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Midland Red Around Birmingham.

Mementos are always interesting Gerry and thanks for sharing.
I never knew the PTE, as I moved to Devon in 1954, but my interest in the BCT and the Red remained. I saw little of the BCT after that but the Red showed itself on many occasions when I was in the RAF, particularly Great Malvern and Worcestershire also Herefordshire areas.
Similarly I lost interest in Devon General when they became NBC with the ghastly Poppy Red livery.
 
Gerry Cannell said:
This would have been 1976, when we had a VERY hot summer, especially whilst driving a bus! Thanks. Gerry.
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Hi Gerry. The notes may have been written in 1976 but those Chelmsley Wood bus routes started a few years before that. I used to have to catch them to get home.
 
Lumpammer said:
Hi Gerry. The notes may have been written in 1976 but those Chelmsley Wood bus routes started a few years before that. I used to have to catch them to get home.
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Hi! Yes, we, that is Sutton Midland RED, only became WMPTE in that time frame, so these routes were NEW to us, that is what I was meaning. Thanks. Gerry.
 
Eric Gibson said:
He was first a driver from mid fifties then mechanic at Sutton Midland Red, left in 1970 when he emigrated to Australia.
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Hi Eric, a lot of water has gone under the bridge since those days matey, so I cannot recall him, although we may well have known each other. Cheers mate. Gerry. ps: Mr Comelio was the Garage Manager.
 
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It must have been a traumatic time for many Midland Red folk when they were hornswoggled into the PTE. After all they had been part of a company that had good mottoes - 'All Over The Midlands' (which they were) and 'The Friendly Midland Red'. The first one obviously disappeared as it became only part of the Midlands now. As for the second only Red staff can answer that.
The childish name 'wumpty' was probably chosen by an officials child over breakfast one day. :eek:
When is was at Great Malvern, when in the RAF, one of the civilian people asked me what I was doing collecting fares on a a local Midland Red bus service in Great Malvern. They were puzzled as RAF personnel usually did not have secondary jobs - especially given the type of work that was done at Malvern. I commented that it must be a double!
 
Radiorails said:
It must have been a traumatic time for many Midland Red folk when they were hornswoggled into the PTE. After all they had been part of a company that had good mottoes - 'All Over The Midlands' (which they were) and 'The Friendly Midland Red'. The first one obviously disappeared as it became only part of the Midlands now. As for the second only Red staff can answer that.
The childish name 'wumpty' was probably chosen by an officials child over breakfast one day. :eek:
When is was at Great Malvern, when in the RAF, one of the civilian people asked me what I was doing collecting fares on a a local Midland Red bus service in Great Malvern. They were puzzled as RAF personnel usually did not have secondary jobs - especially given the type of work that was done at Malvern. I commented that it must be a double!
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Hi mate, no offence meant with the Wumpty name, but that is what we knew it as. For anyone interested, here are a few more bits that I found from my time driving buses. Thank you. Gerry
DSCF3976.JPGDSCF3992.JPGDSCF3989.JPG
 
The Leyland National sheet refers to site numbers. I wonder what they stood for? I notee some place names have route (road) numbers bit others do not.
 
Radiorails said:
The Leyland National sheet refers to site numbers. I wonder what they stood for? I notee some place names have route (road) numbers bit others do not.
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Hi mate. The Destination Blinds had indications on them, so it was easier to find the correct one. These are for the National buses. For example: 24A and 24B, these were the FROM City and TO City destinations, next to each other. Hope this helps. Gerry.
 
Gerry Cannell said:
Hi mate. The Destination Blinds had indications on them, so it was easier to find the correct one. These are for the National buses. For example: 24A and 24B, these were the FROM City and TO City destinations, next to each other. Hope this helps. Gerry.
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Here are a few more bits of ephemera that I had lying around from all those years ago....DSCF3988.JPGDSCF3987.JPGDSCF3986.JPGDSCF3985.JPGDSCF3982.JPGDSCF3981.JPG
 
I saw on the night service sheet mention of duplicate buses. Now BCT used SERVICE EXTRA, however dear old Devon General did use DUPLICATE. Thinking of the old DG reminded me that in 1954, when I took up residence in Devon I noticed, on a visit to Newton Abbot, that saloon buses were displaying the word DECOY. I thought it hilarious, but soon found out that Decoy is part of Newton Abbot, It is situated on a back road (hence its name I guess to the Torbay and Marldon area.
 
