Topics

The buses with Euro 6 exhaust upgrades, once upgraded will the bus always be classed then as Euro 6 or  will the system need continued upgrading through its life due to normal degradation of the system for it to stay as Euro 6? 

All this moaning about the 74 on West Brom match days got me thinking about the football specials that were run in the past.

Does anyone have a list of all of the football special services that used to run for WBA, Villa, Blues and Wolves?

Also, I seem to remember on Easter bank holiday games, West Brom used to pay to put on a full range of local services direct to and from the game - I recall seeing multiple Metrobuses parked up along the Birmingham Road in the early 2000s. Anyone remember this too?

Was just going through some of the Fleetline pictures on the site and was intrigued by the image of 6962 operating the 3 service to Woodgate Valley North.

What makes it unusual is that in the windscreen of the bus there is a 'Centre Link' sign despite the bus operating on the 3 rather than 103.

The bus is in red stripe livery so post 1990ish and also the route changed to the 103 around 1991/2. I thought Centre Link was used much later in the mid 1990s when the route had changed to 103 so it seems strange that this bus had this 'centre link' sign in the windscreen. Was this some sort of experiment prior to full adoption of the centre link branding?

I have a very distant memory of catching an open top bus running on the newly number 103 route to Woodgate Valley North (old 3 route) in the early 1990s. I couldn't remember the exact details but it was the only time I ever caught an open top bus ion an ACTUAL service in Brum.

I thought maybe my memory was exaggerating but I saw a picture of 3867 today on the Old pics of Brum Facebook group and it has this bus operating the 103 service driving down Broad Street, dated 7th August 1992. This must be the same day I remember.

Does anyone know the reasons why this open topper was used in service that day (some sort of event, commemoration, etc) as I never saw it again in service after that day?

What route from the city centre did the old 48 to Druids Heath take? Was it the same as the current 50 or a variation of it?

Was there also a similar 49 too as I think the current 49 was previously the 4 route?

When was the last time TWM/WMT had their own breakdown truck to recover failed buses? I have images of a truck in Red Stripe livery at Selly Oak so I'm thinking late 1990s perhaps?

I'm guessing it is much cheaper these days to pay the £200 or so recovery fee for each breakdown to a private company rather than have your own 'in house' breakdown truck. None of the big companies seem to have their own recovery vehicles anymore.

Looking at the recent photos of Grimsby -Cleethorpes transport buses, a number have auto fare equipment very similar to that used in the West Midlands. I've not seen many other operators around the country using this fare system.

We're there any other large operators who used the auto fare equipment?

Was the Grimsby set up the same as West Midlands?

https://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/18923553.pictures-looking-back-building-carrington-bridge/?fbclid=IwAR31y6X747rL565s4DkNq7p2BQM1HbgEjP4gB7Ic2Oel12bscS82L5kpg2o

Just came across these pictures in the Worcester news showing the opening of the carrington bridge bypass in 1984. One of the photos shows the West Midlands Daimler Fleetline open topper (G reg) gong over the bridge as the official first vehicle to cross it. Clearly, Worcester council must have hired it from WM but it seemed a little ironic that it was deep in Midland Red territory and that they couldn't have provided a vehicle themselves.

It's nice to see a Brum bus making history in other parts of the country.

I've been looking at pictures on this site of the various Metrobuses and when looking at MK1 Metrobus 2431 I noticed it had an updated rear like the MK11 buses had. I think 2105 or 2107 was another MK1 that received a similar upgrade. We're these MK1 buses sent to Marshall or were they 'in house' upgrades by WMT?

Were any other MK1s upgraded too? Maybe 2400 as that bus lasted til 2003 in service?

Was there a reason why all the MK1s weren't done first before the newer MK11 buses were as if the problem with the rear affected them too you'd think they would have needed it too?

Does anyone have a list of services that called at the Bullring bus station in the mid 1990s, around 93/94? I used to catch the express route to Shrewsbury a lot (x95???) but was wondering where the other services went.

Also, although it was mainly Midland Red routes, I'm sure the WMT 120/126/140 also stopped in the bus station as I remember seeing Metrobuses in there. Was there a reason for these routes stopping there, eg dating back to when those routes were Midland Red routes?

When was the Grey West Midland Travel livery first adopted for the whole fleet? I know it was based on the Timesaver livery used previously but when did it replace the previous blue and cream livery?

