Can anyone (perhaps Tony ) tell me if Bordesley is a fully fledged garage with traffic and engineering staff etc or is it an outstation or overflow of Birmingham Central,similarly Pensnett of West Bromwich.
Bordesley can only undertake minor servicing work engineering wise, the rest is currently dealt with by Birmingham Central, hence why you see vehicle loans between the two garages. I believe Bordesley is classed as a garage, as it has its own fleet allocation. Bordesley will soon be transferred to be jointly managed along with Perry Barr garage, so I can only assume that the heavier engineering work will also move from BC to PB along with it. I've personally never quite seen the point of having a small garage with a maximum allocation of 50 vehicles being able to be garaged there. I'm assuming NXWM head office it still there, but it was suggested that would move to Digbeth Coach Station along with the rest of the National Express Group functions to be all under one roof. Originally Bordesley Garage was also going to be used to house the reserve fleet rather than an operations garage.
Pensnett is a full garage with its own full engineering / traffic staff; some of the office functions / stores are bursting out the premises and are currently housed in port cabins. The garage was never designed to have such a large allocation as was originally built for Travel Merry Hill which was a low cost subsidiary. Pensnett & West Bromwich is jointly managed & do loan vehicles between each other if operational needs dictate.
Quote from: arrifirststage on May 05, 2012, 11:00:34 AM
Can anyone (perhaps Tony ) tell me if Bordesley is a fully fledged garage with traffic and engineering staff etc or is it an outstation or overflow of Birmingham Central,similarly Pensnett of West Bromwich.
I read that orginally they were going to close Bordesley instead of Lea Hall. Does anyone know why the decision was reversed?
That was meant to be the case, I can only assume that LH cost more to run being a full garage and the fact it is/was up for sale the premises would have raised more if a buyer could have been found, this was around the time that National Express Group were still struggling for cash with huge debts
Quote from: monkeyjoe on May 05, 2012, 11:40:27 AM
I read that orginally they were going to close Bordesley instead of Lea Hall. Does anyone know why the decision was reversed?
That makes sense, can't see them selling it that quickly. I remember it took them ages to sell off Washwood heath from memory.
Tbh, they would struggle to house the reserve feet at present without it, I guess they could also find additional storage if the need arose. I don't know why they don't keep it now NX group are in a much better financial position, if/when the economy does pick up they could re-open it to offer additional capacity for growth etc
Quote from: monkeyjoe on May 05, 2012, 12:28:08 PM
That makes sense, can't see them selling it that quickly. I remember it took them ages to sell off Washwood heath from memory.
Lea Hall is currently under offer to be sold on, and an Engineering Firm are planning to move in if all goes to plan.
Bordsesly has no Traffic Manager and their traffic office closes during the day from what ive been told.
If that goes through, sounds like there will need to be a big clear out of the reserve/withdrawn fleet or may be even find a replacement storage site
Quote from: D10 on May 05, 2012, 03:06:44 PM
Lea Hall is currently under offer to be sold on, and an Engineering Firm are planning to move in if all goes to plan.
Don't quite understand why BY is to be managed by PB, surely BC is the better option, just because it's closer, meaning less dead mileage involved in moving buses?
Quote from: nx4737 on May 07, 2012, 12:25:49 AM
Don't quite understand why BY is to be managed by PB, surely BC is the better option, just because it's closer, meaning less dead mileage involved in moving buses?
I would think that it is something to do with what buses BY operate, as PB have OmniLinks and BC won't soon, in terms of borrowing buses and for the repairs of OmniLinks. BY will be losing a number of 0405Ns soon, and have more OmniLinks.
Therfore BY will be a 1 type garage ;D
Probably it will, eventually, but a number of Mercs will remain there for now, for use on the 8A/C services.
Omni's on the 8... Imagine it, what a waste. :'(
Quote from: nx4737 on May 07, 2012, 08:48:36 PM
Omni's on the 8... Imagine it, what a waste. :'(
How is that a waste?
