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Midland Red Early Days

Thanks Aidan for the pictures and Mike for the notes on the Broad Street picture (good forensic work there!). :)

I love the Broad Street tinted postcard: what a beautiful period street scene. And tastefully coloured, probably soon after the picture was taken. So much of interest: Boots Cash Chemist, with the hanging crystal urns (?); the street trees; the street lamp; the shop windows and awnings; the delivery carts; the "garden seat" horse bus with bright yellow wheels and upper panels (we're lucky to discover anything about horse bus livery!); the pedestrians and their clothing. And what a broad street Broad Street was! Marvellous. I'm sure we can anticipate a modern view from exactly the same location! ;)

Unusual shot of the Kings Head in 1898 (with every man and his dog! :cool:).

Great finds!
 
I can remember Boots Cash chemists. I think it was part of the name, but am not quite sure. Certainly , if you google "cash chemists" you get other names (Underwoods cash chemists, Smiths cash chemists etc) . You get a lot of references to a court case they had in 1953, which shows that self-service was going even then.
mike
 
Mike, I can remember Boots chemists very well indeed. Isn't the firm still going? The word "Boots" on the shop sign is written in the "trademark" script. I think "cash chemists" just means "no credit" (but I could be wrong).
 
There are some excellent pictures on that site, Aidan. :thumbsup: I've seen it before, but it's worth revisiting as he adds new pictures from time to time. (And he has other Midlands counties too). Included on the Warwickshire page are three "1950s" bus pictures:

Midland Red 4573 (reg 573AHA 1956 BMMO S14 with Carlyle B44F body Leyland 5.75 li engine 1958 withdrawn 1968) seen on limited-stop service X73 Birmingham via Tewkesbury.
Midland Red 4701 (reg 701BHA 1958 BMMO S14 with Carlyle B44F body withdrawn 1971) seen on service 409 Birmingham via Tenbury Wells.
West Bromwich Corporation Transport 160 (reg GEA160 Leyland ?) seen on service 74 Birmingham - Dudley - West Bromwich. (I haven't got access to a West Brom fleet list: Lloyd will tell us what it is).

It's not very often you get to see a West Brom bus (especially of this vintage) on the internet! In my days as a "sweater" (well, that's what I used to wear!), I often used to go by bus to the "three Ws": Walsall, West Bromwich and Wolverhampton for a day's spotting. The three municipal bus concerns were quite distinctive in livery, fleet, tickets and many other respects. And Walsall and Wolverhampton had trolleybuses! At least I'm positive Walsall did, and I'm pretty sure Wolverhampton did also. Does anyone know when Birmingham, Walsall and Wolverhampton gave up the trolleybuses?

There's also a snazzy "1900s" picture of the Birmingham Fire Brigade, which I've borrowed. Lovely crew of "likely lads". :D Is that a steam-powered fire engine? (Perhaps a steam-powered pump.)
 
Also from that site (there are quite a few Midland Red pictures tucked away there!) is this nice one of Barton Transport Ltd 532 (reg KAL683 1949 Beford OB with Duple Vista Mark V C24F body withdrawn October 1958) seen at Knipton, Leicestershire.
 
Interesting about the trees. The larger ones seem to follow what may have been the original curve around of the road up to Five Ways and are out of line with more juvenile foliage. It's been more than a hundred years though...still nice to think that they hung in or at least replacements in the same locations.
The 1890 survey maps are darned good. They show the trees in the same locations as on the Photo...at least outside Boots.

Great old charra that Bedford...was the staple of Worthingtons in the fifties. Very distinctive sound and a great seat up beside the driver.
 
And this beautiful picture of 4847 (reg GUT543 1951 Sentinel STC6-44 chassis number 87 with Sentinel B44F body withdrawn 1961) seen at Leicester. This bus, unique in the Midland Red fleet (and made in Shropshire), came to the company on 1 February 1959 with the business of H Boyer and Son (Rothley). The second picture is of the same bus in service with Boyer. And a ticket! ;)
 
Oops! :headhit: Not unique - I was forgetting 4846 (reg HAW578 1951 Sentinel STC-44 chassis number 91 with Sentinel B44F body withdrawn 1963). Also ex-Boyer in 1959 (but originally a Sentinel demonstrator - hence the Shropshire registration). Pictured below at St Margarets bus station, Leicester.
 
