All of these photos were taken near to Grayson I believe that they are there to have work done on the air conditioning there has not been a buses or bus chassis at this place for a couple of years now

Robert Deloyde

The photos here are from the collection of Lew Giddings

Here you can see the many steam engines that for many years were slowly rusting away, by 1979, many of the steam engines were saved over the years they were reinstated and are now running on preserved track to the joy of a new generation

The photos here are of the bus garages that are no longer used as a bus garage or in some cases they are just a memory I hope to add more photos soon


Robert Deloyde

Here you will see the Titan,s Fleetline,s Volvo,s, Metrobuses that were at one time on the streets of Birmingham the Titan Fleeline and the Volvo are now just a memory
Robert Deloyde

The photos shown here were taken over a number of years, most were taken after the old station had been closed down, the old station was then used as a car park, the buildings were then knocked down, the land was still used as a car park, the station was then rebuilt and is in use today.

Leicester City Buses

In these photo we see a bus get a second life in Lincoln, Leicester, Newark,

These photos are at an open day day at Midland Red Carlyle Rd Central Works some time in the 1980,s the day was wet and cold, some time after this open day the Carlyle Rd Works was shut down and, there is a housin estate now on the site

Robert Deloyde

In September 1979 B.a.M.M.O.T. (Birmingham And Midland Motor Ominibus Trust Collected very rare type of bus from Miodland Red after it had been repainted by the Red, the reason that the the bus was unusual is that the engine is midline that is to say that the engne is not at the front or rear of the the bus but midway this was very unusual for 1960 when the D10 was built only two of this type were built 4943 943KHA, & 4944 1944HA , only 4943 943KHA is still with us

When the Ex Birmingham W.M.P.T.E Metorbuses have done their time they are taken to an old tram shed at Miller St, there the engines are taken out and sometimes panels or glass is taken of the bus, and there they wait till the scrap man cometh not all the buses are taken this was many are sold on to customers who give the Metrobus a second life.

The Birmingham built Metrobus is still rumming in 2006 but it does not have that many years of working life so here are a few photos of them before they dissapear for ever

These Dennis Lolines were taken in a Olbury yard in the 1980,s what happened to the buses I do not know

The Land behind Liverpool St garage was were the WMPTE scrapped buses were taken to for a number of years and a great place to take photos of dead buses it was,

I have added a small number of the Coventry scrappers there is something sad about a bus that is about to be broken up can someone confirm that the photos are in the Harnall Lane GHarage please pretty please with knobs on many thanks



Robert Deloyde

The last Guy Arab half cab bus in service in Cardiff 30 June 1979 it seems so long now they are gone but not forgoten

Robert Deloyde

One of the more endering traditons is that when a bus driver retires he is towed in the garage by his fellow drivers on his last day,

This is a tradition that was started in the B.C.T. (Birmingham City Transport) days these day it is more of a family affair in that family and friends will tow the driver, let us hope that this tradition will carry on for many years yett to come,

The driver who retired after 45 years of drivng he retired on the 14/July/2006 he was a driver at Acocks Green Garage were he worked for W.M.T. (West Midland Travel) the bus that was used was the Ex B.C.T. Daimler MOF 225 3225 and splendid time was had by all

As far as I am aware this is a Birmingham tradtion If you know of a driver who is about to be towed can you please let me know the details as it would be nice to add more photos

Robert Deloyde

Robert Deloyde

The Regent 5 lasted till 1981 the photos in this section were taken in early 1980.s

Robert Deloyde

The photos of the Chester Guy Arab,s is from a film that I shot in the early 1980,s

Robert Deloyde

The photos are from a film and photos that I took in Northampton inthe early 1989,s

I have lifted these photos from a film that I took, the buses ran from Blackburn? to a supermarket on a shopping run,
I filmed the Rosendale Buses I think it was in or near to Blackburn the supermarket still there, I bet the buses aint

