Old Garages

[midlandred2003]

Who is using it then tony?

[Tony]

Who is using it then tony?

That is where you will find the Travel Express fleet

[fleetline6477]

Who is using it then tony?

That is where you will find the Travel Express fleet

And during the day they rent it out as a public car park. So, you can park, often among some buses for a £1.

[Roy]

Harts Hill - on the Dudley Road (246/297 routes) from Brierley Hill to Dudley.  It was on the right on the corner of Canal Street.  The site was used as (I think) a car repair business until relatively recently, but has now been demolished and the site is now wasteland.  Street view at https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.491247,-2.117083,3a,75y,144.05h,70.47t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s3px5cKNVX2a7qIUEy0ON7w!2e0?hl=en-GB

I've since discovered Harts Hill garage was demolished late 2011-early 2012.  This is the Street view from September 2011 showing the old depot.https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.491016,-2.117218,3a,75y,129.6h,89.06t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sF--SFVNciy1Nd5kIOvxygQ!2e0?hl=en-GB

[winston]

Merry hill

Part is now a car park with a bit of matalan and a road covering it now.

With metros, Lynxes, b10s and Optare metroriders among other stuff

I've still got a picture of the makeshift 'Travel Merry Hill' garage at the back of B&Q

[Bob]

Was park Lane closed for a period and reopened when Cleveland rd shut? I used to work at the royal hospital nearby in the records office. Shocking shame when they closed that place too. I remember to get in to town there was a huge subway under the roundabout near where the tram terminus is now. Dont think its there no more

[Stuharris 6360]

A few more to remember.

Stourbridge - opposite the current Interchange alongside the Ring Road where the Mercedes-Benz dealership now stands.  Street view at https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.455948,-2.14374,3a,75y,2.07h,81.7t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s264YG7-yTiCvB2MTjpKOqw!2e0?hl=en-GB and an old photo at http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3jrdJMGTeis/TyAjNcLJvSI/AAAAAAAAF5Q/RbDbf09gH64/s1600/1169.JPG 

Trying to age the photo of Stourbridge Bus Station, i know that WN started to share the running of the Stourbridge Wolverhampton service in 1977 although at that time it was numbered 556. Can anyone remember when it was renumbered back to 256. 4701 was withdrawn in 1986.

[Roy]

Hi Stu

I have a couple of old timetables, but can't pin down the actual year. 

It was Midland Red 882/885 until December 1973, and was renumbered 256 on takeover by WMPTE.  In December 1976, there were major changes in the Stourbridge area but it remained 256, with alternate journeys operating via Cot Lane as 255 (incidentally the fare from Stourbridge to Wolverhampton was 20p!).  The 257 Stourbridge to Dudley started then. 

The renumbering scheme which renumbered Wolverhampton services 500-599 happened in late 1977, so it could have been renumbered 556 then.  It was still the 556 in 1985 with rush hour 555's operating direct via the A449 and avoiding Wombourne. 

It changed back to 256 in 1993 when Harts Hill closed and the 258 (Birmingham - Kingswinford - Wolverhampton) and 259 (Dudley - Kingswinford - Wolverhampton) were introduced.   

[Stuharris 6360]

@Roy thanks for that, i am thinking then the pic must be somewhere around 1975/6 then, although i can't remember if WN joint operated the service with SE at that time.

[Roy]

Sorry, I've just had a look at two of the timetables again.  The August 1975 timetable shows that the first journey and last journey of the day started/terminated at Stourbridge, meaning that it was probably operated solely by Stourbridge garage.  The changes on 5 December 1976, show the first journeys at 0615 from Wolverhampton and 0600 from Stourbridge and the last journeys at 2300 from each end.  Thus it would appear that Wolverhampton started sharing the route from that date.

[Stuharris 6360]

@Roy Must be around 1976/7 when the pic was taken then.

Stourbridge Bus Station was to me iconic, you could go inside to catch the 245/6/50/56/7/S92/3 (1976), plus buy a bar of chocolate or a milk/squash in a tetrapak from the machines and see all the drivers/conductors in the canteen.

Would never be allowed in the current Health & Safety enviroment.

[Westy]

Was park Lane closed for a period and reopened when Cleveland rd shut? I used to work at the royal hospital nearby in the records office. Shocking shame when they closed that place too. I remember to get in to town there was a huge subway under the roundabout near where the tram terminus is now. Dont think its there no more

Wasn't Park Lane originally shut at deregulation (used for reserve fleet? ), with Wolverhampton operations concentrated on Cleveland Road until they decided to shut that & operate from Park Lane instead?

[D10]

Was park Lane closed for a period and reopened when Cleveland rd shut? I used to work at the royal hospital nearby in the records office. Shocking shame when they closed that place too. I remember to get in to town there was a huge subway under the roundabout near where the tram terminus is now. Dont think its there no more

Wasn't Park Lane originally shut at deregulation (used for reserve fleet? ), with Wolverhampton operations concentrated on Cleveland Road until they decided to shut that & operate from Park Lane instead?

Yes, Dudley, Hartshill and Cleaveland Road all shut around the same time, operations were transferred to a fully re-opened Park Lane, other garages and Metrowest.

Not sure what the future of the Cleveland Road site is, haven't Tescos got plans for the area?

[Justin Tyme]

Sorry, I've just had a look at two of the timetables again.  The August 1975 timetable shows that the first journey and last journey of the day started/terminated at Stourbridge, meaning that it was probably operated solely by Stourbridge garage.  The changes on 5 December 1976, show the first journeys at 0615 from Wolverhampton and 0600 from Stourbridge and the last journeys at 2300 from each end.  Thus it would appear that Wolverhampton started sharing the route from that date.

Yes, that is correct.  5 December 1976 was the day when the former Midland Red 256 was integrated with the former Wolverhampton Penn, Wombourne and Swindon services (11, 36, 37, 38, etc) to form the 253-256.  The 256 was rerouted via Wombourne at this point, instead of travelling direct along the A449.  Stourbridge and Wolverhampton jointly worked the 255 and 256, but only Wolves operated the 253 and 254, if I recall correctly.

[Solo1]

Did travel wm have an outstation in selly oak using pattersons
yard