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Birmingham buses

I may have mentioned this before.
When visiting relatives in Moseley I often caught one of these type of buses, they were always to be seen on the 1A route, in order to gain the Springfield/Stratford Road area for another bus to get me near home. AEC's mostly seem to have a 'musical' engine sound. Devon General had lots of them.
 
I well remember that fabric pattern in Lloyd's first two pictures - anyone know for how long that was used?

Maurice
 
sospiri said:
I well remember that fabric pattern in Lloyd's first two pictures - anyone know for how long that was used?

Maurice
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I have a feeling that Lloyd may know. Wythall Museum and some of the other bus restorers there have researched the various moquettes used on BCT and the Red of course. However I would hazard a guess and point to 1935 as the start date when larger orders for a new standard design was placed. I presume this lasted until 1960 when the new rear engined buses made their appearance. (I am only familiar with the fleet up to MOF 227 the last of the half cabs). Maybe the moquette was continued into those days, but I never travelled on one.
There were a few exceptions to the brown hard wearing, soiling resistant choices of seat coverings in both lower and upper decks. Those were the early austerity MofS buses early during WW2 which had wooden slatted seats. They were replaced, when possible, by seats from withdrawn vehicles. The other anomalies were the blue moquettes of the four 1942 Leyland TD7 buses that should have gone to Western SMT in Scotland but the Ministry sent them to Birmingham. I cannot recall what was used in the four 1941, 8' wide Daimlers intended for Johannesburg.
 
Thanks, Alan, I guess we both moved out of the area about the same time - January 1961 for me. I left BCT Accounts Dept in early 1959, if I remember right, and moved to Lucas Great King Street.

Maurice
 
sospiri said:
Thanks, Alan, I guess we both moved out of the area about the same time - January 1961 for me. I left BCT Accounts Dept in early 1959, if I remember right, and moved to Lucas Great King Street.

Maurice
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I left the Solihull area in 1954 - at a tender age. :D
 
I left in 1962, but were there not some buses that were fitted with a non standard moquette, a very art modern pattern in a greying colour, looked like hoops, it was on a small number of post war buses, could it have been 1481 onward? Could be mistaken, but every time I see the carpet at Alexandra Opalace I am reminded of it. Sospiri did you ever come across Joyce Davis at Lucas?
Bob
 
Bob, I was only there about 18 months and all that time was spent on getting invoices passed for payment. I can't recollect the name, and when I arrived there, the only two people I knew were Dave Shepherd, who was in the same class as me at Moseley Grammar, and my future brother-in-law, Rex Dorman, who worked in Mass Production Planning, plus the tea lady, Nellie Farmer, who was my future wife's aunt.

We had one of the first Leo computers, which used to use several million punched cards every month. Delivery notes frequently disappeared and getting someone gullible enough to sign for a delivery a couple of months after they had been consumed so that I could authorise payment to IBM was an absolute nightmare. But I'm drifting way off topic, and the short answer I'm afraid is no.

Maurice
 
sospiri said:
Bob, I was only there about 18 months and all that time was spent on getting invoices passed for payment. I can't recollect the name, and when I arrived there, the only two people I knew were Dave Shepherd, who was in the same class as me at Moseley Grammar, and my future brother-in-law, Rex Dorman, who worked in Mass Production Planning, plus the tea lady, Nellie Farmer, who was my future wife's aunt.

We had one of the first Leo computers, which used to use several million punched cards every month. Delivery notes frequently disappeared and getting someone gullible enough to sign for a delivery a couple of months after they had been consumed so that I could authorise payment to IBM was an absolute nightmare. But I'm drifting way off topic, and the short answer I'm afraid is no.

Maurice
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Maurice
Sorry to drag it all off theme, thanks.
Bob
 
The BCT AEC Regents of the 1930 period (one is almost totally restored and will soon be exhibited at Wythall Museum) had a rather art deco style of seat design.
 
Not being a particular fan of public transport and certainly not much of a user of it over the last 50 years or so, I'm looking for a little help. I assume the attached photo is of a number 18 bus sometime in the 50's or 60's on it's route from Northfield to Yardley Wood, but can anybody tell me what road it is on?

18 bus.jpg
 
It could be Taylor Rd. Kings Heath but not too sure. I have a friend who lived there back in 1960's so shall send it to him for an opinion!
 