Radiorails said:
I saw on the night service sheet mention of duplicate buses. Now BCT used SERVICE EXTRA, however dear old Devon General did use DUPLICATE. Thinking of the old DG reminded me that in 1954, when I took up residence in Devon I noticed, on a visit to Newton Abbot, that saloon buses were displaying the word DECOY. I thought it hilarious, but soon found out that Decoy is part of Newton Abbot, It is situated on a back road (hence its name I guess to the Torbay and Marldon area.
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I was at school in Heavitree, and used the OLD Devon general to Torquay, up Telegraph Hill, which was THE most exciting thing for a nine year old!
 
Although the Midland Red name does still exist in the Birmingham area in form of Midland Red (West) and their service 144 top Worcester which is now over 100 years old, we do not come across it much as the other parts of the Midland Red have changed their names. However, it did come as a little surprise to me that Midland Red is still part of the legal name of Stagecoach Midlands.

Midland Red (South) Ltd trading as Stagecoach Midlands were fined £2.34m last November after pleading guilty to failing to ensure the safety of employees and failing to prevent risks of driver error. This followed a fatal accident in Coventry when a 77 year old driver who had been working an average of 72 hours over the previous weeks confused the accelerator with the brake pedal and drove his bus into a branch of Sainsbury's.

This matter has now come before the West Midlands Traffic commissioner who has reduced the company's licence from 261 vehicles to 200 vehicles for a period of 28 days.
 
DavidGrain said:
Although the Midland Red name does still exist in the Birmingham area in form of Midland Red (West) and their service 144 top Worcester which is now over 100 years old, we do not come across it much as the other parts of the Midland Red have changed their names. However, it did come as a little surprise to me that Midland Red is still part of the legal name of Stagecoach Midlands.

Midland Red (South) Ltd trading as Stagecoach Midlands were fined £2.34m last November after pleading guilty to failing to ensure the safety of employees and failing to prevent risks of driver error. This followed a fatal accident in Coventry when a 77 year old driver who had been working an average of 72 hours over the previous weeks confused the accelerator with the brake pedal and drove his bus into a branch of Sainsbury's.

This matter has now come before the West Midlands Traffic commissioner who has reduced the company's licence from 261 vehicles to 200 vehicles for a period of 28 days.
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Interesting piece. I do remember that accident, as it was shown on TV in the evening. I really enjoyed my days with the Midland Red, it was a great job and so much fun. It did change when we were taken over by the WMPTE, but not that much, we still operated as a sort of posh end of the business. That was until we were told to route learn some Birmingham services, particularly the 95/96 and the Collector Road Express service to Chelmsley Wood. I have memories of Bull Street, bus stops on a wet winters night, with long queues of shop workers and customers all waiting in the pouring rain. Always running late, due to heavy traffic around the Gate at Saltley, trying to make up time, but finding it futile, when you were driving a knackered old bus. It was nice to get back on the 107, and 112, 113 and the other OUT of city services. Happy days. Gerry.
 
Just been catching up with the 'Red stories - took me back (again) to my days driving. I am looking for a photo of the D7 I took my PSV test on, this was D7 XHA 453 (4454) on 28th March 1957 - 62 years ago almost to the day. Been searching for some time and only found a grotty out-of-focus one on ebay! Any help appreciated.
 
Nigel Edwards said:
Just been catching up with the 'Red stories - took me back (again) to my days driving. I am looking for a photo of the D7 I took my PSV test on, this was D7 XHA 453 (4454) on 28th March 1957 - 62 years ago almost to the day. Been searching for some time and only found a grotty out-of-focus one on ebay! Any help appreciated.
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Sadly mate not that number, the D7 had been replaced mostly at my garage, and we had D9's. this a D7 at Witton transport Museum, but I guess you will have seen this. Oops, sorry pressed it twice. 132643132644132644
 
Nigel, I don't want to be pedantic but didn't the fleet numbers correspond with the registration numbers so XHA 453 would have the fleet number 4453.
 
Nigel Edwards said:
Just been catching up with the 'Red stories - took me back (again) to my days driving. I am looking for a photo of the D7 I took my PSV test on, this was D7 XHA 453 (4454) on 28th March 1957 - 62 years ago almost to the day. Been searching for some time and only found a grotty out-of-focus one on ebay! Any help appreciated.
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Not sure if anyone has a better photo; you can live in hope I guess.
XHA 453 (4453), BMMO D7 type entered service December 1955. It stayed operational until October 1971. 1st depot was Bearwood BD, then DH in 12/58. Back to BD in 1/59. LW in 8/66 and finally SE 2/70.
 
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