Messrs Henry (?) and William Boyer (established 1911, "the oldest established Motor Bus Service in Leicestershire") liked their Sentinels! ;) (The image of the letter is from this excellent Sentinel site.) I think the bus being praised is GAY50 (1950 Sentinel STC4-40 chassis number 3 with Sentinel (?) B40FD body). It's pictured below with Midland Red 3121 (reg JHA22 1948 AEC Regent II 0661/20 (Midland Red type AD2) chassis number 06617781 with Brush H30/26R body withdrawn 1962). GAY50 was withdrawn by Boyer before the Midland Red takeover in 1959. The Boyer livery was yellow.

[I think that's the first time we've seen an AD2 on the MRED thread ("A" for AEC, "D" for double-decker, and "2" meaning the second class of double-deckers since the World War 2 BMMO prototype D1). Midland Red bought 100 of these in 1948-1950: fleet numbers 3100-3199 (reg JHA1-JHA100). Most of them survived to the early sixties, so I must have "spotted" several in my anorak days. I don't particulary remember them (I'm ashamed to admit!), because I preferred the pre-war FEDD and the "utility-ish" Guy GD6. I must have had a thing for exposed radiators! Speaking of which, here is an interesting mid-1950s picture of AD2 3123 (JHA24) with World War 2 Guy 2507 (GHA931) and 1936 FEDD 1807 (BHA351). The Guy has clearly been relegated to driver training duties, but they all look very smart! The FEDD looks particularly fine.]
 
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The only other ex-Boyer bus in the Midland Red fleet was 4848 (reg HJU546 1952 Leyland PSU1/9 chassis number 520838 with Leyland B44F body withdrawn 1966). This bus was originally owned by C H Allen (Mountsorrel). It is seen below at St Margarets bus station, Leicester, on 27 September 1961. The same bus is pictured here also at Leicester. It later passed to Stevenson (Uttoxeter) as fleet number 25 and is seen here, yellow once more! Does anyone know the exact period it was with Stevenson? :rolleyes:
 
[QUOTE=Thylacine;
I love the Broad Street tinted postcard: what a beautiful period street scene. And tastefully coloured, probably soon after the picture was taken. the "garden seat" horse bus with bright yellow wheels and upper panels (we're lucky to discover anything about horse bus livery!);

Steady on Thylacine don't place too much faith in the artist's authenticity when it comes to postcard tinting. In the 'See Birmingham by Postcard' and the 'Birmingham on Sea' threads I have posted several "dreaded postcard artist" bus and tram colouring blunders. Meanwhile another artist who's work we have been including on here, has got the 'CM6' in action again and guess what - another windowbay has appeared on the offside plus a cab door to match the platform door!!!!:D
 
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Thanks for the warning, Mike! Those threads you mentioned are well worth a visit.

And it's that "magic coach" again (nice one!).
 
Barton Transport Ltd.

[I've always been rather fond of Barton Transport Ltd, a Midland Red neighbour operating in Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire and Lincolnshire (with an extensive coach tour business). I hope members and readers will excuse this "digression".] ;)

A Barton Picture Gallery:
[Pictures [1] and [2] are from the Old UK Photos website (which turns out to have quite a "mini-gallery" of public transport photos, including quite a few clearly anorak-quality bus pictures from the 1950s and 1960s).]

[1] Barton 473 (reg JRR404 1948 Leyland PD1 with Duple L55FD body withdrawn in July 1973) seen in Nottingham in the "1950s". It's a "lowbridge" double-decker with sunken upper deck gangway. Midland Red only ever had one such vehicle, but that's another story! This venerable survivor now lives in very good company at the BaMMOT Transport Museum (Wythall).
[2] Barton ? (reg EMB723 Leyland). This bus is almost a complete mystery to me (I don't have access to a complete Barton fleet list or history). The Chester registration gives a clue to its origin, but that — and the picture — are all I know. Can anyone help?
[3] Founder and public transport pioneer Thomas Henry Barton (1866 - 26 July 1946).
[4] First Barton vehicle in Nottinghamshire (reg W963 1908 Durham-Churchill 28-seat charabanc). There is a modern replica of this lovely chara.
[5] Barton 966 (reg 966RVO 1963 Bedford VAL14 chassis number 1115 with Yeates "Europa" C50D body number 13 withdrawn 1973). This magnificent coach saw further service with Connor and Graham Ltd (Easington, East Yorkshire) and Phillips Coach Co (Shiptonthorpe) before passing to John Watkins (Great Barr - yay!) for preservation in November 1984. The present owner (as far as I know) is preservationist Andrew Fowler (trading as Fowlers Travel, Holbeach Drove, Lincolnshire). I would love to travel on this fine coach!

