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Birmingham buses

Everything about this bus (AHX 93)is in the earlier thread, linked by Old Mohawk. It was a revolutionary vehicle in its time particularly when it is considered that the AEC Regents of the period did look antiquated when compared with this bus.
Midland Red of course favoured, at the time front entrances but that type of bus was unsuitable on most of the heavily used BCT routes, hence its use on the 1 and 1A.
BCT did have another locally sourced front entrance bus which came into service in 1935 and lasted until October 1950. It was BOP 94 (94) and was a rare sight being confined to the 1A from Acocks Green garage. It had a longer life than AHX 93, moreover it was always ran in BCT livery. The front entrance door, it is said, was rarely closed.
From the offside it did not too dissimilar to the usual BCT bus, (the rear lower window and blanked staircase window behind the drivers cab being the principal differences. It was the nearside that showed the huge difference to a normal rear loading bus.
I expect this information and maybe more is recorded on BHF but a search was useless as "bus BOP 94" contained less than the required number of letters/numbers.
 
Definitely Five Ways. I spent many lunchtimes in the Five Ways Inn which you can see on the corner of Broad Street and Ladywood Road. Surprising now to think how close bus stops were to junctions in those days. This bus is stopped outside Lloyds Bank which is the only building still left at the junction.
 
I am under the impression that many tram stops were sited quite close to junctions and side streets as that was the way it was when most of the population used public transport - or walked or cycled.
BCT was known - or at least perceived to operate the buses in a similar manner as they had done with their trams.
 
One bus stop that is still right on a junction is Harborne High Street and Greenfield Road outside the old Royalty cinema. It was not so bad in the days of rear entrance buses but the present front entrance buses stop right across the junction. There are a lot of buses along Harborne High Street. Problem is that there is nowhere to move it.
 
Mike, We don't doubt that Pattisons were in Hagley Road but before Five Ways became a roundabout, Hagley Road, Harborne Road and Calthorpe Road, three of the six(!) roads that make up the Five Ways junction all came together so one side of Calthorpe Road actually faced across to Hagley Road
Old Map of Five Ways.png
 
Radiorails said:
Everything about this bus (AHX 93)is in the earlier thread, linked by Old Mohawk. It was a revolutionary vehicle in its time particularly when it is considered that the AEC Regents of the period did look antiquated when compared with this bus.
Midland Red of course favoured, at the time front entrances but that type of bus was unsuitable on most of the heavily used BCT routes, hence its use on the 1 and 1A.
BCT did have another locally sourced front entrance bus which came into service in 1935 and lasted until October 1950. It was BOP 94 (94) and was a rare sight being confined to the 1A from Acocks Green garage. It had a longer life than AHX 93, moreover it was always ran in BCT livery. The front entrance door, it is said, was rarely closed.
From the offside it did not too dissimilar to the usual BCT bus, (the rear lower window and blanked staircase window behind the drivers cab being the principal differences. It was the nearside that showed the huge difference to a normal rear loading bus.
I expect this information and maybe more is recorded on BHF but a search was useless as "bus BOP 94" contained less than the required number of letters/numbers.
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I can remember a front loading bus running on the 14 Lea Village route, out of Crossfield Road Garage in the early 60s, registration HP 7000 (or maybe 7000 HP). No idea of any other details, but it was reported on Midlands news as being purchased on HP for £7000.
 
Lumpammer said:
I can remember a front loading bus running on the 14 Lea Village route, out of Crossfield Road Garage in the early 60s, registration HP 7000 (or maybe 7000 HP). No idea of any other details, but it was reported on Midlands news as being purchased on HP for £7000.
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There is information about this bus elsewhere on BHF. That news report sounds like baloney.
The registration was 7000 HP. It was the very first Daimler Fleetline built, designed as competition with Leyland's Atlantean bus. It was exhibited at the 1960 Commercial Motor Show, in BCT livery. It ran for almost two months (Dec. 60 and Jan. 61) in the city. It was intended to be 3229 VP (3229) and was one of a few demonstrators trialled by BCT around that time.
However Daimler had other ideas as they wanted this bus to tour the country in order chasing. It was a success as far as the city was concerned, an order for 300 in 1963 with over 600 passing to the new PTE.
was surprised to see this bus (still in BCT livery) in Paignton running on the very hilly local routes in the town. Devon General often had demonstrators on hire in peak summertime. However, the Daimler Fleeetline didn't win over the Leyland Atlantean, DG already had experience of them.
In 1966 a private operator, Blue Bus Services in Derbyshire bought it. Its demise was in a garage fire in January 1976.
1547595523380.png
 
Radiorails said:
Everything about this bus (AHX 93)is in the earlier thread, linked by Old Mohawk. It was a revolutionary vehicle in its time particularly when it is considered that the AEC Regents of the period did look antiquated when compared with this bus. I expect this information and maybe more is recorded on BHF but a search was useless as "bus BOP 94" contained less than the required number of letters/numbers.
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For short words I use Google's 'Site' command and bop 94 finds the following post
https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?threads/midland-red-early-days.29903/post-331973
There is no real information there just a mention.
How it works can be dependent on devices and set-ups.
 
