 3 - 102 (3003 -3102) were already in service. LOG 301 entered service in November 1952 having made its initial appearance at the 1952 Commercial Motor Show. In 1953 it got a less powerful engine. LOG 302 still exists at the museum in Aldridge..
 
Thanks for the information. I notice Birds Scrapyard of Stratford on Avon is mentioned in some bus posts and wonder if anyone knows whether they ever received scrapped aircraft?
 
It looks like they did not work on scrap aircraft, I had wondered about it because the street in which the forum's 'mystery aircraft' can be seen looks somewhat like buildings in Stratford or similar towns. Aircraft used to be dumped at the nearby disused Long Marston airfield.
 
oldMohawk said:
More City Centre pics from the Image Host
GOG 120W in Steelhouse Lane and a glimpse of the Gaumont Cinema on the right.
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HOV 749 by the Hall of Memory.
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KON 366P by the Town Hall.
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Click to expand...
1749 my favourite HOV Leyland, a regular on the 5a/7 route, the first time I rode it, it was brand new and the Leyland engine certainly had a more powerful sound. After that it seemed to always be my bus to town in the morning when I started work. Obviously on the 7 Portland Road run in this picture. The other 5 in this group is at the stop in Victoria Square about to head back to Court Lane, no Bundy clock here, but they still had a break here if they were ahead of time, saved them having to 5mph along the Ridgeway because they were ahead of time. Very noticeable how much crisper the black and white photos are particularly of some of the trams. It seemed that standards dropped in appearances when CBT became West Midlands and what was with those red oxide wheels?
Bob
 
Bob Davis said:
1749 my favourite HOV Leyland, a regular on the 5a/7 route, the first time I rode it, it was brand new and the Leyland engine certainly had a more powerful sound. After that it seemed to always be my bus to town in the morning when I started work. Obviously on the 7 Portland Road run in this picture. The other 5 in this group is at the stop in Victoria Square about to head back to Court Lane, no Bundy clock here, but they still had a break here if they were ahead of time, saved them having to 5mph along the Ridgeway because they were ahead of time. Very noticeable how much crisper the black and white photos are particularly of some of the trams. It seemed that standards dropped in appearances when CBT became West Midlands and what was with those red oxide wheels?
Bob
Click to expand...
Yes looking at old bus photos reminds me of past times. The 5A buses remind me of visits to my Grandparents in Turfpits Lane. The images you see in my posts in this thread are not mine, I have simply posted some text which makes existing forum images appear in my posts. With regard to the 'red oxide' wheels, there are a group of images which appear to have a red cast or over-saturated colour. I have edited the red colour down slightly in just the first image in post#1204 to see if that looks any better.
ps: I notice that colours look slightly different depending which of my computers I use. My iPad seems to show the best colours.
 
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More buses in various locations
In Harborne alongside the now demolished 'Duke of York' top of the High St on the Outer Circle route. (edit ref #1355)
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Baldwins Lane?
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It has 'Aston Cross' on the destination blind
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On it's way to the Pheasey ...
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The Post Office tower is in the pic.
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An ex Coventry Bus (possibly) and its on a 'Ring' road, see sign on lamp post ...
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JOJ 780 at Whittington Oval, Yardley terminus.
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Some photos here illustrate the PTE regime quite well. The removal of the city crest motif and chrome embellishments from the bus bonnets gave a more Spartan appearance to the vehicles. There were some buses which had a new simplified style grille fitted, which was not, in my view, very elegant.
Folks not as enthusiastic about Birmingham's buses, simply seeing them a a method of getting from A to B, might reflect on what the city buses had achieved when operated by their Council.
As far as the corporation vehicles were concerned the transport department made certain that they were built to a very highest standards and to a unique specification (attention to detail) - surpassing almost all other cities probably except London. The transport department took the view that the citizens of Birmingham expected a quality ride with a frequent service at the lowest fares - which is pretty well much what they got. Some milestones for the cities buses were firsts for the country: first double deck bus with a roof in the mid 1920's, 'new look' fronts in early 1950's and free bus passes for older people decades before some parts of the country. Most of Birmingham's buses (only the off the peg Leylands did not) had a unique style staircase which was right angled rather than curved.
 