The Barton Story:

Barton Transport Ltd was a significant independent (non-municipal and non-BET) neighbour of Midland Red. The two companies must have had a working relationship, with co-ordination of timetables and possibly revenue-sharing arrangements on some routes. Does anyone know anything further?

Barton Transport Ltd was founded in 1908 by Thomas Henry Barton (THB), a fully-fledged mechanical engineer (graduate of Nottingham University College). He was involved in the development of the Hornsby-Akroyd compression-ignition oil engine, and in 1892 built an experimental oil engine, in which he had "replaced the vaporizer with a cylinder head for increased pressure", achieving for the first time ignition through compression alone (the engine ran for six hours). Barton, a swash-buckling adventurer type, always claimed priority for the oil engine and the word "diesel" never passed his lips! His first transport venture was a pony and trap serving the railway station in Mablethorpe (Lincolnshire), which he replaced in 1897 with one of Britain's earliest motor buses, a 9 hp Benz wagonette (seating about 10). I would love to know more about this pioneering venture. Can anyone help?

THB and his son Thomas Andrew Barton (TAB) began operations from Long Eaton to Nottingham in time for the "Goose Fair" in 1908. The bus employed was a Durham, Churchill and Co Ltd 28-seater, which they bought for £450. It's first journey departed from Long Eaton on 6 October 1908, and was a great success. The firm was originally known as Andrew Barton Ltd or Andrew Barton Brothers, was registered as Progress Motor Services Ltd on 24 January 1913, became Barton Brothers Ltd in December 1920 and finally settled down as Barton Transport Ltd from 25 November 1927. The venture grew quite rapidly, based at the village of Beeston, and by July 1913 THB's eldest daughter Kate Barton was driving (and is surely a contender for the "first female bus driver" laurel) and her sisters Ruth and Edith were conducting. In World War 1 THB invented and patented the roof-top "gas bag" and associated equipment, which permitted buses to run on town gas. He installed these on his own buses, and was soon making them for other bus operators. Judging by the ubiquity of the gas bag in World War 1 bus pictures, THB must have done very well out of his invention.

Nottingham City began operating buses in June 1921 and at that time THB offered his bus company to the city as a going concern, but the city fathers turned up their noses. So THB continued, with his wonderfully variegated fleet, extending services in Nottinghamshire and beyond, linking to Skegness (Lincolnshire) with an express coach service. In the 1920s THB imported and lengthened Lancia chassis from Italy, creating his famous "Barton Gliders". The Barton fleet comprised some 100 vehicles by the end of 1929. In 1930 THB purchased an oil-engined Lancia, which was the first such bus in the UK (followed soon afterwards by the better-known Sheffield Corporation Karrier WL6 registered WE3892). Over the years, THB built his own chassis and adapted those of other makes with his own improvements. He was later persuaded (with great difficulty) by his sons to standardise the fleet with buses and coaches from the big manufacturers. By World War 2 Barton employed some 440 staff to operate its 145-strong fleet. The "glory years" came in the period 1946-1971, when it vastly expanded its service network, acquiring many smaller firms. Among the companies absorbed over the years were: South Notts Bus Co Ltd (50% share); Herbert Farrar (Kegworth); Robin Hood Coaches (Nottingham); Hall Brothers (South Shields); Taylor Brothers (North Shields); Cream Bus Service (Lincolnshire). THB ("The Guv'ner") died on Friday 26 July 1946: his obituary from one of the local newspapers makes interesting and touching reading.

By 1953 about 1,000 staff was operating some 300 vehicles, making Barton one of the largest private bus companies in the UK. It was always very much a family business: by October 1958 TAB was managing director, Alfred Barton depot manager, Murray Barton works manager and Carl Barton traffic manager (but we don't hear any more about the female members of the family!). Deregulation in 1986 resulted in increased competition which made Barton financially vulnerable. In May 1988 Plaxton (GB) Plc made an offer, but in April 1989 a company named Wellglade (trading as Trent Bus Co) purchased Barton for about £2.1 million. The old fleetname continued as half of "Trent-Barton", but Barton Transport Ltd morphed into a property and investment firm.

