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looking at it all the MPs along the route including mine David Winnick support and so do all of the councils, centro, network rail and the operator but with one announcementin the news of the midland mainline being done at a huge cost it looks as the midlands will be snubbed even though it is a short distance and smaller cost will bring in many benefits to other existing lines and possible services from walsall to the north it looks a the minister is trying to say the upgrade will be enough but the thick tory toffs want us to suffer again with pointless and expensive HS2 where the money could be better used elsewhere

The announcement tomorrow will be more than just the Midland Mainline electrification, the cost of that is estimated at approximately half a billion pounds, hopefully there will be the 30 million needed for the Chase line somewhere in the several billion they are expected to announce

I like using the train to brum from bloxwich but can find the service at times can be crap hourly is not enough I know the line is being upgraded signals and speed but looking at various sources it cant be improved due to a lack of diesels there seems to be a lot of debate on electricfication and I feel it would make sense they could use the 323's and I know they carry more pluse other routes maybe could use the route possible north west area trains nice not having to go through Brum if it happened?

Have a read of this debate in Parliament and it seems like electrification may be in tomorrows £9billion pound railway improvement announcement.

Full debate is at http://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2012-06-14a.577.0

The one shown on the photo site (ie 73106 ) was the one that failed at fenny compton but I couldn't remember the exact location- I knew there had been other examples in the bham area but not on passengers. were they all on timetable svcs or 'specials' ??

The 3 pairs that I mentioned were all on normal service trains, the 1982 pair were the only ones to work south in service.

73131+73128 visited New Street on a Railtour on 13/06/98, ran round, then went to Redditch!: 


A few more have also reached Saltley to work 'Liners back south (80's) & route learners (90s).

Not forgetting 73128 made it to the Chasewater Railway for a time as well!
http://wmbusphotos.com/Trains/class73/73128.html

Somewhere I have a video of another 73 double headed with a 33 going through Lea Hall on a charter in the 1980s

The Carrs Lane and High Street corner will make an excellent spot for photographing vehicles though I think. You'll see a mix of everything! Omnilinks, Geminis, (Presidents till 2013), ALX400s, Enviro400s and Eclipse2's!

I think it will be a rubbish spot for photography as the sun will never be in the correct place. The new opposite direction Moor Street Queensway flow should help though!

Same train, same location

different company, more modern station, much more greenery, building work finished
http://wmbusphotos.com/Trains/Class170/170511.html

Just typical Arriva they have a good route and seem to have good loading but ruin it by hiking up fares so high thw Walsalls had a torrid rise compared with the others bet the fares would not have gone up if they had competition on the Walsall-Cannock

The problem is that route doesn't make money charging NXWM type fares. The reason NXWM dropped the 351 is because it made a loss. They tried running it with old metrobuses with very little depreciation costs, and then by using old solos which also had lower fuel costs, but it still didn't work.

Arriva were always going to have to up fares if the route was going to survive.

No, it is just a lot more of the prep work is being done at garages now, so many arrive only needing painting now, not a complete set of replacement panels first.
4372, the one the skip lorry wrecked the complete offside in January at Shirley Station is another currently in paint at Walsall that was repaired at Carlyle. Walsall garage have finished 4204 now so that should be out very soon as well

4141 is now repainted & retrimmed (didn't get the new engine)
http://wmbusphotos.com/NXWM/4001-4224/4141.html
4653 is now in service at AG, first Gemini there with grey spot seats
http://wmbusphotos.com/NXWM/4475-4699/4653.html

Having seen the pics of the new enviros for Central that Tony has uploaded today, does anyone know where these will be used. Will they be used to withdraw older darts or are they looking to expand?

74A, 78, 88 & 459

It is 4565 with the Rice krispies squares ad. 4563 hasn't because it is in NXWM colours

These are not allover adverts, only offside

To answer original question I have :-
2359 S614KHN - SY   -  EX ARRIVA SCOTLAND WEST
23?? S619KHN -  SY-  EX ARRIVA SCOTLAND WEST
2364 S632KHN -  SY  -  EX ARRIVA SCOTLAND WEST
2366 S643KHN-   SD -  EX ARRIVA SCOTLAND WEST
2383 Y40TGM  -   TF  -  EX ARRIVA NORTH EAST PREVIOUSLY SCOTLAND AND TGM
2384 Y50TGM  -   TF  -  EX ARRIVA NORTH EAST PREVIOUSLY SCOTLAND AND TGM

Tony

Stafford's 2366 has been caught in a flood right up to to window level, interior totally wrecked, cannot see that getting repaired

I love doing these kind of trips around the area. In one day, did Wolverhampton, Walsall, Coventry, Birmingham City Centre, Brownhills west and did I mention Coventry-tho Tony's list beats me. I take it you did it all by bus-what time did you set off in the morning?? Yesterday, tried Claribels to Chelmsley wood and back and then diamond on the 56 there and back

No several journies were by train, for instance Stourbridge to Wolverhampton, you would think catching the 256 would be the quickest, but the last bus I wanted to photograph was Hanson's 52 plate dart. It arrived at 12:40, next 256 is 13:00, so I caught the 12:44 train to Junction, 12:49 to Smethwick Galton Bridge; 13:08 to Wolverhampton and arrive 13:18, 42 minutes before the bus!

There was an ALX200 bodied either Dart or  B6LE on the 26 Pye Green yesterday, it had a private reg num, looked like ut had been refurbed and quite smart. anyone know anymore about this? why are all these buses bein transferred in & what are they replacing espec at cannock :)

It is a 10 year old, forth hand ex D&G vehicle fleetnumber 2328. A photo will appear on the main site in a couple of minutes

There was a scania omnilink in NXWM livery on the 935 today and a leather omnilink on the 66.

The 935 should have a lot of Omnilinks on for the next few weeks. I saw 5 different ones on on Thursday including 3 ex BC 17xx

The West Midlands Transport system is so bad today I have been out chasing odds & sods I wanted photographs of. In one day by public transport I managed to be at:-
Druids Heath to get Johnsons latest solo on the 69 http://wmbusphotos.com/Johnsons/MX08MYO.html
Stourbridge to get a Whittles dart I wanted http://wmbusphotos.com/Whittle/37.html
and wait for 1908 on the X96 http://wmbusphotos.com/NXWM/1750-1953/1908B.html
Northfield to get Diamond 20533 I hadn't got in red http://wmbusphotos.com/diamondpages/20533.html
Hamstead to get freshly painted 4475 http://wmbusphotos.com/NXWM/4475-4699/4475.html
pop in to Park lane to see if the new 2013 had arrived (it hadn't) but see 'rare workins' topic for photo of 4310 in Park Lane getting towed back!
Spend some time in Wolverhampton Town Centre for a couple of odds & sods http://wmbusphotos.com/Arriva/2266.html
also visited Bournville http://wmbusphotos.com/Trains/class323/323204.html
Smethwick http://wmbusphotos.com/Trains/class350/350256.html
I was in Birmingham City Centre to get a photo of 3225 having a Day out http://wmbusphotos.com/NXWM/3225-3614/3225.html
Oh and I nearly forgot, I dropped into Midlands depot to deliver a photograph album the company had ordered from me
http://wmbusphotos.com/Midland/3649.html

Yes the West Midlands Transport network is so bad I couldn't possibly do all that in one day, and still get home at 6pm to update this website!