Very hard to do in a tight skirt and stilletosthat brought back memories, running and jumping on, some times missing the step,and running like mad before loosing the bar and ending up lying in the road.
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Birmingham buses
- Thread starter ragga
- Start date
maypolebaz
master brummie
As a smartarse teenager, I once leapt for the (moving) platform of a 48. My foot slipped and my shin scraped all the way down the edge, finishing up under my kneecap. I can still feel the pain.that brought back memories, running and jumping on, some times missing the step,and running like mad before loosing the bar and ending up lying in the road.
Do you think they may have been parked right out of the way due to Mr Hitler
mw0njm.
A Brummie Dude
i will pass on that lol
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mw0njm.
A Brummie Dude
oooooooooooooooooooooooooh that is nasty.there is no fat there.
mw0njm.
A Brummie Dude
thanks for pics.sure brings back old memories,traveling on that bus.
Radiorails
master brummie
A search should reveal more information on BHF about these demonstrator buses. AEC tried a few times to break into the Birmingham City bus market, after it early 1930's success, however they were unsuccessful. But I got plenty of AEC choices with Devon General.
Bob Davis
Bob Davis
The last of the early 1930s AECs 503 was registered OV4503 and previous buses had been OK, OP, VP, how did the Morris Commercials delivered in 1932/3 get the OC three figure registration. I know you all like a challenge answers in the usual way and the prize will be big.
Bob
Bob
Lloyd
master brummie
VP was issued from July 1928 till May 1929 (10 months to issue one under 10,000 registrations), then OF between May 1929 and April 1930, then OG between April 1930 and April 1931, then OV between April 1931 and May 1932, then OJ between May 1932 and May 1933. The registration system in Birmingham was running out of availabilty, so previously unissued OC was then allocated to Birmingham Licencing Office and ran from May 1933 till March 1934, by when there was becoming a national shortage of registration series. It was decided to start a three letter sequence, effectively giving an extra 23 x 999 numbers per series (I, Q and Z prefixes were not used in mainland England). So AOA ran from March 1934, BOA from April 1934 etc. Multiple series were issued at the same time, sometimes restricted to certain vehicle types like Commercial vehicles, or Motorcycles, but with only 999 individual issues to a letter series they were gone through quite quickly. Eventually this system ran out too, and so "Reversed" registrations were used - 1 to 4 numerals to 1 or 2 letters, then 3 numerals to 3 letters. The rate of vehicle registration was multiplying so fast thet this could hardly keep up, so a new system started using year letters, initially behind the unique registration and later in front of it.
Now we have a system using two letters as an area of issue code, two numbers to define a half-yearly date, and A three-letter sequence which uniquely distinguishes each of the vehicles displaying the same initial four-character area and age sequence. The letters I and Q are excluded from the three-letter sequence, as are combinations that may appear offensive (including those in foreign languages). Due to batch allocation of new registration marks to dealers, it is common for cars with "neighbouring" letter sequences to be of the same manufacturer.
Now we have a system using two letters as an area of issue code, two numbers to define a half-yearly date, and A three-letter sequence which uniquely distinguishes each of the vehicles displaying the same initial four-character area and age sequence. The letters I and Q are excluded from the three-letter sequence, as are combinations that may appear offensive (including those in foreign languages). Due to batch allocation of new registration marks to dealers, it is common for cars with "neighbouring" letter sequences to be of the same manufacturer.
DavidGrain
master brummie
Yes it was the Hamstead terminus. The BCT buses had their own turning circle at that point as it was the city boundary. The West Bromwhich buses continued up the hill in Hamstead Road to their own terminus and their stop at this point wa off picture to the left. There would have been quite a bit of interchange between the two routes at this point.
Radiorails
master brummie
Adding to what has already been recorded here it appears that the 15/16/17 group of routes has had a chequered history.
In December 1924 a route 15 commenced from Small Heath to Stechford but very soon (January 1925) a service 16 commenced from the city centre to Handsworth Wood (Friary Road) via Hockley.
In 1928, after the Stechford tram route extentions (94/90) the 15 terminus was changed to a Yardley terminus (The Yew Tree). June 1929 saw the 15 to the Yew Tree and 16 to Handsworth Wood joined to be a cross city service. The 15A was an extension to Barrows Lane. In 1937 the Friary Road terminus was extended to Beauchamp Avenue as 16A however in 1939 it was extended to Hamstead. (rush periods only apparently). 1938 saw a branch from the Yew Tree to Garretts Green Lane/Horrell Road numbered 15A. 1949 the southern part of 15 was extended to Whittington Oval and the 15B to Sheldon Heath Road. More changes occurred in 1958. 15A/15B/16A became 15 and 16 with a 17 to The Meadway and short workings of these routes carries a letter suffix.
The West Bromwich bus route mentioned was probably their route 6.
In December 1924 a route 15 commenced from Small Heath to Stechford but very soon (January 1925) a service 16 commenced from the city centre to Handsworth Wood (Friary Road) via Hockley.