Robert Deloyde

So any way this Derby bus got lost in Birmingaham in the early 1980,s I know this becauce I took photos of the the bus trying to go the wrong way up New St in Birmingham trhe bus was RTO1R or as it is known now as TRR814R the Alexander body Ailsa then backed up and then set of up the right way into Corparation St I have no idea what it was doing in Brum I can assume it was on a private hire


Robert Deloyde

In 1978 W.M.P.T.E. used a number of buses at the Motor Show at the N.E.C., The buses were used to ferry the people form the car parks to the hall,s many of the buses used were Fleetlines and Metrobuses, The Fleetlines have long since gone and the Metrobuses are now in its death throes and will soon be dissapearing from the streets of Birmingham, when they were used in 1978 they were new

Allso I took a few photos of a number of the coaches that were there


Robert Deloyde

I am allmost certain that the the years I took the the photos at the N.E.C. was 1982, if anyone knows different then please tell me


Robert Deloyde

Leicester City in the early 1980,s was a place to visit if you liked PD3,s and I do so it was allway nice to travel on them and photograph them as you will see from the photos

Robert Deloyde

The WMPTE Single Fleetlines that ran arround the streets of Birmingham, always looked odd to to me, the one route that they ran was the 101 this was a route around the city centre it did run on other routes I only used the 101 route


Robert Deloyde

The Six D9 Buses ran for the last in Leicester on the 31.Dec/1979, but this was not the last time a D9 was to run in service that honour goes to 5956 on the X92 route from Ludlow to Birmingham

Robert Deloyde

Inkeeping with the theme of my photos this time the photos are from the roofs of Brum London Canary Wharf, and Halesowen, the photos were taken in the early 1980,s


Robert Deloyde

The buses in the main were Regent I have beeb cheeky and lifted many of the photos froma film that I took in the 1980,s in Ipswich

Robert Deloyde

Blackpool buses early 1980,s the title says it all



Robert Deloyde

The S23 now just a memory I have added a number of Grabbed film frames if only to add intrest

Robert Deloyde

What was Burton Upon Trent like for buses inthe early 1980,s well here are a few


Robert Deloyde

The disapearing Metrobus from the streets of Birmingham

Metro-Cammell Weymann

There was a time when the Midlands could boast that it built buses from the floor up, sadly this is no longer true the factories were the buses were built were Midland Red at Carlyle works and Metro-Cammell Weymann just of the Wshwood Heath Road both now gone the factory that was Midland Red is now a housing estate

The factory that was Metro-Cammell Weymann looks to go the same way a sad end to a piece of Birmingham history thankfully there are a number of buses that have been saved to show that Birmingham could make buses to last the Metro-Cammell Weymann buildings may soon go

Weymann's Motor Bodies (1925) limited was formed in 1925 at Addlestone to manufacture a new type of motor car and later motor coach body consisting of a light and flexible metal jointed wooden frame covered with leather cloth which became very popular but in its final development metal panels replaced the fabric covering.
In 1932 Metropolitan-Cammell Weymann and was set up as a joint sales organisation after the two manufacturing companies had agreed to pool their body building resources, bus body building having been introduced at Metro-Cammell in 1929.

In 1963 Weymann's were bought out and all production was concentrated at MCW in Birmingham Metro Cammell Weymann (MCW) provided an impressive presentation with a series of variants of the highly successful Metrobus, the subject of this particular item lot. Sadly, as became an all-too-familiar story within the bus industry following deregulation in 1986, the fragmented market for double-deck buses saw too many manufacturers chasing too few orders by which to maintain production. Regrettably for MCW, with few other product portfolios available, the last Metrobus left the company's Washwood Heath premises in late 1989 and the factory closed its doors for the last time the Metrobus is a disapearing breed of bus the last of the Birmingham built buses still on the road in 2007

In 1980 Lea hall bus garage celebrated its 25 th birthday and was open to the public

On the 4 April 2005 Lea Hall bus garage celebrated its 50th birthday and again was opened to the public

The garage has had three owners they are B.C.T (Birmingham City Transport) W.M.P.T.E. (West Midland Passenger Transport Executive ) and T.W.M (Travel West Midlands) the photos from both days