There are lots more bus pics in the forum's Image Host but many interesting ones have copyright watermarks so I have not shown them in this thread. I use the pdf file below to find and look at the buses on the Image Host (Coppermine) and anyone can use it. It works best with Chrome, and is ok with IE11, Edge stumbles somewhat, but works well on iPads. Scroll up and down and click or touch a pic to see it enlarge. Use the browser back buttons to return from images.
Bus Finder pdf ...click it if you like looking at buses ... :)
loading time depends on your computer's memory .. you can save it.
 
The Baldwin photo is in fact the old terminus (BCT days) of the 29A,90/91 route. That is the Baldwin PH in the background. (I know many here like pub pics). On my travels I used to get bags of Smiths Crisps from the off licence there - you remember real potatoes with a bag of salt, rather than artificially flavoured stuff :eek:).
I once had a girl friend - we were both young and had not yet reached the intense stage - who, for a period of time, I saw off to her school from there. They BCT provided buses to Pitmaston school, which incidentally I can't remember seeing.
The Aston Cross bus I suggest was a short working of the Circle route.
The 90 bus, heading for Pheasey Estate was turning around that unusual little island opposite the Baldwin. It was unusually situated, being solely for buses turning around and had a compulsory stop - which can be seen in the photo. This stop, a safety precaution, ensured buses stopped and did not pull into passing vehicles that did not use the island.
My main recollection, of the hill by which the B82 route left Edmund Street and dropped down to The Parade and Sand Pits, was with the gearless Leyland used mainly on the Dudley Road routes. They were bought as replacements, in 1939, for the tramcars (except Lodge Road 32 and Ladywood 33) which got a reprieves. As a youngster I thought the hill steep, but that was before I went to live in Devon! :D
An AEC Regent on the 1A reminds me that there is some information about the small class of BCT buses already here some place. And finally, yes, a former Coventry bus which has gained the vague Birmingham destination of 'service extra'. I presume it was on the Outer Circle, otherwise, having no displayed route number, few would know where it was going.
 
Radiorails said:
Some photos here illustrate the PTE regime quite well. The removal of the city crest motif and chrome embellishments from the bus bonnets gave a more Spartan appearance to the vehicles. There were some buses which had a new simplified style grille fitted, which was not, in my view, very elegant.
Folks not as enthusiastic about Birmingham's buses, simply seeing them a a method of getting from A to B, might reflect on what the city buses had achieved when operated by their Council.
As far as the corporation vehicles were concerned the transport department made certain that they were built to a very highest standards and to a unique specification (attention to detail) - surpassing almost all other cities probably except London. The transport department took the view that the citizens of Birmingham expected a quality ride with a frequent service at the lowest fares - which is pretty well much what they got. Some milestones for the cities buses were firsts for the country: first double deck bus with a roof in the mid 1920's, 'new look' fronts in early 1950's and free bus passes for older people decades before some parts of the country. Most of Birmingham's buses (only the off the peg Leylands did not) had a unique style staircase which was right angled rather than curved.
Click to expand...
The straight staircase on Birmingham buses was reckoned to be safer even though Birmingham buses lost two seats downstairs and also had that strange single seat at the top of the stairs, when the new bus lengths were introduced, they gained a seat in the lower saloon under the stairs. The idea was that the straight staircase gave more platform area. As a retired anorak (not really) I find all these nostalgic pictures fascinating, keep them coming.
Bob
 
Hi Bob,
As mentioned in post#1219 the are over 127 bus pics on the forum server. Many have a copyright notice on so it best to look at them there. I used the pdf file 'Bus Finder pdf' (click the blue text) it and it looks like the pic below ... click or touch any thumbnail on it and it fetches the full size pic. Click your browser back arrow to choose another pic.
oldMohawk said:
There are lots more bus pics in the forum's Image Host but many interesting ones have copyright watermarks so I have not shown them in this thread. I use the pdf file below to find and look at the buses on the Image Host (Coppermine) and anyone can use it. It works best with Chrome, and is ok with IE11, Edge stumbles somewhat, but works well on iPads. Scroll up and down and click or touch a pic to see it enlarge. Use the browser back buttons to return from images.
Bus Finder pdf ...click it if you like looking at buses ... :)
loading time depends on your computer's memory .. you can save it.
Click to expand...
Screenshot (137).jpg
 
oldMohawk said:
Hi Bob,
As mentioned in post#1219 the are over 127 bus pics on the forum server. Many have a copyright notice on so it best to look at them there. I used the pdf file 'Bus Finder pdf' (click the blue text) it and it looks like the pic below ... click or touch any thumbnail on it and it fetches the full size pic. Click your browser back arrow to choose another pic.

