Messages

Whittles is quite a small operation and EYMS is quite a small group.  Registering all First's routes in Kidderminster would be a big gamble for Whittles.  First still seem to have the upper hand on the Kidderminster - Bewdley and, certainly, the Kidderminster - Stourport corridors.

I agree totally.  Congrats on getting there and thanks, Tony!

Yes indeed - Rugby's Olympians are essentially for schools services, and the 4 is scheduled for Enviro 200s.

Another Stagecoach route worth looking out for is the 16, Coventry - Stratford.  Anything can appear on this from the oldest (Volvo Olympian or B10M), to the smallest (Optare Solo), and the newest (Scania/Enviro 400)!

C6Y ran City - Warwick Road - Solihull - current 76 route* to Kings Heath - Cotteridge - Northfield - Bristol Road - City, in a continuous loop.  A6Y ran the other way round.  Each ran every 20 minutes, Mon - Sat.

[The 76 route now slightly differs in Kings Heath].

I'm biased - I grew up with Fleetlines and liked them very much.  To me they sounded good (better than the Leyland Atlantean, which wailed) and with the WMPTE standard Metro Cammell or Park Royal body they looked good too.

As with the Metrobuses, age got the better of them before the end, but I was very glad that TWM put on a farewell day for them.  It was like saying goodbye to part of my youth.

who ran the cannock-longford-wolves service prior to 1980? ( the number 10)? as the bus stop outside the longford island shell garage said 'west midlands' but maybe one of their walsall services went that way?

Green Bus started the number 10.  West Midlands PTE did run Wolverhampton - Cannock direct (inherited from Wolverhampton Corporation) until 1973, when it passed to Midland Red, becoming their 872.  This is the only West Midlands service I can find that went round Longford island.  Others went nearby (e.g Longford Road and Hampton Street), but not along Wolverhampton Road as far as I know.

Just a thought - might the stop have since been used by another operator, whose name may have peeled off?

... wasnt National Welsh's downfall also brought about by the fact that it tried to run ever Welsh municipal company off the road-it overstretched itself!! Tho standardising on sherpas was probably not such a good idea either............

Yes, I believe it was a combination of these factors.

Warstone Motors started running buses in the mid-1970s.  Their first service was Cannock - Penkridge, which I believe replaced an operator who had ceased trading.  The first two vehicles were a Leyland Olympian (1956 single-decker 521 CTF) and a Bedford OB coach (GCA 747).  Services gradually expanded, reaching Bishops Wood and Telford, and cheap fares brought very good loadings.  Soon the first double decker (Guy Arab YTH 815) joined the fleet.

Further expansion came in 1980 when the Midland Red /WMPTE Chaserider scheme came in.  Warstone (now trading as Green Bus) now ran Cannock - Longford Estate - Calf Heath, Wolverhampton - Landywood and part of Wolverhampton - Brewood.  More work still came a few years later with the demise of Blue Bus Services of Rugeley around 1984, which saw Green Bus running regularly into Walsall and even Birmingham for a time.

It is best remembered for old, fascinating and well-maintained vehicles (the Bedford OB and OWB were used on normal service on occasions for the benefit of enthusiasts), and also for its use of traditional Bell Punch tickets for many years.  It was very sad to see the firm go.

Haha and there was me thinking that Id like one preserved. Tho uve made me want a ride on one now!!

Well, Peter, Tamworth Bus & Coach have done you a favour - they obtained this example for preservation.  It was new to Midland Red South: -

http://wmbusphotos.com/heartlands/p28.html

Sherpas were very popular for a short period of time as a Ford Transit substitute, when demand for minibuses exceeded supply.  When new they could shift, but this did not last that long and most operators had problems with them.  West Midlands Travel offloaded theirs in a matter of months, while other operators applied drastic solutions such as fitting Transit engines.  But despite their bad reputation it was surprising what they were used for sometimes.  Two journeys that come to mind were on a full Merry Hill Minibuses Sherpa on a very hilly route, and a fast ride on a Crosville Wales one from Bangor to Holyhead - a 90-minute run of nearly 30 miles.

