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No 8 Bus Route

  • Thread starter Thread starter Rod
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Rod

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Number 8 Bus Route

This was a major route

bringing people to work in Aston and obviously taking people from aston to work, and shop in other areas. Does anyone out

there know the route? area by area.
 
Wasn't there an outer circle and an inner circle 8? Plus some days you would have an INNER CIRCLE 8a 8b or 8c any one remember if they were extra buses for the workers? I remember there was a clock I think at Aston cross and another one at Saltley Gate. I hated the long wait for the driver to turn his key in the clock before he drove off again.
As kids we loved jumping on the no 8 and going around full circle, we used to tell the conductor we were lost if he caught us. It was so different back then, he would make us sit on that seat behind the driver and ensure he put us off at the right stop, even though he knew we were playing him up. :roll: ...bit different now isn't it? :(
 
Bus Routes


Yep, there were all the different 8s but I think the letters referred to different stages, as not all would do the full route. I believe it is still the case with the No. 11.

Only 14 years ago (strewth just worked that out, 'cos it seems just like yesterday) my daughter took part in some sort of treasure hunt thing, organised by the council, during the school summer holidays. It involved going round the outer circle and discovering the answers to questions set out on a form. She really enjoyed it and learned a lot about local history and geography.

I thought at the time, she was doing what we used to do, but of course, 'these days' it has to be organised. Must've taught her something as she went on to gain a history degree from Oxford. :roll:

On a similar note, I believe I lived on one of the shortest bus routes in Birmingham, No. 96, from Wnson Green to town - Edmund Street, I think.

Who can remember the tramlines being ripped up? If they'd been left it would've made the introduction of the Metro a lot easier. I heard they were only removed because Rod Birch kept trapping his bike wheels in them. :shock: He had a lot of influence even then! :wink:
 
Tram Lines

:LoL Paul heheh You made me remember somthing my mum once told me. My dad was following alongside a tram during the war years. He used to be a dispatch rider. Well he was alongside this tram, which my mom was on, and he did indeed get stuck in the tram lines and parted company with the tram at a line junction. straight out of an Ealing Comedy I reckon? :oops:
 
Bus Routes

Yeah Rod, I'd liked to've seen Ernie's face when he went one way, the tram another and his bike yet a third - be better than a scene from 'The Plank'! :lol:

My mom worked as a clippy during the war. Got reported for throwing some poor man and his dog off the bus. Turned out it was the old man, worse the wear for drink, with the dog not far behind him. :cry:
 
I can remember on some Sunday afternoons, usaully in the autumn time, when mates were not available to knock around with and to stay in with my parents would have been purgatory I would cadge the fare and go to Swanshurst Park and at the toss of a coin decide which way to ride the No. 11. If one was lucky I would claim the front upstairs seat or later, when other passengers moved, and do the full circle. It was a couple of hours run and helped kill those dead Sunday aftenoons - How sad. :(
Did anyone else do the same or was I the odd one out.
 
8 Inner circle

I travelled on this bus on my way to school at Bordesley Green, I used to get on at Stratford Rd and off again outside the school, when I left in 1963 I went to work at the BSA in Golden Hillock Rd still with the number 8. There is a well illustrated book on the number 8 route, it came out last year, this year one has just been published on the Outer Circle route, I don't think they will do the old City Circle (19 :?: ) it was too short
 
Inner Circle 8 and City Circle 19 (as was)

We don't have to be too sentimental about the Inner Circle bus. So far as I know it is still running - at least it is shown on the July 2004 map. The route has changed slightly because of so many regrettable road works in places Hockley, Nechells/Saltley and Five Ways Edgbaston.
Now the old City Circle 19 IS a thing of the past. I think even in my childhood it never ran all day, only at rush hours, and the last I can say is to summarise what was in the 1979 WMPTE timetable book. By then there were five morning and one evening journey clockwise, of which only one trip did the complete circle. Anticlockwise there were two complete morning circuits and two almost complete evening trips. The route then was Alcester Street - Gooch Street - Sherlock Street - Hurst Street - Holloway Head - Five Ways - Ledsam Street - Tindall Street - Sandpits - Frederick Street - Vyse Street - Barr Street - New John Street West - Dartmouth Street - Watery Lane - Coventry Road and Alcester Street again (Mondays to Fridays only, of course), round trip time 38 minutes. The route was shown on the 1980 map, but had disappeared by the time of the 1982 edition.
Not that it's really important, but I think it's good to have these things on record.
Peter
 
