Buses and routes of old

[the trainbasher]

@Chris

226/X96 replaced the 264/5/274/5
The only difference between the night and day was the 274/5 went via Netherton instead of Holly Hall, at one stage (Under Petes Travel) didn't serve Hawbush Road but did a loop of the Swan Lane estate off Brierley Hill Road, and I believe the 274/5 followed the 264A route round Russell's Hall Estate (with the 264/5 following what's now the 205 route through the Estate)

Ironically Hansons brought back (in a way) the 264/5 style circle when they interworked the 226 with the X26.

Talking about the 264/5...does anyone remember the shorts that went via Broad Street Kingswinford :-)

[Westy]

When was the Dudley - Walsall - Hednesford route split at Walsall due to the Bridge pedestrisation?

Taking a guess, just before deregulation.

[the trainbasher]

@Chris

The 236/7 is only related to the 297 for the High Oak to Gornal bit. The 236/7 used to run out of Brierley Hill down Bank Street, Commonside, High Oak to get to High Oak.

Ironically the 139 did a trip in TMH colours from High Oak, but who can guess what the TWM High Oak terminators were numbered...

[woody38]

Limited stop buses to Chelmsley Wood,  thing it was the 962 via the collector road thing they ran up to the light 90s, used to take half the time it takes now & they where well used.  To my knowledge there is no buses along the collector road now what a waste, thats what it was buit for to get people from Birmingham to Chelmsley Wood fast

[Tony]

Limited stop buses to Chelmsley Wood,  thing it was the 962 via the collector road thing they ran up to the light 90s, used to take half the time it takes now & they where well used.  To my knowledge there is no buses along the collector road now what a waste, thats what it was buit for to get people from Birmingham to Chelmsley Wood fast

Hardly 'half the time' It was timetabled for 35 minutes City Centre to Pine Square. Some 14s are currently timetabled at 32 minutes.

To be fair those are the late evening 14s, so a fair comparison with those would be the 962N which was timetabled at 28 minutes

[Squiz1971]

Limited stop buses to Chelmsley Wood,  thing it was the 962 via the collector road thing they ran up to the light 90s, used to take half the time it takes now & they where well used.  To my knowledge there is no buses along the collector road now what a waste, thats what it was buit for to get people from Birmingham to Chelmsley Wood fast

The 962 was then replaced by the 993 & 994 using route branded DP lynxes I believe or standard route branded lynxes till they were withdrawn when I am not sure early 00's possibly but not 100% sure

[2206]

Wasn't the main  YW 6 also extended from Solihull to the airport for a short term with branded metros with a red strip or am I going mad?

Yellow strip.

[Mike K]

Technically cream branding (the 37 was yellow) but the branding also continued on the red band that was part of the livery so the confusion is understandable:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/59615439@N03/8565542547

[Justin Tyme]

What came after then? I'm pretty sure it didn't go 197 to 966. The time line is what I wondering.
I.e was it:-

197
73
6
Then 966

The 197 started in January 1976, running Solihull - Birmingham International Station via Sheldon and the old Airport terminal.   At the same time the 199 started, running Castle Vale - NEC (South Car Park) via Chelmsley Wood.

In November 1976 the 199 was extended to Solihull, replacing the 197.  In 1978 it was diverted to Acocks Green instead of Solihull - by this time a 999 was running between Solihull and International Station via the M42, using DP Leyland Nationals which really motored along what was then a quiet motorway.

In 1982 the 199 was rerouted again to return to Solihull, and this time ran from the old Airport terminal via Damsonwood, instead of via Sheldon.  I think this lasted until Deregulation in 1986.  It was replaced by the 188, operated by West Midlands Travel, running Castle Vale - Solihull over a similar but not identical route.  This was later transformed into the 73, but WMT did not run that for long - I remember a trip on the 73 circa 1990 on a Burman Travel Leyland Leopard.

[Ronnoc]

The 4 used to be good memories, driving around south east Birmingham and getting lost lol. Did anybody remember the 38 route?

[D10]

The 4 used to be good memories, driving around south east Birmingham and getting lost lol. Did anybody remember the 38 route?

I remember well the Acocks Green to Dorridge route 38, is that the one you mean?

[2206]

The 4 used to be good memories, driving around south east Birmingham and getting lost lol. Did anybody remember the 38 route?

City Centre - Airport?

[Stuharris 6360]

City Centre - Airport?

Wasn't City Centre to Airport the 58?

[MW]

The 38 was Birmingham to Airport as far as I remember. Ran by B6LEs weren't it? Or was it B10s?

[2206]

Wasn't City Centre to Airport the 58?

The 58 just followed the 900A route today to the Airtpot (through Small Heath), using Tridents. The 38 went through Acocks Green and Olton

It used Volvo B6LE.
http://wmbusphotos.com/NXWM/0501-0830/525.html