Lumpammer said:
I can remember a front loading bus running on the 14 Lea Village route, out of Crossfield Road Garage in the early 60s, registration HP 7000 (or maybe 7000 HP). No idea of any other details, but it was reported on Midlands news as being purchased on HP for £7000.
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yes i can. some one will help you soon. they are bus wizard on here
 
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From another thread
oldMohawk said:
Two buses neck and neck in Deritend and a mini has spotted a gap but neither bus driver is looking in their rear view mirrors. Early 1980s.
index.php
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Technical Comments below
horsencart said:
The bus on the left is a Foden bus and something of a rare beast and has been preserved
https://flic.kr/p/dHtyxs
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Radiorails said:
Some details about these buses (2 of eight built). Only the one above (post 2629) went to WMPTE.
https://flic.kr/p/282DnRg
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I lived on Moat Lane Yardley and had the #17 bus stop right outside our house it still does!!!
 

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nickcc101 said:
Always remember the mechanic driver of our wrecker knocking it out of gear when going down long hills only problem was you couldn't stop it when you reached the bottom especially when you were towing another vehicle. No such thing as airlines operating the broken down vehicle brakes in those days as the wrecker had hydraulic brakes and no compressor.
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We had an 'AEC Matador' at a transport company I worked at in Ladypool road. Bloomin' awful to drive, cold in the winter, too hot in the summer, poor brakes, no power steering. Flat out 'in gear' I could achieve 28mph, down hill, 'out of gear' 32mph. Remember the 'Harvey Frost' cable hoists that were used for lifting vehicles? We had chains of various lengths and sizes, a couple of 'railway sleepers' and off you went. Would I go back to the 'good old days'?...……………….Naaaarrrgghh!
 
oldMohawk said:
FOC 575D followed by a Midland Red turning out of Broad Street. Some elaborate street lights in the picture. No definite date but the bus entered service in 1966 and the advert on the bus gives a clue. BMC (British Motor Corporation) merged with British Leyland in 1968 to form British Leyland Motor Corporation generally known as BLMC. Looking behind the bus, it seems that Bryants Homes had their own coach to transport workers.

View attachment 129847
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The Midland Red is a D.9.
 
Bob Johnson said:
We had an 'AEC Matador' at a transport company I worked at in Ladypool road. Bloomin' awful to drive, cold in the winter, too hot in the summer, poor brakes, no power steering. Flat out 'in gear' I could achieve 28mph, down hill, 'out of gear' 32mph. Remember the 'Harvey Frost' cable hoists that were used for lifting vehicles? We had chains of various lengths and sizes, a couple of 'railway sleepers' and off you went. Would I go back to the 'good old days'?...……………….Naaaarrrgghh!
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Sounds like the Atkinson wrecker we had at Ryland Garage, AEC 7.7 engine, rubbish brakes when towing and 28mph max speed unless you knocked it out of gear. Sorry didn't realise I'd already covered most of this post a short time ago, old age or what.
 
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Looking at information on Google, it appears that we may start to see all-electric buses in Birmingham, Solihull and Coventry in around 16-months. Guildford in Surrey has in the last couple of weeks taken delivery of 9 all-electric buses for its three park-and-ride sites. Buses from these P+R sites make a journey of 10-to-15 minutes to the town centre. They operate every 15-20 minutes from around 7-am to 7-pm.
https://www.stagecoachbus.com/news/...e?hootPostID=306726727aac03d43c6cf5eaba1cf561
 
we had electric buses in derby.when i was a kid. (trolley buses) a ,tram bus ,hybrid thing. i dont remember bham having them
 

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That photo labelled Bham Trolly was actually a Walsall trolley bus.

Birmingham did have trolley buses on the Coventry Road routes but the conversion from trams to trolley buses was overtaken by the Second World War and the improvements in the motor buses afterwards. The nationalisation of the electricity supply in late 1940s also operated against both the trams and the trolley buses as many electricity operations were local authority owned so councils operating trams and trolley buses had their own electricity supply.
 
That bridge in the end became a tunnel because there were so many tracks across the road at that point. However the railway sold off so much land to the west of the line that when the Metro was built they had to take some land from Key Hill Cemetery.
 
DavidGrain said:
That bridge in the end became a tunnel because there were so many tracks across the road at that point. However the railway sold off so much land to the west of the line that when the Metro was built they had to take some land from Key Hill Cemetery.
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A result of not being forward looking I guess. I believe it is now known as thinking 'outside the box'. It was also a a result of being hasty to sell of the family silver.:eek:
 
There were trolley buses in Birmingham that went down the Coventry Road.

A remaining feature of this route was the turning circle at Sheldon.
 
NoddKD said:
Interesting that the notice in the windscreen informs passengers to pay on entry but there appears to be a conductor on the platform?
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OMO operations with double deckers were trialled starting 11th. July,1967 It was a Sunday only operation on routes 6, 42 and 43. On the 12th. November, 1967 OMO operations on Sundays were trialled on routes 1 and 44.
16th.July, 1967 saw OMO operation every day on Lodge Road 96 route. This, apparently was the first double deck OMO operation in the country. Single deck OMO had operated for a few years prior to this.
The bus in the photo on 69 Lozells route is interesting. It might be that the Sunday OMO window sticker had not been removed by the following Monday or maybe a trial operation on the 69 - a conductor being there as a precaution if trade was more than usual.
 
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