Barton Books:

C David Edgar. The Barton Story: Fifty Years of Continuous Bus Service in the East Midlands. 1958.
D G Bell. Barton Past and Present. 1982.
Alan Oxley. Barton Part 1 1908-1949. Glossop: Transport Publishing, 1983. Barton Part 2 1950-1961. Attenborough: Robin Hood Publishing, 1987. Barton Part 3 1962-1989. Attenborough: Robin Hood Publishing, 1994. The definitive history.
John Banks and Geoffrey H F Atkins. Prestige Series 23. Barton 1 (Single Deckers). Venture Publications, 2003. Prestige Series 24. Barton 2 (Double Deckers). Venture Publications, 2004.
Alan Oxley. Barton 100. Attenborough: Robin Hood Publishing, 2008.

[I haven't seen any of these books, but I would like to.]
 
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i and a colleague from Wythall had the pleasure of assisting the present-day Barton family prepare the remaining historic vehicles they kept when the transport side of the business was sold off to Trent Motor services (with the proviso that the Barton name was retained - the company's title becoming Trent-Barton) for the company's centenary in 2008. Still in Barton ownership is a 1911 Daimler with a 1953 body built as a replica of the original Durham-Churchill; one of the Leyland PD1 / Duple double deck coaches; the lowbridge-stlye bodied Dennis Lowline (which achieved the lowest overall height of any enclosed British double decker; a Barton BTS rebuild, formerly a coach but later rebuilt as a transporter for the vintage Daimler; a Northern Counties bodied AEC Regent V (since sold off to a preservationist, as the body style is almost identical to the Dennis); and a pre-war Leyland 'Cub' bus.
See this and subsequent pages (click the 'next' button) for some pictures of the event.

The Chilwell garage was in the process of being demolished for redevelopment (but with the original office frontage bing retained) and we once had lunch at the boardroom table with that oil painting of Tom Barton looking down on us approvingly from the wall.

Tom's grandson Simon Barton (pictured at the wheel of the Daimler, below) is quite enthusiastic of the company's transport history and the retention (and possible occasional outings of) the historic fleet.
 
Great story, Lloyd! And it's heartwarming to know that Simon Barton is continuing to carry the torch for the Barton transport tradition. That slide show of the 2008 centenary celebrations is excellent: there a very many preserved Barton buses and coaches (and obviously a fire engine and surely other lorries). I might dig out a couple of pictures of Barton buses in post-Barton service.
 
As promised:

[1] Barton 852 (reg 852FNN 1960 AEC Regent V 2D3RA chassis number 916 with NCME FL37/33F body number 5482) pictured at Ensign (Grays) scrap yard, together with Midland Red 4992 (reg 922KHA BMMO D9). Together in retirement, but feeling somewhat anxious!
[2] Barton 1013 (reg BVO13C 1965 Bedford SB5 chassis number 96684 with Harrington C41F body number 3171) seen in Shropshire with Vaggs Motors in October 1980.
[3] Barton 1021 (reg BVO21C 1965 Bedford SB5 chassis number 96945 with Harrington C41F body number 3179) seen with Vaggs in the mid 1970s.
 
Nice one Lloyd! I'm glad you don't mind "a bit of Barton". ;)

Here are a couple of MR-Barton transactions (from Peter Hardy):

On 20 February 1932 Midland Red acquired a Nottingham - Birmingham service from Barton Transport Ltd, giving Leicester - Nottingham in exchange.
On 3 November 1936 Midland Red sold its Hoby - Melton Mowbray service to Barton Transport Ltd.
 
Klapper on Barton.

"Old Man" Barton, who for many years distinguished himself by wearing a peak cap out of somebody's uniform, just could not resist buying the unusual and on one occasion he fitted a Blackstone oil engine to one of his 32-seat coaches and insisted on taking this entirely untried vehicle — in which he had great confidence — for a demonstration run with members of the Omnibus Society and four or five directors and officers of the Blackstone company. In 1932, makers' prices having been reduced, it was announced that Barton's had ceased to construct their own vehicles; this resolve was indeed forced on them by the increased standards required by the Traffic Commissioners and the economic requirements of greater effinciency and longer life that made it worthwhile to buy standard vehicles. Also in 1932 his sons and the company secretary (E L Taylor, who later became a BET group director) persuaded him that more conventional vehicles were desirable and the 500,000 deferred shares were halved in nominal value from one shilling to sixpence.

