Kings Heath, old bus routes

[Barmad]

Hi there

I'm after a bit of help with old bus routes if anyone can help?

I'm working on a project looking at the history of some of the bus routes serving King's Heath operated by BCT/WMPTE/WMT/NXWM. I'm a member of King's Heath Local History Society, and I'm looking at this in relation to the development and expansion of the city over the last century.

I've already covered the major routes - 2, 11, 27, 35, 48/49/50; now I'm after a bit of information on the 'lesser' routes. I'm after anything about the 69, 76, 77, 163, 164/185 ... and any others? I'm told there was once a route numbered SWL?

Thanks in advance

[j789]

The SWL (south west link) ran between Bearwood and Kings Heath using branded Leyland Lynxes. The route covered much of the same as the 11A/C but also served the QE hospital.It ran in the late 1990s The 69 route went from Worley Castle to Solihull and beyond. Some of the route became the 76 when that changed route. The 76 itself was formally the A6 and originally went to Birmingham airport before being cut back.

[j789]

The 177/178 ran via Kings  Heath between Birmingham and Redditch. This route has now become the 150/X50 but now follows a different route into Birmingham to previously. I am unsure of the other routes like the 163/164/185 as I do not remember them unfortunately.

[MasterPlan]

The 69 route went from Worley Castle to Solihull and beyond. Some of the route became the 76 when that changed route. The 76 itself was formally the A6 and originally went to Birmingham airport before being cut back.

Didn't the 69 get curtailed to Weoley Castle - Heartlands Hospital before it was withdrawn?

[Walsall1955]

Services 165 / 185 became WMPTE operated (taken over from Midland Red) on 3 December 1973.
Here is a WMPTE ex Midland Red bus on the 185 service which shows a destination Chelmsley Wood via Solihull:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/walsall1955/7091190315/

[Mike K]

The 163 service referred to ran from Kings Heath to Yardley Wood via Hollybank Road and Chinn Brook Road. Both this and the 2, Weoley Castle to Kings Heath, became part of the long 69 route, Weoley Castle to Heartlands Hospital.

The 77 ran alongside the 27 between Kings Heath and Northfield via Bournville, but went via Turves Green to Longbridge Station instead of down to West Heath.

[winston]

Depending on how detailed you are going, there was also the Smiths Coaches Shennington (ta Yourbus) which was later acquired by WMT & re-branded Travel Yourbus. Their routes via Kings Heath included A6Y/C6Y, 50Y, 53Y, 54Y

Yourbus:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/59615439@N03/albums/72157626341651553
https://www.flickr.com/photos/mcwmetrobuses/albums/72157661532149353

Yourbus 50Y:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/59615439@N03/albums/72157632209957828

SWL branded Lynx:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/59615439@N03/15852928355/in/album-72157649008760928/

[busfan2847]

Services 165 / 185 became WMPTE operated (taken over from Midland Red) on 3 December 1973.
Here is a WMPTE ex Midland Red bus on the 185 service which shows a destination Chelmsley Wood via Solihull:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/walsall1955/7091190315/

165 and 185 were not taken over from Midland Red. They came about in the 1975 reorganization. Before then the ex Midland Red services covering parts of the route were:-

170 Wythall Church and Acocks Green via Grimes Hill, Maypole, Shirley, Kineton Green Rd and Olton
172 Wythall (Barkers La) and Acocks Green via Alcester Rd, Maypole, Shirley, Kineton Green Rd and Olton
175 Shirley Station to Chelmsley Wood via Solihull and Yardley

The 170, 172 and 175 were reformed as the 165 and 185 with one going via Haslucks Green Rd and the other via Shirley Station.

In October 1974 the only services thru Kings Heath were:
WMPTE 2, 11, 35 (Kings Heath to Brandwood Park Rd only), 48, 49 (Rush hour only), 50
MROC 148 (Birmingham - Evesham), 348 (Birmingham - ?) and X8 (Birminghma - Redditch - Matchborough limited stop).

[Barmad]

Thanks for the great information...

I remember the 77 following the 27 quite closely, but I couldn't remember the details. I know it stopped around deregulation, with WMT launching a new 77 service along the Soho Road, but do you happen to know when the Kings Heath 77 started?

I'm intrigued by the SWL oddball; thanks for the link to the picture. I'm interested in its route - why follow the 11? Only a historian like me would find it fascinating that Kings Heath to Bearwood was the route of the original 10, which was merged with sister route 11 to form the Outer Circle in 1926... How frequently did the SWL run?

I thought that the 163 was a daytime-only shoppers' service in the last days of WMPTE?

Am I right in thinking that the 2 finally disappeared in 1989 when the 69 was introduced?

My era was late WMPTE / early WMT so I'm at a loss with more recent changes; when did the 27 begin its metamorphosis into the snaking monster it is today? Every street in south Birmingham seems to have a 27 on  it, or a 76!

Sorry for all the questions  ::)

[j789]

I'm intrigued by the SWL oddball; thanks for the link to the picture. I'm interested in its route - why follow the 11? Only a historian like me would find it fascinating that Kings Heath to Bearwood was the route of the original 10, which was merged with sister route 11 to form the Outer Circle in 1926... How frequently did the SWL run?

I think it was to help with the unreliability of the 11A/C over that stretch of the route but also to give a link from South Birmingham to the QE hospital as one did not exist (Now there is the 84 route). I believe it was every 20 minutes. I used to use the 11 a lot to and from school and remember speaking with a 11A driver from AG garage, as well as hearing this from other sources at the time, who said there were problems with the Yardley Wood garage run SWL taking passengers away from the 11 route so they stopped it. I could never understand this as both routes were the same company so it made little sense to me, unless the AG drivers were worried the 11 frequency may be reduced I suppose and reduce overtime etc.

[Mike K]

I too recall the SWL being every 20 minutes but thought that it was run from the Selly Oak Elliot Rd depot (former Pattersons yard), an outstation of Birmingham Central garage, rather than Yardley Wood?

The 163 was indeed a daytime only shoppers service. The 164 Kings Heath to Yardley Yew Tree (a replacement for the 185) was the other route that was replaced by the 69.

I'm not too hot on dates on the 77, other than recalling it being around in the early to mid 1980s. A forum member by the name of Justin Tyme is a wealth of knowledge on former BCT and WMPTE routes and dates - hopefully he'll drop by soon.

[Busmapper]

You may find the UK transport wiki WM bus route 76 page of interest.

[monkeyjoe]

I also remember when they trial the 69 running to Whythall however that didn't last very long. Early 00s maybe??

[Mike K]

You may find the UK transport wiki WM bus route 76 page of interest.

Yes, interesting. I hadn't realised that the 2 had been extended to Yardley Wood shortly before the 69 route was introduced. Funny how things come full circle, with the 2 serving the QE Hospital up to the early 1970s and its modern day equivalent the 76 now doing the same. Routes were often more reliable in those days due both to much lighter traffic but also due to them generally being much shorter - the 2 for example was just Kings Heath - Selly Park - Selly Oak for some time.

[sonic84]

I also remember when they trial the 69 running to Whythall however that didn't last very long. Early 00s maybe??

Yes the 69 had a couple of variants.

69 Weoley Castle to Heartlands Hospital
69A Selly Oak to Solihull
69B Weoley Castle to Wythall

The 69A and 69B were withdrawn around 2005 I think and the 69 curtailed to run Weoley Castle to Solihull only with a new 169 taking up the Heartlands Hospital to Solihull section (Now the 73)

Then in 2009 I believe the 69 was cut to Brandwood to Wythall. Lasted a year I think.