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Didn't the old buses used to have safety straps to put on to stop people jumping off but the conductors never bothered with them most of the time.
 
Hi nijinski i think im right in saying they only used these safety straps when the bus was full to stop people getting on, the stap didn't stop me from jumping off anyway.
nijinski said:
Didn't the old buses used to have safety straps to put on to stop people jumping off but the conductors never bothered with them most of the time.
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I lived on the Beeches Estate and for some reason the Midland Red had that route. In early days they used front entrance double deckers and these were very tricky to jump on and off when moving. Jumping off was not too bad, but a miss jumping on could cause a nasty encounter with the rear wheels. Perhaps it was a good that open platform buses faded away...
 
brings to mind my spring hill rollar rink days...one of my friends had his own skates and he used to jump the no 8 bus from ickneild st..he held onto the hand rail at the back of the bus with skates still on and free wheeled to hockley flyover lol..

lyn
 
In the good old days they did it in style, see an existing forum pic from a post here
img118_renamed_1444~0.jpg
 
Living in London it's possible to re-live childhood by jumping off the platform on the back of the brand new Routemaster :-)
 
I have never forgotten falling flat on my face onto the platform when jumping on a bus that was stood in traffic in Hockley. The bus moved off just as jumped. Was I embarrassed! I was all done up in my high heels and thought I was the bees knees!
 
Yes the straps were for when the bus was full. If I remember correctly Birmingham Corporation had them on the back bulkhead but Midland Red had them on the lower saloon bulkhead. It was the same with the bell push on the platform and I always thought that the Midland Red position was safer. And no Paul open platforms were not designed for people to jump on and off between stops.
 
oldMohawk said:
I lived on the Beeches Estate and for some reason the Midland Red had that route. In early days they used front entrance double deckers and these were very tricky to jump on and off when moving. Jumping off was not too bad, but a miss jumping on could cause a nasty encounter with the rear wheels. Perhaps it was a good that open platform buses faded away...
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Midland Red ran the Beeches Estate route on behalf of Birmingham Corporation because Birmingham did not have enough vehicles. Some thing with Midland Red route 119 to Scott Arms.
 
The worst disaster, for the conductor and/or driver, I saw was on a 44A bus which having left it terminus took aright hand turn into Lincoln Road North (hopefully memory of 60 years ago hasn't failed) heading towards Warwick Road. Many will recall the small cupboard, situated beneath the luggage rack on BCT buses, at the rear of the bus. The cupboard latch had not been secured so consequently the jerry can and cup flew out, traveled across the platform and onto the road. The bus did not stop and I often wondered what happened to the jerry can. Did someone give it to another crew at the terminus or keep it for their own use or as a souvenir.
 
Radiorails said:
Mention is made of bell puses in an earlier post. I always considered the pull cord (rubber coated I think) which ran the length of Midland Red buses extremely antiquated. However, BMMO conductors may think it was a better system than leaning over passengers; especially those of short stature.
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The pull cord was only on the prewar BMMO buses but London Transport Routemasters had them till the end of service and still have them on the two heritage Routemaster routes. I remember being on a Walsall trolley bus and the pull cord only ran to the top of the stairs so the conductor used to stamp on the floor to signal the driver. one for stop two for go.
 
I remember a shop call Nortons of Key Hill Hockley having a promotion worth 1 penny on the back of bus tickets. We used to wait at the 55 terminus in Packington Avenue and whilst the driver and conductor were enjoying a cuppa we would empty the used ticket container and collect all the 1d vouchers.Of course when we eventually presented our many tickets at the shop hoping to exchange then for goods we were thrown out.
 
I remember "Cremola" from the mid fiftys, and lovley it was too, me and my sister could't believe you could get "pop", from normal water.
paul
 
i wonder if anyone remembers the beer advert from the 60s starring boris karloff wearing an overcoat withh his devils tail hanging out comes into his local and orders a pint
 
Or there is the badge issued by a supporter of Camra (which i still have somewhere, but heaven knows where) saying "Double diamond is K9P"

CORRECTION

Sorry it was "DD is K9P"
 
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Hi mike apart from DD there was m&b brew X1 my favourite beer. There was ansell's bitter which I didn't llike so much. Is worthington E still around or barley wine? Regards nijinski
 
Barley wine aka Gold Label, very much alive but not too popular nowadays. I worked for Bass Brewers previously M&B on Warwick Rd Olton until they were bought out by Coors who decided to make us all redundant. Not sure about Worthington E but can still remember the advertising... Worthington E's the beer, there's satisfaction here etc. Anne
 
I was told by a '10 year old' bar man that Barley Wine was an old people's drink. They didn't know what a port was either. The trendier the pub they give you a port in a highball glass Sometimes they get the measure wrong too which is nice. I hate it when they put ice and lemon in your drink without asking like they are doing you a big favour then look agahst when asked to remove it. Hate Brew Xl but its supposed to be for the men of the Midlands. I like handpumped. I rememnber Inde Coope and Watneys Keg. Beer at Home means Davenports. How do you do it Stanley "Oh its Tankard that helps e excell after one I do anything well." There are 2 men in my life to one I am a mother to the other I'm a wife, and I give them both the best, with natural shredded wheat. Nan said, I ay aytin that it looks like ruddy strowa.
 
Yes Nijinski, i started my drinking life at the Speedwell were i drank m&b mild. When i change pubs i couldn't get on with the mild at the Great Western so i changed to the bitter and have drunk it ever since.
 
That,s a coincidence podge, I started drinking started drinking at the speedwell with me workmates and went from there to bloomers. Served a lovely bitter there didn't they. I started drinking m&b mild there and later went on to drink brew X1. Regards rick
 
Does anybody remember the v2000 video recorder and the betamax recorder. I thought the v2000s were very stylish compared to the old vhs recorders back then, it's a pity they never took off
 
I remember being told many years ago by someone who then collected videorecorders (!!) that the v2000 gave the best reproduction of all the competitive systems,and was much better than VHS (which was also worse than betamax)
 
We had one ourselves mike, it was definately better than vhs and the tape was reversable with 4 hrs each side and the recorder was very stylish and digital for the time . Regards nijinski
 
I had a betamax for years. Most of the reason VHS did so well was in the rental tapes. Most of the shop would be VHS, there'd be a shelf of Betamax if you were lucky and I don't think there were any V2000. By the time they had movies to buy, beta was almost done.
 
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