In 1928, after the Stechford tram route extentions (94/90) the 15 terminus was changed to a Yardley terminus (The Yew Tree). June 1929 saw the 15 to the Yew Tree and 16 to Handsworth Wood joined to be a cross city service. The 15A was an extension to Barrows Lane. In 1937 the Friary Road terminus was extended to Beauchamp Avenue as 16A however in 1939 it was extended to Hamstead. (rush periods only apparently). 1938 saw a branch from the Yew Tree to Garretts Green Lane/Horrell Road numbered 15A. 1949 the southern part of 15 was extended to Whittington Oval and the 15B to Sheldon Heath Road. More changes occurred in 1958. 15A/15B/16A became 15 and 16 with a 17 to The Meadway and short workings of these routes carries a letter suffix.
The West Bromwich bus route mentioned was probably their route 6.
Bob Davis
Bob Davis
Lloyd, very many thanks, in addition to the main themes of my anorakish childhood, trains, buses, cars cigarette cards and packets! I have always had an interest in the registration numbers of vehicles., where they came from etc etc, but I had never thought about the registrations of the Morris buses until the other day and I realised that they were OC after much later letters had been issued. Not only British Registrations, but Worldwide Interest me, and they are quite amazing the way they are worked. The great thing about the new system is that because my wife has only a first name which begins with J, I can have a personalised number plate and I have owned JDxxRGD since 2010 and buy the latest number every time I change my car, which I do quite regularly. Sorry to drift off theme slightly, but once again can claim it has an ability to solve a query, some body out there always knows. Thanks again.
Bob
sospiri
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
Nick, re: your post #1760,
None of that technology here in Crete, but compared with 27 years ago when I first came here, the service is now a dream - runs on time with a nice fleet of coaches. 27 years ago was old wrecks of buses with people carrying chickens and even sheep with perhaps three services day, but very unreliable. Now on the main roads, two or three serices an hour between the main cities in the summer, but perhaps half of that number in the winter. But once you get away from the main east west highway, it may be one bus a day and you can get somewhere, but not back on the same day!
Maurice
None of that technology here in Crete, but compared with 27 years ago when I first came here, the service is now a dream - runs on time with a nice fleet of coaches. 27 years ago was old wrecks of buses with people carrying chickens and even sheep with perhaps three services day, but very unreliable. Now on the main roads, two or three serices an hour between the main cities in the summer, but perhaps half of that number in the winter. But once you get away from the main east west highway, it may be one bus a day and you can get somewhere, but not back on the same day!
Maurice
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FNQBRUMMIE
master brummie
Nice to hear all about the actual buses, models etc. but what about the colourful characters who worked 'On the Buses', conductors, drivers and inspectors. There must be some stories to be told.
Bob Davis
Bob Davis
Germany, France & Japan, could guess the bus manufacturers there. Would Spain have been Pegaso and Czechoslavakia Skoda or Tatra? Anyone any idea how long the buses lasted and was the contract completed. £8925.00 per bus, look at the price of them today. Cheapest are the Chinese King Long, a few of their coaches around and of course London 7 Birmingham are just taking some of the BYD Electric buses. The future has arrived and I was not ready for it.
Bob
DavidGrain
master brummie
I was at the Coach and Bus Show at the NEC a couple of weeks ago and one foreign manufacturer had stickers on the windscreens of his vehicles saying 'Pre Brexit Stock No Tariffs'. Makes you wonder how many buses and coaches have been imported in anticipation of a no-deal Brexit, That will have screwed up our Balance of Payments and knocked Sterling down.
oldbrit
OldBrit in Exile
I remember during the end of the war when I went to Moseley School of art. I would take the bus on the Coventry Rd pass the St Andrews the Blue's stadium and there was a bus Garage there on the left side going towards Brum, also a movie house on the right after the garage. I would get off under the bridge walk up and then catch a bus along the Moseley Rd. to the school
Lloyd
master brummie
Just a dealers ploy to sell more motors - similar to "Get it while stocks last" or "Closing down sale" (but the shop never closes!)
mw0njm.
A Brummie Dude
last time i went in cov rd garage, it was a office and store room for a band.that was around1988
Lloyd
master brummie
Radiorails
master brummie
Well Lloyd got there before me and thankfully posted a photo of bus 60. (OF3969). The newspaper suggests buses, but I have details of only one bus so treated which is the one in the photo. A 1929 bus, one of ten, altered in 1931 for a larger seating capacity. The news paper was a bit late with its report as it seems the experiments were in done in 1933 and the bus was exhibited at the BIF at Castle Bromwich. After two years the bus reverted to petrol but was withdrawn soon afterwards. (1935).
This experiment should not be confused with the unsuccessful producer gas trials of WW2 (1943)
This experiment should not be confused with the unsuccessful producer gas trials of WW2 (1943)