Charles F Klapper. Golden Age of Buses. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1978. ISBN 0710089619.

[1932 did not see the end of the Barton make, though. The last Barton BTS2 rebuild (of an AEC Reliance) was 1204 (reg HVO473K) in January 1972. And between December 1969 and February 1970 a batch of ten Barton BTS2 rebuilds (of 1953 AEC Reliance chassis) fitted with Plaxton Panorama Elite C45F bodies entered the fleet. These were 1130-1139 (YRR508H-YRR517H), one of which is seen here as recently as May 1987 in service with Stonier (Tunstall, Staffordshire).]
 
A few more details of T H Barton's pioneering motor bus service of 1897 (or perhaps 1899).

[1] From the obituary linked to in post #827):

"In 1897 [THB] visited a London exhibition where there were some single cylinder engines fixed on horse wagonettes, driven by belt with two speeds and no reverse. He bought one and drove it to Mablethorpe, taking two days for the journey. At Mablethorpe a service was run from the Pullover to the 'Cross' public house for 6d. As far as can be ascertained this was the first public motor trip to run in England."

[2] Klapper again:

"He moved to the family quarry business in Derbyshire and moved on again, pursued by ill-health, to a smallholding near Mablethorpe. With this as headquarters plying for hire was done with a pony and trap. Sophistication brought a 9 hp Benz eight-seat wagonette with which he began a service along the Mablethorpe sea front on 19 September 1899 at the novelty fare of 6d for one mile. Ill-health drove Barton to Weston-super-Mare; on the way there the Benz gave so much mechanical trouble that shafts were fitted for horse-haulage."

[Interesting discrepancy in dates there. Can anyone resolve it?]
 
Another snippet from the obituary, which explains the origin of the previously seen and mentioned THB portrait:

"But Mr Barton's final triumph came in 1944, when the King announced his appointment as an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. In recognition of this award a dinner was given in the Chilwell Memorial Hall, when employees of Barton Transport Ltd presented their chief with a portrait painted by Mr Norman Hepple."
 
And here is a profusely illustrated and heart-warming preservation story from the Ilkeston District Omnibus Preservation Group (IDOPG). It concerns Barton 735 (reg VVO735 1956 Leyland PD1/1 chassis number B481790 with Willowbrook L31/30RD body), which actually started life as Barton 560 (reg KAL380 1949 Leyland PS1/1 chassis number 481790 with Duple coach body). A Barton coach to double-deck conversion (I wonder if Leyland gave their blessing?).

Pictured below:

[1] The original vehicle: Barton 560.
[2] Barton 735 as a mobile home on the Isle of Skye.
[3] As purchased by IDOPG.
[4] And in June 2010, still a work in progress, but showing the benefit of much tender loving care.
 
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Crosville, Anyone?

I'm still unearthing some gems on the "Old UK Photos" website. Here's a lovely one from the fleet of another Midland Red neighbour, Crosville. It is Crosville MA604 (reg GW6288 1932 AEC Regent chassis number 6611791 with ECW L27/28R body and AEC 7.7 li oil engine withdrawn 1954). This bus came to Crosville in 1945 from Brighton Hove and District. It was then Crosville L92 and carried its original Thomas Tilling H27/25RO bodywork. It was re-bodied, re-engined and re-numbered in 1948. It is pictured at Oswestry, Shropshire, in the "1950s", on service 334A to Cefn Blodwell via Morda and Trefonen. [Thanks to Peter Gould for the anorakian details.]
 
A Midland Red One!

And a nice one of Midland Red 4503 (reg XHA503 1956 BMMO D7 with Metro-Cammell H37/26R body number BB4560 withdrawn 1970). It is seen in "Shrewsbury" (actually Hereford outside the Midland Red bus station office - a former prison governor's residence)) in the "1950s" on service X35.

Thanks Lloyd (post #842 below).
 
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And two more West Bromwich Corporation buses:

[1] 216 (reg UEA216 Daimler CVG6-30 chassis number 30013 with Metro-Cammell H41/32R) seen in "Sutton in Staffordshire" (actually Paradise Street, West Bromwich) in the "1950s" on service 25 Sutton - West Bromwich via Kingstanding.
[2] 138 (reg CEA738 Daimler CVD6 chassis number 14358 with Metro-Cammell H30/26R) seen in "Dudley" (actually Constitution Hill, Birmingham) in the "1950s" on service 74 Dudley via West Bromwich.
 
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