The ultimate "accolade" is that standardising on Sherpas was a major reason for the downfall of National Welsh - the only former National Bus Company to go into liquidation.

I've been looking at NXWM's news item mentioning the Birmingham City Centre bus stop changes from 22 July - http://nxbus.co.uk/west-midlands/news/birmingham-city-centre-changes.  Among the points it makes are: -

"The new stops will also help buses run on time. At present traffic rules mean we must leave as soon as the bus is loaded, making it hard to make up time if we are delayed on the way into town. In the new arrangements, buses will be able to wait (slightly) until the departure time, helping make services more reliable – and there will often be a bus waiting when you arrive at your stop."

Up to now I've been sceptical about the Connected City idea, as it seemed to simply be a way of making the best of a bad job (i.e. buses having to get out of the central area).  But if some recovery time will be possible in town, and there are enough bus stops for the services using them, this just might be a good idea.  It will be the end of a tradition going back to Birmingham City Transport days, but that's fine by me if it works.

What does anyone else think?

That is quite bad MPG! Especially when you consider how empty most daytime services are with just the odd OAP!

I would quite like Central to keep the Olympians but surely they get worse MPG than the Trident would?

I doubt it.  The Volvo Olympian is regarded as a good bus - probably the best non low floor DD from the 1990s.  I think it's a pity that they have been relatively rare in the West Midlands - Central Buses' Olympians are excellent.

Will the new emmissions zone afffect lorries or would that be phased in like london lez could ruin a lot of lorry operators as most cannot deliver to London now due to the Lez and costs of renewing lorrries is just too high to justify will fuel costs etc

It will only apply to buses.

One condition of the SQPS not yet discussed is that (with a few exceptions, such as heritage vehicles) all buses will have to be "low-floor, easy access, and comply with all Equality legislation requirements", regardless of service frequency or emissions.  This would knock out Redwing and Central Logistics with its current fleet, and presumably Sunny Travel will also need to replace its fleet or curtail its services?

If I use my free travel pass (inc rail travel) how far could I travel from birmingham by train and/or bus
and still get back before midnight?

Sorry I've not seen this up to now.  It's easiest on Saturdays, but round trips you could do in a day include: -

• Birmingham - Wolverhampton - Shrewsbury - Ludlow - Kidderminster - Bromsgrove - Birmingham
• Birmingham - Burton - Derby - Hanley - Stafford - Wolverhampton - Birmingham
• Birmingham - Coventry - Leicester - Coalville - Burton - Birmingham
• Birmingham - Coventry - Northampton - Milton Keynes (and return)
• Birmingham - Stratford - Banbury - Daventry - Rugby - Coventry - Birmingham
• Birmingham - Worcester - Hereford - Ledbury - Malvern - Worcester - Birmingham

Not all of these use major operators, so it's worth checking County Council websites as well for times.

Suprised no-one has mentioned the one at Hamstead Road / Green Lane for the 16. Nothing remarkable about it but it exists.

Of course this would have been one of the old boundaries between West Brom and Birmingham Corporations and the the North/South Divisions wouldn't it?

Well, Birmingham Corporation's 16 Hamstead terminus was the turning circle in Hamstead Village on Hamstead Road - this still is the city boundary.  Green Lane was the terminus for West Bromwich Corporation 6, later WMPTE 406, which used to run West Brom - Hamstead via Scott Arms.  It was only in the early 1980s (over 10 years after WMPTE was formed) that the 16 was extended to Green Lane.

Sounds quite interesting. When and where is it?

Another way of taking your interest further is to join an enthusiasts organisation.  You'll meet like-minded people, get newsletters or similar find out more about what's going on, and you can go on visits to bus operators.

I'm a member of the Omnibus Society.  There's a link on the home page of this site - have a look and go to 'Branches' then 'Midland'.  Anyone is welcome to try a visit, without obligation, to see what you think.

Click on this link: http://www.omnibussoc.org/.  Then click on 'Branches' then 'Midland'.