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Birmingham buses

pmc1947 said:
Dave

Thanks for the info, do you know when this type of bus was withdrawn from regular service. Forgive my ignorance but is "dentre" a typo for centre or is it a technical term? Many thanks.

Phil,
286-295 were low height ADC 507 type (Associated Daimler) with Short Brothers Ltd. bodywork. Delivered in 1928 they were withdrawn between 1933 and 1937. The seating on the top was up the centre in a herringbone fashion. ADC was a shortlived amalgamation of the AEC and Daimler in 1927. By 1930 the BCT were back on AEC's.
Mike
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Mike & Dave

Thanks both for the info, I think that is more than enough to pass on to the chap who made the enquiry.

Phil
 
A bit more anorak information on those inner circle buses. Conventional top-covered buses were too high under the railway bridge at Hockley. The overall height of the bus was reduced by lowering the outer 1ft 6in or 450mm sides of the upper deck floor by about six inches or 150mm. This was a very awkward arrangement for pasengers and conductors, but it did provide an extra 20 seats upstair
When the Inner Circle 8 route started as a shuttle between Saltley and Sparkbrook in February 1926, it was probably operated by single deckers or open-toppers anyway, (there weren't many top covered double deckers around that early) but when it was extended from Sparkbrook round to Five Ways and Hockley Brook six months later, my parents told me that open toppers were used, but that conductors were instructed to make sure no passenger was standing as the bus approached the bridge. The 25 new low-height 'deckers' Nos. 220 - 244 were delivered the following year, and a further ten were added a year later when the route was then operating as a full circle.
All these buses had Associated Daimler Company 507 type chassis, and bodywork by Short Brothers of Rochester.
Peter
 
The Inner Circle bus route was always operated by doubledeckers, but initially the were the open-top AEC 503s with Brush bodies of 1923. The main problem with the new 8 route was Icknield Street bridge and Highgate Road bridge. In the former case, a memory of a late friend of mine, Norman Glover - a well known transport photographer who was born in 1912, remembered that when the bus reached Icknield Street, the bus was stopped and the conductor went uo the outside staircase and warned the passengers to remain seated.
 
They did clean and maintain the WMT buses!. Len. [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlYCiLlkwu0&feature=player_embedded"]YouTube - Hockley garage early 1980's incl NOV799G[/ame]
 
Hey Len I hit one of those Fuel pumps when I delivered a Leyland to Perry Barr, the Brake air hose split and I got suspended, on full pay for about 3 days till they found the trouble.
I was just delivering it from Tyburn Works where it had been in for a overhaul?:)
 
Alf said:
Hey Len I hit one of those Fuel pumps when I delivered a Leyland to Perry Barr, the Brake air hose split and I got suspended, on full pay for about 3 days till they found the trouble.
I was just delivering it from Tyburn Works where it had been in for a overhaul?:)
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I filmed Alf Yates a couple of years before he died and on the film he says that he managed to pull down/knocked down a pump, I liked Alf on the film he talks of what life was like working on trams and the buses at Hockley garage and other garages
 
View attachment 30204

Does anyone remembers him ??
which garage was he was based at ??
did he serve you a ticket at some point ??
he seems a jolly old fellow enjoying his job
very late 50s or early 60s perhaps ???
ragga :)
 
There is no doubt about it before the war, the bus service in Birmingham must have been one of the best in the country.We could get the 24, or the 13A from Yardley Wood into town, t he first one the morning was 5,05am
the second at 5.15 then between 6and 9 they were about every five minutes. I cant remember when the all night service started but was a Godsend when you were courting as we used to say.
Oh Happy Days!!!
Bernard 67Arnold:cool:
 
You are right about the night service being a godsend Bernard. I used it regularly. Used to get my bus (Quinton No. 9) from Colmore Row, and they ran on the hour every hour all through the night. Not sure what time the night service started though.

Judy
 
The night service in Birmingham was begun on 15 April 1946. The routes were;
NS 2 Erdington *
NS 5 Perry Common
NS14 Lea Village
NS29 Kingstanding
NS79 Pype Hayes *
NS16A Hamstead
NS72 Handsworth
NS9 Quinton
NS20A Weoley Castle
NS35 Maypole
NS36 Cotteridge *
NS37 Hall Green
NS44 Olton
NS69 Northfield *
NS94A Wagon Lane, Coventry Road *
NS80 Grove Lane, Dudley Road.
Those marked with * had the corresponding tram/trolleybus route number.
The first night service left the City centre at 12 midnight and ran hourly until the inbound return which left the outer terminus at 5:30am. It can be therefore worked out that the service was timetabled to take well under 30 minutes each way which in the early hours was easily achievable. In addition, although the last normal service left the City centre at 11-11:20pm, at the weekend I think there would have also have been an 1:30pm departure.
 
Thank you David. That is interesting to know. My friend used to catch the Northfield night service bus but I believe it didn't go the full route during the night and only went so far along the route as I know she had a reasonable walk home.

Judy
 
Hi Jayell, isnt this a great forum you only have to ask a question and almost right away someone is there with the answer! I think its magic I
really do, but to get back on course the bus service was really good, just
as well, you couldnt ring up daddy on your mobile and say can you pick me
up like nowadays!!! I lived at Yardley Wood and my girl friend at Glebe Farm, when we went to the Tower Ballroom I to spend half the night on the back seat of a bus, and still be at work Monday morning at 5.30 am as
I was a Postman. oh happy days! The kids today dont know they born, look
at all the fun they miss. Bye take care

Bernard:cool:
 
Hi there, it was the same at Yardley Wood garage during the war, on e of my elder brothers was discharged from th army and used to work nights
parking the buses down Yardley Wood road and in the winter time they
pluged them the lamposts somewhere, we lived about five minutes walk from the garage in Cleeve Road, my sister in law still live
s in the house. Is there a name for bus anaracks?? cheers

Bernard67Arnold:cool:
 
what were you and your girl-friend doing spending half the night on the back seat of a bus,or shouldn't I ask ? All right,I know what you mean,but you asked for that one......Mal.
 
Bernard67Arnold said:
one of my elder brothers was discharged from the army and used to work nights parking the buses down Yardley Wood road and in the winter time they plugged them the lamposts somewhere
Click to expand...

When buses were dispersed from garages for overnight parking, after Highgate Road and Hockley were bombed and many buses destroyed or badly damaged, they were fitted with kettle-type elements in the radiators. these were what your brother would 'plug in' to special electrical terminals fed from the lamp supply. Strangely most of the post-war fleet were also fitted with immersion heaters (or the ability to fit them) so if it all happened again, they would be ready.

Is there a name for bus anaracks??
Click to expand...
Omnibologists.
 
In the early 50's l danced just about all the well known places in Brum....but my father always insisted l got home by 10.30. or 11.00pm...saturday night, so you can imagin it was always a dash for the last bus....after dancing at Westminster Rd School, l could never stay untill the end....had to get the last 33bus and many a time l missed it could'nt wait untill the midnight service so l would run home all the way to Copeley street....my father was.nt real strict but always insisted l got home on time.....even the night before l was married he whistled me to get it the house as it was 10.30.......how times have changed most teenagers have their own car and think about going out about the time l had to get in....brenda
 
I used to catch the Weoly castle night service in the early sixties on my way home to Perry Barr. When it used to leave at 0130hr i was normally the only passenger, what a flyer though.
 
Your second photo is bus 2847, which after a serious rear-end accident was experimentally rebuilt with platform doors and heaters - note the air intake under the canopy and the bulge of the door frame at the back, although the doors are left open in the shot!
It survives in preservation although has not been restored or seen for many years.
 
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