Number 8 bus route

I used to catch the number 8 to and from work in the mid 60's. I would catch the bus to work from the Mint pub in Icknield st to Aston Cross to go to work at Universal Magneto Electrical and Diesel Services, Aston road North.
No rose colured glasses here I'm afraid. The buses were always full of workmen, the sweat would run down the inside of the windows, the cigarette smoke was like a London smog and the bus was always bloomin freezin.
No happy memories for me about going to work on the the number 8. The number 11 was a different matter, a great Sunday morning out when we were kids, riding the 11 all the way round, got us out of the way while Mom cooked the dinna'
 
No one has mentioned the trams from Navigation street to the Licky Hills on Bank Holiday Mondays. No cars in those days for the working man. There was an exodus from the city, hail rain or shine to get some fresh air. the trams had open fronts on top deck, the younsters always went for those seats in order to chuck things out. Sutton Park was another venue but that was tram and then Midland Red. What a difference to the way we now enjoy ourselves. Were they happy days?
Geff
 
THE No8 was the route to my grans in aston when we lived at Ward End. Past the gas works over nechells green down rockey lane over aston cross up park lane get off at upper sutton street my mom and I made this trip tree or four times a week up till we moved to aston to look after my gran in 1947.in the 1950 this way my way to the ice rink at springhill my life long passion. THE No11 was our family day out before my Dad had his car, great when it stopped at Bourneville to hear the bells.such a green leafy trip.
HO MORE HAPPY HAPPY DAYS.
ASTON
 
I worked on the buses in 1963, I was a conductor on the 64 (Steelhouse Lane-Erdington Yenton) route. If I was late for booking on you had to sign the late book, sometimes they would send you home or give you a late night duty to teach you a lesson, I once had to go to Aston Cross and sell the tickets to the Q for the no 8 inner circle. The no 8 used to get so packed the conductor was unable to collect all the fares, so by selling the tickets to the Q when a bus arrived the conductor would have a bit of a breathing space.
Selling tickets to a Q of people who had been waiting for ages for a bus is not an easy job

con-nect
 
My old mom used to walk us from Hunters Rd Hockley to Barr Beacon!! I kid you not. When we got there we would have a play around the Beacon, eat our bread and jam, and drink our Carnegie orange juice, and then walk back to Hockley and off to bed. She was just a little eccentric. ;D
 
Just after the war Mom & Dad used to go on the No8 bus to Golden Hillock Road Bus stop on the Railway Bridge to the our family who lived opposite the Anderson Club & most Saturdays me on his back & my Sister in the pram walk home to Newtown Row.
 
HI CONNECT, I DON,T THINK I WOULD HAVE BEEN BRAVE ,
TO FACE ALL THEM AWAITNG THE 8 BUS AT THE GOLDEN CROSS ,
THE QUE,S WAS MASSIVE WAITING FOR THE BUS TO COME .
IT USED TO STRETCH RIGHT DOWN ROCKY LANE ,
POSSIBLY DOWN TO HOLLOND ROAD ,
IT USED TO STOP OUTSIDE MY GRAND FATHERS SHOP ON THE CROSS ,
JELF,S COFFEE ROOMS .
 
Hi I worked as a conductor on the 8A & 8C in '63 I remember tickets being issured to the queues at Aston X But it was soon stopped because passengers soon realised the conductor on the bus didn't know how far they had paid to travel to,so they only paid the minimum fare and would travel as far as Statford Rd. By the way the A & C following the number 8 indicated the bus was travelling in a anti-clockwise or clockwise direction Dave
 
You could tell where you were, on the No.8 route by the perfumery.
i.e...Saltley gas works,Ansells brewery,H.P.sauce and the bakelite works at Wellhead lane.
There must have been more,but those are the only ones that spring to mind.:rolleyes:
 
The no 8 bus still runs although now it seems that single deckers are suffient for the requirements. 8A is anticlockwise. 8C is clockwise and 8E is any bus not completing the full circle. On Corornation day in 1953 my dad took us for a drive round the route so that we could see all the street parties.

I take issue with Peter Walker on the route of the CITY CIRCLE 19 as I do not remember it ever going to Five Ways were it would have met the INNER CIRCLE. My memory is that it crossed Broad St from Granville St to Sheepcote St.
 
AI use to get the 8 to Golden Hillock Road from Saltley Gate. Walked down Armoury Road to the BSA. Had the open back with the conductor, a school friend of mine was on there, his name was Pete (can't remember his surname), his nickname was Fairy, we lived on Kingshurst then.
 