Also, how long was it used for until it was replaced by the red stripe livery?

I've seen Metrobuses and Lynx's in a similar style grey livery but the fleetline grey livery looks different with more blue and a different shade of grey. Did any fleetline receive the metrobus style of grey livery?

Looking at the recent photos of the Your bus Leyland Atlanteans, did any of these pass over to WMT when they purchased the company? Also, is there a list anywhere of all the vehicles that were acquired with the business?

I have been thinking about the routes in Harborne as it is where I grew up and would like a list of all the routes that have run through there in the last 50 or so years.

So far I have:

3/103/24 - City to Woodgate Valley North
10 - Quinton to City
12/22 - Kitwell to City
20 - Quinton to Green Man/City
21 - City to Bartley Green
23 - City to Woodgate
25 - City to Woodgate (?)
29 - city to Northfield/ Frankley
30 - Quinton to QE hospital
48/448 - QE - West Brom
82 - Harborne - City
99 - City to Halesowen
102 - Blackheath - City
004 - Green Man - Merry Hill
142 - QE - Stourbridge
244 - QE to Dudley
440/443 - City to Brandhall/ Perry Barr
626/636 - City to Quinton
647 - Moorpool - Weoley Castle

These are mostly from the 90s and 2000s so any others further back would be helpful. Thanks.

Looking at the recent Bob Cutt photos, does anyone know what seat moquette the Newport Metros had? IWas it like WMPTE as these are so similar to West Mids examples with the same 'please pay on entry' stickers and even the fareboxes look the same! Did WMPTE ever loan any of there early Metros to Newport to evaluate as Newport's Metros just seem so similar to West Mids. Maybe just a coincidence.

Whilst going up Cross Farm Road recently (Between Metchley Lane and Harborne Park Road, in Harborne I saw an old Midland Red West bus stop flag on a lamppost. There can't be many left of these in Birmingham now, if any others!!!!
Does anyone know what route used to go up that road as growing up in Harborne I never knew of a route going that way?

Slightly random topic for the west mids forum but is anyone well acquainted with current Bournemouth operations? I have visited there recently but was shocked at how much the bus routes had changed since I used to visit regularly 10+ years ago. I know that is a while and there were still fleetlines and VRs in operation but I am sure back then yellow buses kept their network around Bournemouth and Christchurch with wilts and Dorset running mainly county services. There appeared to be very little competition between the two. However, on my recent visit there seems to be a lot of competition between them now with yellow buses running to Poole on the same corridor as wilts and Dorset. Also wilts and Dorset seem to be running on routes in former yellow buses areas. I know both companies were bought by different owners but the way they used to co exist seemed better than the current system there.

[M]

I remember this operator from the 90s. They used to run the old 20 route in Harborne Down War Lane and Tennal Road but then changed to run along court oak road via the 103 route. This seemed odd as the WMT 20 still existed so the same route number went different ways! I think City also ran the 3 service in competition with the 103 to so maybe it was changed because of that.
I do remember though that at one point the original 20 route had WMT, Central and City lines running on it. It wasn't even a busy route!

Also, the picture stated of National TPD 192 M should be TPD 192 w

The picture of the Stevensons Metrobus (fleet no. 81) shows that the seat Moquette used was the same as that for WMT. I know this bus was some sort of demonstrator before going to Stevensons, was it at WMT at any point prior to this or did MCW just use the same seats?

The recent photos put on of the different midland operators are really good. Seems a lifetime ago now when you got that sort of variety, the 90s really was a good time for vehicle types even if the majority of vehicles (from all operators) don't exactly seem in the best condition. Presentation clearly wasn't a high priority back then.

I have been thinking recently about timing points/ fare stages that are still used even though the building etc they are named after are long gone.

Examples include on a route I drive, the 144, the Northfield timing point is the Bell inn which is no longer there. Another is from when I lived in Brum, my local 103 route (plus 22/23/29/11/448) had a stop at the Duke of York pub. This was knocked down over 10 years ago, but the stop was still called it after this.

Anyone think of any others?

How often are timing points updated, or do the planners just stick to what people know even when the place no longer exists?

With the latest operator soon to try the 11 route out, can anyone tell me anything about this operator who ran on the route in the mid 90s? I remember going on a school trip to Sarehole Mill in the mid 90s and catching one of their buses on the 11 route (a National). Don't think they lasted long but did they run any other routes too?