On the 28. 1. 2007. the Birmingham built Metrobuses that are running on the 28 route are to be withdrawn

The Metrobus is fast becoming a rare sight these days even more when the Metrobus will no longer run n the 28 bus route it will end a part of Birmingham,s transport history the 28 route started life run by B.C.T

Oct 1935 it ran from City--Small Heath---Castle Bromwich--Erdington--Kngstanding
May 1948 the route was extended Kingstanding Great Barr as 28a
Feb 1955 this was then renumbered as 28

Over the years the route has expanded and shrunk the route was later run by W.M.P.T.E. it then that the route was expanded to include Erdington Six Ways and was then expanded even more when to Walsall Rd

T.W.M. runs the route at the time of writing the present route runs from Small Heath Golden Hillock Road via Bordesley Green, Fox and Goose, Bagot Arms, Erdington, Aldridge Road, Great Barr Scott Arms




Robert Deloyde

The photos were taken the late 1970,s

The Former Birmingham Bull Ring Shoping Center Inside and Out has now long gone, I was lucky enough to photograph the inside of the old Bull Ring Shoping Center just Two days before the builders strated to knock it down I then took a number of photos of the knocking down and the rebuilding of the new one

The Leyland Nasty (National) is a dissapearing type of bus I was never a fan so I will not miss it but others will so enclosed are photos of a type of bus that was loud, on a cold day cold to travel on, Leyland thought that heat traveled down and not up for some reason,

The last bus has departed the garage the weeds have started to poke their head above the deserted Garage floor only the buildings remain but for how much longer

Saturday 12/May/2007 was the last day of The Ex Leicester City Transport Abbey Park Road Depot the buses left for service work in the morning and then returned to the new garage when coming off service, other vehicles were moved during the day a sad end to another garage depot

See the Buses in Eastbourne in the Early 1980,s

Buse in Derby in the Early 1980,s

In the late 1970,s next door to the Clock pub on the Coventry Rd, near to the N.E.C. you would have found a Birmingham Tram 147

Sadly it is thought that the tram was not saved for preservation and was broken up, unles you know different

Tram 147 was a part of the 71-220 group of trams that were built sometime in 1906/7 and was U.E.C. double Deck top covered, with M and G radial trucks and Dck Kerr electrical equiment, open Verandahs and normal half turn statirs were fitted , the seating was 28/24

The platforms were vestibuled circa 1920, the the whole class were re-trucked between 1923 and 1928 as follows
82/9, 101/46/52/63, 213 U.E.C. trucks
152/6173 Brush trucks
115/57/8/68 208 Conaty trucks (ex C.B.T. Company
remainder Peckham P35 trucks
all the cars were re motered , 102 with General Electric equipment and 48 with Dick Kerr eqiupment

all were withdrawn by 1950

source the P.S.V. Circle, The Ominibus Society, publication PD10

Robert Deloyde

Stevenson,s of Uttoxeter Ltd

Mr J Stevenson started in the bus industry in 1926 starting a service from Uttoxeter to Beamhurst,
other routes soon folowed a limited company was formed in 1941 and was later renamed to the present title
the fleet numbering was done on a random basis in the past, the livery was Yellow Black and white the head office
and principal garage was in Spath just outside Uttoxeter

Stevensons were bought by British Bus (now Arriva).

We rarely get snow in Brum so when there were more than two snow flakes fall the traffic will come to a grinding halt here are one or two photo to remind you what snow is like




Robert Deloyde

I have always been a fan of the Bristol bus

For some reason the have now changed the legal lettering on this bus and it now has the correct legal lettering I wonder why they changed it?