I think the 8 deserves to be converted to a double deck route as it gets very very busy at peaks, but I think there is a low bridge near Saltley Gate, but then there was a President on it once, so it may be fine. Too much for the Mercs, but they still cope with it.
the number 8 used to be operated by metrobuses back in the day
Unless the route has changed, then there is no reason (apart from demand or garage allocations) that double deckers couldnt be used on the 8 again. It was Metrobus operated from BC, then when it moved to Hockley it seemed to be a mixture of Metrobus and Lynx. When Washwood Heath had running boards on the 8, it was also possible to see Fleetlines on there, a type not seen on the 8 for many years. After WH closed, it went back to 100% HY, still with Metrobuses, but mostly Lynxes.
The Mercs came along, but sometimes on rare occasions, a President would turn up.
In recent years, I, personally have only seen Omnilinks on the 8 when BC operates it on Boxing day (although I believe there have been other occasions) and a couple of times an ALX200 Dart (when at BY) would show up.
Excellent, if only double deckers would fit inside BY!
There is a low bridge on Highgate Road, the older Metrobuses would have just fit under it, but the current double-decks are all too high to go under.
Quote from: Michael on May 07, 2012, 09:06:26 PM
Quote from: nx4737 on May 07, 2012, 08:48:36 PM
Omni's on the 8... Imagine it, what a waste. :'(
How is that a waste?
I think the 8 deserves to be converted to a double deck route as it gets very very busy at peaks, but I think there is a low bridge near Saltley Gate, but then there was a President on it once, so it may be fine. Too much for the Mercs, but they still cope with it.
I mean a waste, as in decent buses used on a not so decent route.
Quote from: nx4737 on May 08, 2012, 05:15:13 PM
Quote from: Michael on May 07, 2012, 09:06:26 PM
Quote from: nx4737 on May 07, 2012, 08:48:36 PM
Omni's on the 8... Imagine it, what a waste. :'(
How is that a waste?
I think the 8 deserves to be converted to a double deck route as it gets very very busy at peaks, but I think there is a low bridge near Saltley Gate, but then there was a President on it once, so it may be fine. Too much for the Mercs, but they still cope with it.
I mean a waste, as in decent buses used on a not so decent route.
Ah, it's not too bad though. It just goes in some s*** areas, but as a route it's okay. It suffers from a lot of traffic along the route and the frequency could do with increasing as the Mercs simply cannot cope at peaks.
Quote from: Stu on May 08, 2012, 07:58:48 AM
There is a low bridge on Highgate Road, the older Metrobuses would have just fit under it, but the current double-decks are all too high to go under.
That is rubbish
Quote from: Tony on May 08, 2012, 07:16:59 PM
Quote from: Stu on May 08, 2012, 07:58:48 AM
There is a low bridge on Highgate Road, the older Metrobuses would have just fit under it, but the current double-decks are all too high to go under.
That is rubbish
I know what bridge it is, it's right by my college, however if a President can fit under there (one of the tallest deckers NXWM have, if not the tallest) then anything can!
According to Google Street View, Highgate Road bridge has a clearance of 14 ft 3 ins. I don't know how high a President is, but a Trident wouldn't fit as it is 14 ft 5 ins high.
President is same height maybe even a bit higher...not sure...
Quote from: Peter123 on May 08, 2012, 08:37:59 PM
President is same height maybe even a bit higher...not sure...
The bridge is taller than that. A NBB bus driver told me, back in the day, on the school bus. He was an ex PB driver for TWM, and said that the bridges in Birmingham are taller than it says, for safety reasons. Whether that's true or not, I don't know.
Tridents are not as tall as Presidents as Tridents fit on the 5, whilst Presidents don't.
Hold on, that bridge is 100% tall enough. NIS Presidents run through there when terminated at Five Ways on the 1 and returning to the depot. Definately!
Quote from: Michael on May 08, 2012, 08:48:57 PM
Tridents are not as tall as Presidents as Tridents fit on the 5, whilst Presidents don't.
[/quote]
Thankyou i thought the presidents were taller than the spectras of both heights and the volvo b7tls/alx 400 but didnt know they were taller than tridents.
I've only got the following ex BC Omnilinks now transferred in to Bordesley Garage:
1789?, 1801-5 & 1808-11
I would have thought that more would have moved over by now as the majority of BC's B7RLE's are in service, does anyone know of any others?