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The more I read of this fiasco the more angry I become, from the very start the contractors have been completely uncooperative, its not rocket science to remove the old stone safely before demolition takes place but time and time again they rule it out on "safety grounds" giving them the excuse to just smash it to the ground and leave it with the rest of the rubble. Its amazing how it was possible back in 1975 to remove the stone signs and install them in the new building but its somehow impossible to do the same today.......

I do not know for sure, but I have marked up the DJS fleetlist to be an odd / even split so likely happened in late 1980 or early 1981. Certainly the next batch of Metrobuses 2156-2167 were delivered split odd and even and they arrived January 1981.

That's brilliant thanks. A list I have from September 1980 shows the allocations still in batches so the return to the odd/even split must have happened between then and January 1981. I can focus my research on those four months now and hopefully narrow it down further. It involves the history of two of my buses hence the interest in pinning down the dates.

Reading through the lists with much interest. The odd/even fleet number split between Sandy Lane and Harnall Lane that had existed in the past and was discontinued in the late 1960's was brought back in during the 1980's but going by the lists this hadn't happened by mid 1980 (buses still allocated in batches or in some cases randomly) but by 1984 the odd/even split was back. Does anyone have an exact date this happened? Been asking this for a while but no definite answers so far.

I travelled on the 291, both directions recently. It was operated by Optare Solo YK05 CBY and also Mercedes O814 Plaxton Beaver T74 WGH. The latter surprised me as its some time since I saw one anywhere on stage carriage work.

4053 has turned up in Dublin with Express Bus (Alan Martin Coaches) as their DD17 re-registered 00-D-120347 still in NXWM red and white. Another has been repainted yellow and is re-registered 00-D-120345 and might be former 4115 but needs confirming.

1578 is another that vanished unrecorded, it and 1646 are the only Mercs I don't have a disposal for. At the time they both went all others were heading to PVS so wonder if its safe to assume these two went the same way??

I understand that 6 Mercs will see further service with another operator in Ireland

I will be watching this with interest, maybe not the end of the Mercs yet for me!!

How about 'Fighting Cocks' on the 1 between Wolverhampton and Sedgley?  Or 'Lane Arms' on the 529 at Bentley?

They don't seem to like using that place name on anything now, not used on the "talking" stops on the hybrids and most maps have erased it too. Can't say if it still exists on fare stages or not....

If you wear a hi viz in Pool Meadow you won't have time to take any photos as people will continually come up to you asking "where does the bus to ..... go from" or "I can't see the coach to Stanstead Airport on the real time information screen"!

Actually that happened to me when last in Pool Meadow, wasn't wearing a hi viz but a blue shirt which people mistook for a bus uniform! I was doing up my fleet list print offs and jotting down the routes the Mercs were on that day to plan my trips for the afternoon. Very soon I was fielding questions about bus routes and even pointing people in the direction of the toilets!

I have taken hundreds of photos in West Brom usually from the fence at the top corner (end of St Michael Street) which is probably debatable as to whether its part of the bus station or public footpath but have never had any hassle, no problems at Merry Hill either, maybe just lucky. At Dudley I just stand at the perimeter and photograph usually with the inspector on duty who I can't praise enough for his friendliness and helpfulness to me.

Thanks - it must be that one that I was thinking of. We still don't know what 1743 was doing in before 2/99 if it was finished by UVG before their closure a year earlier.

Thats often the case of demonstrators even going back to the earliest days. Recently looking up the history of BCT prototype Leyland PD2 296 (HOJ 396) and its existence and role before being delivered to Birmingham in Sept 1947 is shrouded in mystery, no records even exist of it being built on the production line!! Back to 1743 its a bus I really like and now the only UVG example still in service.

I find both options exciting to be honest, if pushed I would go for option 1. No problem paying whatever the agreed price is. As I will be travelling over from Dublin I will have to book time off work and sort flights and hotel etc so hope they are able to give as much notice as is reasonably possible as I don't want to miss this.

It was tram 710 having looked at the clip on you tube!

Just checked my old copies of Trams Magazine and issue 5 says it was 703.

I got the details slightly wrong in the fact that the fare was 12p and the note tendered was a £20 note.

I was sure it was a low number,  either  701- 02-03- 04  or so I thought.. but if there is photographic evidence I will look it up.

Yes! found it!   it was 710.. with 703 beside it.   Pretty sure neither one of them exist anymore ,although one of the others has been retained for preservation

710 is stored by a failed preservation group, while it still exists its future is not secure. Several others are also preserved in various condition.

The Coventry withdrawn Mercs, 1558,1563,1566,1569,1608,1625,1680 are parked out of service, as reported in this topic, at the the depot. Of these 1608,1680,1558, and 1625 are at the front of the depot and 1566,1569, and 1563 are  lined up at the rear.   1558 and 1625 are acting as a fence to seal the front depot from adjacent cleared ground where the Theartre One building has been demolished, they are sandwiched in so close together, one behind the other, it looks difficult when the time comes to prise them apart. Some of these buses have been out of service since Septemer 2014

Many thanks for the latest update on these.

hmmm. I have just had an email from an NXWM manager asking if I thought a Mercedes final day tour would be a good idea and if it would be worth doing!
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Yes! Those things were priceless.
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I will be booking my travel and hotel for definite! They deserve a proper send off.

Haven't seen 1585 for a while. Guess I'm just being unlucky.

Yes on my recent visit I couldn't find my old friend 1585 at all in spite of being around West Brom quite regularly over four days. Didn't see 1613 either.....