Robert Deloyde

Many of the Midland Red garages and the bus stations the buses used have now gone or in some cases they are being used by other bus company,s here are few that have now gone and are just a memory

28 April 2007 Today we said goodbye to the leyland National on a sunny day Midlands the rumour is that the Nationals will run for a few days more till their replacement buses arrive the only fault I can find on the day is due to the number of Enthusiast on the National there should have been an extra duplicate bus as both buses were full a splendid time was had by all

All done becauce of on going health problems It can take a while for me to get back to what passes a mormal I hope you enjoy the photos

A bus that has ended its working life is allways a sad sght these buses have now long gone

Gone are the days when any decent operator had a small fleet of lorry,s or towing vehicles other such vehicles to keep their buses on the road I have included learner buses in this group of photos if only becauce I can they do seem to fit this section or is it me

Stockport Buses

The present coach station in Digbeth is it could be said that it was well past it's sell by date and in fact will be knocked down and a new one to be built on the present site

In many City's and town's in Great Britain you will find a bus/coach station large or small, Birmingham has never really liked the bus station idea and preferred to have it's citizens queue for their buses in various streets in Birmingham rather than have them go to a bus station, it was only after a certain Mr Adolf Hitler tried to reorganise the city centre that the city fathers decide that Brum could do with a bus/coach station and so the Bull Ring Bus station was built,

This was of course not to last and the station was to close at the same time that the Bull Ring Bus Station was being built another bus station was being built and yet never used , the bus/coach station is still there under the Central Library in Birmingham the entrance was near Paradise Circus the exit and that was the problem was to be in the Qeensway Tunnel you can still see were the exit is/was to be the next time you are in the tunnel as it bends to the left you will see a cutaway

And that was the problem you would have had traffic merging in a tunnel there would have been traffic lights the stop the traffic in the tunnel so that the coaches/buses could leave the bus/coach station safely the public entrance/exit would have been just behind the present day entrance/exit to the library via two escalators it is rumoured that the escalators are still in position and never used you can see were they would have gone if you look at the photo marked "Bus or Coach Station Entrance" just behind the stairway

21. july. 2007 The Midland Rider Bus J620KCU did not finish it route when the floods came in Peterbrook Rd in Solihull, the photos do not give a true picture of the floods I had a look at the tide mark in the tunnel and that was about two foot above the water in the photos, so the water would have been above the wheel arch


Robert

9.Dec. 2005. The Last Day of the Routemaster on Route 159 R.I.P. all the photos are from a film that was shot on the day...

Many years ago as you approached a set of traffic lights in a vehicle the wheels of a bus/car/another would drive over a short stretch of rubber and steel, this device would in turn activate the traffic lights to go to red or green, in many of the the streets of the U.K. they are now rare as they have been replaced,





So is this the last last of the many I would think that it is the last of its type in Birmingham and really should be dug up and go to a museum this one can (for the moment be found on the corner of Moseley Rd and Highgate road,



This one as far as I know no buses would have run over it as it would have gone into a railway yard but I was anyroad up here are the photos,

The problem with Digbeth Coach Station is that it is in the wrong place it should be closer to New St and Moor St, stations having said that that said the present Digbeth Coach Station is set to close on the 12 November and be rebuilt there has been a coach/bus station on the present site since 3, Jan, 1929

The building that occupies the present site was opened in June 1958 the new building to be built will be the third build on this site in its 78 years while the old building is knocked down and rebuilt the coaches will set down and pick up in temporary premises Oxford St

A regular sight to be seen are passengers heading from town to Digbeth Coach Station normally with heavy luggage pondering just how far is it to the coach station many can be heard muttering under theirs trunks why put it so far away from the city centre

Cardiff,s Farewell to the Volvo Ailsa 1982 2007 15/Dec/2007 was cold and had a wind that was lazy it would not go around you it went through you

Robert Deloyde

At the time of typing this out tere are over 200 Birmingham built Metrobuses left over the next year or so this number will decline, until as such time the will become just a memory like the Fleetline, and the Birmingham Standard

The Metrobus are still running in Wolverhampton, Coventry, at least for the forseeable future


Robert Deloyde

National Express Garage Garrison St Birmingham

Nottingham,s Bellamy Coaches have a small number of Routemasters on the number 20 bus

The Camera Never Lies but the software does

Tyseley depot opened as an operational steam depot in July 1908.