View attachment 118876
Click to expand...
Old
Many thanks, one surprise in all of this was the short run 5 showing Perry Common, Enderby Road, the original 5 terminus was Perry Common, the Ring at Enderby Road. When the Witton Lodge estate was built, the bus was extended to Court Lane and numbered 5a. When I used it regularly a 5 was just route indicated as Perry Common still. Does anybody know when Enderby Road was added?
Bob
 
I was often taken on the No 5 buses as a child and would be annoyed if we got on a No 5 which stopped at the island and we then had a long walk to my Grandparents. Even at that age I used to wonder why all the buses did not simply go to Court Lane terminus. Another puzzle ... some of the buses changed to No 7 on their way back to town !
 
The 5/7 route - Perry Common/Portland Road services started in 1926 but initially were only from the City to Perry Common. They used minor road in part to avoid conflict with existing tram services. 1927 saw an extension to the "Ring". In 1927 the route became the cross city 5/7. In the meantime the Witton (Six Ways) trams lost their Sunday service and were withdrawn completely in 1939 due to wartime economies. The city to Perry Common short working continued just showing route 5 but again in 1939 the extension to Court Lane took place as route 5A. 1964 saw the whole route becoming 5
There was also a similar 5/6 service. (Perry Common/Sandon Road). Also introduced in 1926. 1971
saw it merged with the 5/7 as far as I can see.
Perry Barr, Harborne and later Quinton garages operated these services.
As a youngster I saw a great similarity between the names Perry Common and Perry Como (American singer). I had wondered if he took his name from there but soon realized that was not so. :D
 
With ref to the 5A/7 route this always puzzled me. To me the Hagley Road buses were: 6 Sandon Road, 7 Portland Road and 9 Quinton (The 10 Quinton Road West also ran along the Hagley Road until diverted along Harborne Road). My school mates at George Dixons in City Road, always confused me by talking about getting the 5A in to town. (We did not have catchment areas in those days as boys came from all over the city, many changing buses in the city centre). So one lunch time I walked out of school to the no. 7 terminus and watched the buses changing from 7 to 5A. I also discovered that in Portland Road the 5A/7 connected with the Midland Red/West Bromwich Corporation bus 252.

Later in life I went to college in Gosta Green so in the morning I would catch a 33 along the Hagley Road and a 34 home. This was a rush hour service only.

It was then that I finally worked out what BCT were doing. Where they paired services together to run cross city they they always showed the final service number and destination. Occasionally they would have short workings which then showed their real number eg a bus from Portland Road just to the city centre would show 7 rather than 5A. These cross city routes were the exception to the rule that BCT buses did not change their destination boards when turning at the terminus.
 
The year is 1963 and FOP384 as just started away from the lights with a learner bus driver in the cab. There is a similar bus FOP383 in post#1161. That Hillman Imp in the pic looks just like one I bought in 1964.
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One cross city service, which must have been highly confusing to visitors to the city was the 29 and 29A routes. They did not change numbers just the destination. The 29 did have another anomaly in that when working from Kingstanding to the city only (High Street) and not beyond the blind just read CITY. The 29 commenced in 1928 and ran through the markets area until 1934 when it commenced running via Digbeth and the Bull Ring. New housing, in Hall Green, brought about the 29A in 1936. Although once out of Sparkhill the 29A took a different route the Chief Constable was against new bus routes running through the Bull Ring. The Transport Department thus numbered this route 29A hoping it would not be noticed. Whether it was, or was not, the 29A continued happily on its way until re-numberings and route revisions took place in 1964 and 1971. Both 29 and 29A were extended in the northern suburbs as developments too place. Collingwood Avenue was outside the city boundary and the approval by Midland Red was needed and obtained. It has been suggested that the terminus in Baldwins Lane, Hall Green, was outside the boundary but I am sure it was not, just a stones throw away.
 
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