Goodbye 445 - memories please

[fleetline6477]

With the Sandwell Review a number of long established routes and route numbers are disappearing. I'll be particularly sad to see the 445 go.

I can just about remember it pre deregulation the distinctive whistle of Ailsa Volvos and engine sound of Nationals. In those day alternate daytime journeys went from Quinton down to Halesowen and out to Hayley Green to turn around in the little cul-de-sac of the A456.

During MRW days of operation the route was extended from Quinton in Bull Ring Bus Station via West Boulevard, QEH / University and Bristol Road.

I'll try for one last ride tomorrow.

Anybody else out there got memories to share? I'll add more as we go along.

[Justin Tyme]

I rode on the 445 one Saturday afternoon, not long after it started, mainly to have a ride on an Ailsa up Mucklow Hill.  I wasn't disappointed.  We stormed past a Fleetline on the 130 (Birmingham - Stourbridge - it was later absorbed by the 9) and then cruised along the rest of the route to Smethwick.

[D10]

I remember in the early 90's when West Midlands Travel ran the Sunday service under Tender and published their timetables for it, only showing this Sunday service. Not sure though whether it was run by West Bromwich or Quinton garage?

The Monday to Saturday service was run by Midland Red West from Digbeth, so this was a marked contrast to other services at the time where the Mon - Sat service was run by WMT and the Sunday service by MRW under tender!

[fleetline6477]

I remember in the early 90's when West Midlands Travel ran the Sunday service under Tender and published their timetables for it, only showing this Sunday service. Not sure though whether it was run by West Bromwich or Quinton garage?

The Monday to Saturday service was run by Midland Red West from Digbeth, so this was a marked contrast to other services at the time where the Mon - Sat service was run by WMT and the Sunday service by MRW under tender!

Yes, it was West Bromwich and usually Mk IIA double deckers often running empty. Midland Red West at the time ran minibuses on late journeys. They ran dead to/from depot for driver relief. At about the same time Quinton ran the Sunday tender for the 443 Quinton Church - Dudley Road Hospital and MRW the rest of the time.

Birmingham Coach Company and City Speed travel were other operators who had that Sunday contract.

[sonic84]

Kind of linked, the 440, 443 and 445 were some of my favourite MRW services.

The 443 had such an odd route between Brandhall and Birmingham.  Am I right in thinking that there was a short period of time where when MRW altered the 440 to run between Birmingham and Perry Barr, instead of Brandhall to Perry Barr, that the 443 was extended via Four Dwellings and Court Oak to terminate in Bearwood.

I also thought it was ingenious when the Birmingham Coach Company took over they interworked it with the 221 running Bearwood to West Bromwich.  Infact, I believe you could buy tickets between Brandhall and Bearwood for either service.

I always wondered why only two services each way where extended to Worlds End on the 445.

There was also the 630, which I believe ran from Smethwich to Longbridge? was it via Worlds End.

[fleetline6477]

Re. your comments Sonic 84

For a good period of time the 440 / 443 interworked at Brandhall - so the diagram was 443 Bull Ring Bus Station - Brandhall, 440 Brandhall - Perry Barr, 440 Perry Barr - Brandhall, 443 Brandhall - Bull Ring Bus Station. Yes, the 440 did then begin to run Birmingham - Bearwood - Perry Barr this was only after MRW had ceased operations from Digbeth and Bull Ring Bus Station. The 440 was operated by Kidderminster and interworked with the 192 at Birmingham. Pete's travel began to run the 440 in competition between Bearwood and Perry Barr before taking the route over and it eventually was amalgamted with the 123 to run Perry Barr - Handsworth - Bearwood - Blackheath - Merry Hill. The Merry Hill terminus did cause confusion for many Handsworth residents who assumed it termiated at the Merry Hill Estate (Black Patch), Winson Green where the 616 Perry Barr - Foundry Lane also terminated.

The peak journeys on the 445 to / from Worlds End were historically left over from the 460 peak journeys Worlds End - Smethwick. These peak journey were on a separate subsidy contract for a time with Pete's running the peaks and Metropolitan the daytime service. Now all journeys on the 54/54A which have replaced the 445 including evenings and Sundays run Worlds End - Brandhall - Smethwick - West Bromwich.

The 630 was originally Worlds End Weoley Castle- Northfield and operated while the 453/453 Bull Ring Bus Station - University - Harborne - Worlds End - Smethwick when these ceased to operate the 630 became Smethwick - Northfield and was operarted by Little Red Bus, Zak's and Pete's Travel. For part of it's operation the 630 was extended from Northfield to Roundabout Estate, between Northfield and Longbridge.