DavidGrain said:
I take issue with Peter Walker on the route of the CITY CIRCLE 19 as I do not remember it ever going to Five Ways were it would have met the INNER CIRCLE. My memory is that it crossed Broad St from Granville St to Sheepcote St.
Click to expand...
That's what I thought as well. Here's an extract from my (incomplete, only done to wartime yet!) BCT route database:

2/3/1932 New service
19 Benacre St, Bristol St, Great Colmore St, Cregoe St, Granville St, Broad St, Sheepcote St, St Vincent St, Summer Hill St, Powell St, Albion St, Frederick St, Vyse St, Well St, New John St, Aston Rd, Dartmouth St, Lawley St, Watery Lane, Adderley St, High St Bordesley, Alcester St, Vaughton St and Gooch St to Benacre St. Service named “City Circle”.
25/9/1939 Wartime restrictions: Service operates weekday peak hours only.
19/7/1943 Service diverted from Benacre Street via Sherlock Street, Gooch Street and Wrentham Street to Bristol Road.
 
DavidGrain said:
I take issue with Peter Walker on the route of the CITY CIRCLE 19 as I do not remember it ever going to Five Ways were it would have met the INNER CIRCLE. My memory is that it crossed Broad St from Granville St to Sheepcote St.
Click to expand...

Hi David,

My 1950's BCT route map also shows the 19 route crossing
Broad Street from Granville Street to Sheepcote Street.

Kind regards

Dave
 
With the open back buses you used to be able to get on the bus after it was started, holding on like grim death to the handrail and scooting with your foot. My brother got to the stop at Aston Cross a little before me, and I saw him dragged across the road and dropped on the other side. I'm sorry to say me and my friends laughed our heads off.
 
It reminds me when younger you wait half an hour for a number 8 then two arrive the first one stops just to let people off ,and the second one passes by empty,i`m sure it was a game with those drivers
 
My first job was in Hockley at Marples and Beasley and I lived in Belchers Lane, Alum Rock so I caught a bus from the Pelham, a 14 or a 55, to Saltley Gate then the Inner Circle 8 to Hockley Brook and looking back to over fifty years ago realise that I never waited more than a few minutes for a bus in those days. Birmingham City Transpoert truly was a public service and an object lesson as to how to run a bus service where the passenger came first and most of the workforce, although they probably wouldn't admit it, took pride in the job.

Anyway here's an image from those days with a No.8 turning into Nechells place all those years ago----enjoy.
https://www.redbubble.com/people/artistjeffries/art/5093538-1-btc-daimler-cog5
 
When we lived at the café at saltley gate, I can remember mom putting us kids on the number 8 for a bus ride. We didn’t have a car in those days, so it was a nice sitting upstairs in the front seats watching the world go by. I remember the big key clock machine outside the café, the drivers used to insert and turn their numbered key into the machine. I would imagine this recorded the time they arrived or left the terminus. I used to stand by the machine and ask the drivers to stamp my hand with the inked number on the bottom of the key. That was more than 50 years ago, wasn’t pleasure for kids was so simple then.
 
HI JETTYMAN
Yes i also remember your moms cafe and that dreaded bus terimal clock there would be about five of us when we went on a tanner trip around thecicle for a coupleof hours
when we pulled up out side the clock we would always grab the two front seats of the bus when we could and we would stretch ourlittle necks to the window to see if we wrer gonna be there for ages and one would shout out ho no hes gonna go in the cafe and we would keep looking and one would say hooray hes coming out
then he would move on up rocky lane the cross and back up to lady wood monument rd clock we would get off and wait for the driver to punch is clock asnd we would do the same asked him to put it on our wrist the ink numer best wishes astonian
 
Having a bus terminus clock by the café was great for business; lots of drivers and conductors would grab a sandwich and fill their white enamel tea canteen at the café. If you couple that with the trade from shift workers at the Saltley gas and railway works, it was a gold mine. When they knocked the café down for road widening, we moved to Brighton and brought a guest house. The café was run by my mom, Margery Brittain, my dad Harold Brittain worked at the Morris Commercial factory. They were both from the Basall Heath / Moseley Road area…..Michael Brittain.
 
Thanks for these post re the Bundy Clock. This is new information for me as I did not know that the key was inked. I always thought that the driver turning the key in the clock just recorded that a bus was leaving the stop not which bus it was. I was more familiar with the No 11 Outer Circle and I remember when visiting my grandmother we could wait upto 10 minutes at the clock at the Church Road Wellington Road stop. Returning home the bus would crawl slowly up City Road so as not to be too early at the Kings Head stop.

View attachment 64380Picture posted under Wiki Commons Licence
 
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