Phil said:
Not being a particular fan of public transport and certainly not much of a user of it over the last 50 years or so, I'm looking for a little help. I assume the attached photo is of a number 18 bus sometime in the 50's or 60's on it's route from Northfield to Yardley Wood, but can anybody tell me what road it is on?

View attachment 129018
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Hi Phil,
I've previously seen the photo and information with it stating that it is Northfield Road, Cotteridge.
Had a quick look on Google Streetview and can see similar houses but not yet identified same position.
 
Devonjim

I had a look at Taylor Road and couldn't see anything that matched the photo, yes please do ask your friend.

Phil,

I have the routes and stages for all the bus routes in the early 60's and I can see no mention of Northfield Road at that time although I realise it is part of the route today. This is the relevant route at the time of the photo I believe.

bus stages 11.JPG
 
Prompt reply from Oakland CA! It is Thanksgiving! My friend lived in Taylor Rd., at the outdoor on the corner of Haunch Lane. Verdict not Taylor Rd!
 
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The 18/18A services have had a long and varied history. Since inception in 1929 the 18 has had extensions added, some parts (as shown in the other thread) became different routes. Too much to detail here. The 18A, which was a route number assigned in 1930, became that of the full route when it was extended to Yardley Wood.
 
The photo in #1450 is a slightly cropped and slightly tinted version of the first photo below which is credited to Peter Shoesmith. The date is given as the early 1960s, but a second photo taken in the same road from the opposite direction suggests the mid 1960s
NorthfieldRd1.jpg

The second photo shows the road works barrier seen in the first photo. The Morris Oxford has a 'B' 1964 registration suggesting that both photos were taken in the mid 1960s. The bus stop has a stage plate attached. Note the large houses in the distance.
NorthfieldRd2.jpg
The locations are given as Northfield Road. Cotteridge. I have not been able to verify this using 'Streetview'although there are similarities. Features I looked at were the lintels above the windows of the houses with loft dormer windows to the right of the bus in the first photo, and the style of the house immediately before it. I also looked for the large houses but these may have been demolished.
 
I was just thinking how much my dad would have enjoyed this thread...He was a diesel expert and his favorite engines were the AEC. He gave me an old AEC badge many years ago and I decided to scan it instead of taking a photo.
Dave AAEC Badge.jpg
 
Phil

I think you have cracked it, that certainly looks like the spot to me and it also ties into the route of that time. Thanks a lot.
 
This bus was on the 65 route in 1966 when it overturned. Reading the number plate looks like MOF 148 or 149. I would think local newspapers would have reported about the accident and if anyone has access to Birmingham Mail archives we might be able to find out how and why it happened.

MOF148or9.jpg
 
Pedrocut said:
Maybe this from November 1966?

View attachment 129207
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Presumably the bus, as it was a SPECIAL taking the children to the baths at Nechells Green, was moving at a reasonable speed as it was not picking up or setting down passengers. Fifteen hurt out of thirty three is a large number but fortunately there were no fatalities. It could be down to the strength of the older style of well built BCT bus.
It would be of interest if we knew what caused this accident - car or bus - and how the well the car driver recovered from his injuries.
 
pyewacket947 said:
The first one alongside the now demolished 'Duke of York' Top of the High St on the Outer Circle
2 nd definitely 'The Baldwin.'
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Someone may have already said that the picture of VWK223 in WM livery is at the junction of Vicarage Road and Alcester Road South in Kings Heath. This was the early days WMPTE when the remaining rear entrance buses were drafted onto the Outer Circle as the OMO equipment couldn't cope with so many stages.
 
In post 1355, particularly looking at 247 DOC negotiating the small turning circle I noticed the compulsory bus stop. This was sited on the opposite side if the small island to the terminus outside the Baldwin car park. It was to stop a bus before it pulled out into other road vehicles which did not use the small island. It was sited, as seen in the photograph, for rear loading buses. I wonder if it was re-sited when so many buses became front loaders? Or did the route changes of the WMPTE eliminate the need for the stop when the route was extended to Solihull. It was an unusual arrangement but I guess there were others on the BCT system. Another that comes to mind was the compulsory stop by Sarehole Mill on Wake Green Road on the 29A route. This was due to the very narrow road which had a curve at the time. I never saw anyone alight or board there. Sarehole Mill had not been renovated and opened to the public, as far as I recall, at that time.
 
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