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Bus Questions

That's a lovely bus picture, Ragga. Any idea of the date? Clearly 1962 or later (thanks David), but I was looking at the young fellows on the bench: longish hair and flares! 1970s???
 
It is Wellington Rd / Handsworth Wood Rd jcn, the bus is heading for Church Lane having come from Perry Barr direction. Here is that point now, the house, wall and a bench are still there!
These were the last buses in the fleet with openable windscreens, a boon in hot weather like today - but the flies in your face were a nuisance!
It has a 'West Midlands' fleetname, so the date is after the takeover of the corporation's transport department in 1969 after the 1968 government transport act.
3241 was the first of the first batch of Daimler 'Fleetline' rear engined buses bought in 1961, one of ten (3241-3250) which alongside similar Leyland 'Atlantean' buses 3231-3240 were the test-beds for the new fleet to replace the open rear platform buses that had run in the city previously. They operated most of their lives with conductors, one-man operation of double deckers was still a way off.
 
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Thank you Lloyd for your imformation regarding the Leyland Atlantean fleet
and i think the person you can see standing on the platform could be the
bus Conductor .
heres another photo of the same fleet seen at Perry Barr.
ragga :)
 
This could have been in the early 70s when the Atlanteans were based at Yardley Wood, I was there then and loved these buse personally, and we had then on the 90s to Pheasey Estate from Hall green occasionally.
 
Now in your second picture ragga you see how the 'DOC' registered buses were converted for one man operation almost at the end of their lives - the old BCT style destinations, an inverted 'T' display changed by the conductor upstairs, had to be altered so the driver could operate them from his cab - the lower 'one line' display spoiled the design of these buses, I think. Note also the yellow 'Pay as you enter' plate on the front, in use on one man buses until all the conductors had gone.
 
I agree with Lloyd that the one line destination spoils the design of the body. Both the Laylands and the Daimlers had the same bodywork by Metro Cammell so you can see the difference in the destination blinds by comparing the two photos. Also after a few years the seating capacity was increased from 72 seats to 76 seats by adding 4 seats to the lower deck. Also if you look at the Daimler you see the small blind which showed TO CITY or FROM CITY to tell you which way the bus was going as Birmingham Corporation always showed the outer terminus even when travelling into the city. As this bus was on the Outer Circle this blind was of course blank.
 
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I can't answer either of those questions definitively, Salvator, but I suspect the answer to the second is "no". I lived in Sutton in the period 1959-1964, but have no recollection of Tudor Rose. Does anyone know the story of Harper's coaching arm? (Welcome to the Forum, by the way!)
 
Tudor Rose Coaches were based in High Street Sutton. They wer owned by the Hastilows who lived in Court Lane opposite the terminus of the 5a (The Spinney). This from memory when I lived in Court Lane and went every day to BVGS.
 
When we used to go on away trips in the 1950s from the old Spring Hill Ice Rink to other Ice Rinks we used a local coach firm whose coaches were light blue in colour. Can anyone remember the name of such a coach firm in that area. I can remember coming back from Richmond in London along the old A34 (no motorways then) watching the dawn break as we came through Woodstock, Shipston-on-Stour, and Stratford towards Brum.
 
Can't help with your question oldMowhawk but I used to love watching the dawn come up when driving down, most Friday nights during the season, on my way to South Devon as the next break was at the Maidendown Cafe near Cullumpton and I always had a hot meat pie, free of course :)
 
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