On the 28/June/2008 Tyseley depot held a celebration of it being 100 year old a splendid time was had by all

The Rebuilding of the Digbeth Coach Station is due to start with in a couple of months

Tamworth Aldergate Garage

Midland Red opened the new porpose built Tamworth Aldergate garage on the 3 August 1928

The first garage was at Two Gates that garage opened in August 1918


Arriva Midlands held an open day at its Aldergate Depot in Tamworth on Sunday 3 August 2008 to celebrate 80 years of local bus operations from the site.

The depot was built by the erstwhile Birmingham and Midland Omnibus Company Limited – ‘Midland Red’.

Several ex Midland Red buses and ancillary vehicles now in preservation will be attending the open day along with enthusiast stalls selling memorabilia – some of the preserved buses were operating FREE bus services on the day.

A FREE bus services was running from Corporation Street to Stonydelph via Glascote as Route 707, to Hockley via Belgrave as Route 708, to Newton Regis via Polesworth as Route 786 and to Drayton Bassett via Fazeley as Route 788.

The Demolition of Midland Red Carlye Road Works Sept 1992

When the Ex Birmingham W.M.P.T.E Metorbuses have done their time they are taken to an old tram shed at Miller St, there the engines are taken out and sometimes panels or glass is taken of the bus, and there they wait till the scrap man cometh not all the buses are taken this was many are sold on to customers who give the Metrobus a second life.

Yardley Wood Bus Garage at 70 Year of Age

On the 12, April, 2008 Stagecoach held a faewell to the M.C.W. Metrobus A spendid time was had by all, the Metrobuses will posibly run till June 2006 and then there time will end I woul;d like to thank Stagecoach for al their help and assistance on the day



Robert Deloyde

The latest I have heard is the Metrobus may come off the road at the end of this year, and that there may be a end of the Metrobus day and the time of typeing this there said to be lest that sixty Metrobuses left in service

Last Day of the Midland Red D9 in Leicester 31/dec/1979 the last six D9,s ran on normal service for the last time in Leicester they were
5299 6299HA,
5314 6314HA,
5341 6341HA,
5360 6360HA,
5370 6370HA,
5399 BHA399C,

As the time for the Metrobus is near to an end it was nice to see the MCW Metrobus in Aston on the 29/Mar/2009

The Last day of the Metrobus on the 24 Route, the 24 route does not have much of a history but what it did have was Metrobuses on the route

Birmingham Moor Street Station Grand Centenary Party Saturday 27. June.2009 with thanks to Chiltern Railways

The Last Day of the Metrobus in Service in Coventry I would like to thank N.E.W.M. for the celebration, and I would like to that the N.E.W.M. employees who made the day go well on thanks gentlemen

The Parrymobile at Stourbridge I think the correct term should be "The Parry People Carrier" yes well to me it is Parrymobile I managed to get on the thing today, the only big fault that I have is that when the train? goes over the point were two tracks meet the journey is not smooth in fact it is very rough I do hope that they find a way to get over this problem

The Just So Photographs in this section the photos are just so and may or may not be of buses, it depends on how I feel, they do not conform to any category hopefuly?

V Festival Metrobuses in Wolverhampton 21. Aug. 2009. I had not planned to go to Wolverhampton Bus Station to film and photograph the Metobuses that were being used to ferry the punters to and from the V Festival but I am glad that I did it I now think that I will not see the same number of Metrobuses again this is the list of the buses I saw

A685UOE 2865
B802AOP 2802
B819AOP 2819
B824AOP 2824
B832AOP 2832
B835AOP 2835
B865DOM 2865
B865DOM 2865
B871DOM 2871
C903FON 2903
F100XOF 3100
F103XOF 3103
F108FJW 3108
F23XOF 3023
F319XOF 3019
F71XOF 3072
F78XOF 3078
F78XOF 3078
F88XOP 3088
F91XOF 3091
G113FJW 3113
G114FJW 3114
G116FJW 3116
G117FJW 3117
G122FJW 3122

I took the the photos the computer turned them into what loooks like a painting

Midland Red CM6 BHA656C at the Digbeth Coach Station in Birmingham 31, Oct, 2009,