Old Bus Routes

[monkeyjoe]

One more old route I've noticed from looking at photos:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/44483738@N05/4435032379/

94B from Birmingham City Centre to "Chelmsley Wood North" (Arran Way, Smith's Wood). It ran as the 94 from Smith's Wood to the Fox & Goose, then via Alum Rock Road to Saltley before continuing the 94 route to the city centre.

Distinctly remember catching this one on occasions either when I wanted to go to the Capitol Cinema in Pelham, or when I needed to go to the shops and you could see it waiting at the bus stand.

Did this used to serve Lancaster way from memory

[ellspurs]

Did this used to serve Lancaster way from memory

I don't remember it doing so. If it did, they didn't erect any bus stops up past the Collector Road (towards Green Lane) until the 99 started going Auckland Drive, Green Lane, Lanchester Way to get to its terminus.

[PB2938]

I heard they had one, but didn't think it lasted that long.

The X92 they won at deregulation, or just before, didn't last long either.

There was a few years of new tenders being won by WMT, but being lost by the next tender round, certainly in Walsall.

Will have to think to see if there's any Walsall routes that were never operated at any point by WMT etc.

The first one that springs to mind is the evening & Sunday 8a, that was operated via Field Road in Bloxwich. That was a mixture of Arriva & Diamond ISTR.

The 8A was operated by TWM pre 2008 as service 361. The only difference was serving Lower Farm Estate then Stafford Road to Bloxwich instead of serving Field Road which was rerouted when the Walsall network review April 2010. The 25 was previous 347 Bloxwich -Aldridge operated by WMT 1989 & 1995 not sure of any other time.

[Crosville]

192/194 ran around every 60/70 minutes. There was generally 2 buses used but a journey time of 1hr Solihull - Coventry

Coventry departure would be 1405 1505 1615 1725.

Travel yourbus took over 192Y 194 around October 1994 using Dafs.

In June 1998 the 192Y 194Y was extended to Birmingham running hourly using 4 buses Leyland lynxs 1126 1128 1220 1278 drifted in EX Travel Merry Hill.

There was also a Varient 193Y serving Warwick University .

September 1999 would see the 192 194 Transferred yo TWM Acocks Green Garage running Coventry - Acocks Green hourly using Leyland Lynxs 3 buses.

Route 192 194 cut back to Solihull 2 buses running previous  60/70 minute frequency.

I Rode 192 194 many times Great route always single deck Lynxs then B10Ls. In the final years 2008 2009 was operated by Volvo Gemini.

Travel Coventry took over the 192/194 as new service 19W hourly January 2009. Not sure when the 19W was given up.

192 was 2 hourly, 194 was 2 hourly with a joint hourly service, main difference in the route was Balsall Common to Tile Green the 192 went via Hodgetts Lane & Cromwell Lane, 194 vis Hodgetts Lane & Duggins Lane, i caught these routes a couple of times, i remember one occasion a Plaxton coach debranded from National Express coaches[still in white livery but no company name[ was allocated to the route which was quite weird for such a route.

[Westy]

The 8A was operated by TWM pre 2008 as service 361. The only difference was serving Lower Farm Estate then Stafford Road to Bloxwich instead of serving Field Road which was rerouted when the Walsall network review April 2010. The 25 was previous 347 Bloxwich -Aldridge operated by WMT 1989 & 1995 not sure of any other time.

Mmm yes, but the 347 never went to Aldridge!

It started out as an experimental service in the PTE days between Bloxwich & Brownhills, then at deregulation it formed part of a long minibus route between Brownhills, Pelsall, Bloxwich, via the back of Asda, like the current 25, then found it's way onto the Forest Estate & came onto the Bloxwich Road, just north of the depot at Beeches Road, then down to Walsall, then onto Chuckery & Gillity Village, replacing the then 378 service.

In February (?) 1987, a 378a was introduced between Walsall & Gillity, I think to serve certain parts of that route that wasn't covered by the 347. At some point, the route was fully split, with the Bloxwich to Walsall section withdrawn. (That would have been at some point in early 1987, as the route was Bloxwich to Brownhills, starting in Bloxwich near to the old TP Riley Annexe, as I was catching it at lunchtime from there back to the TP 'other site' in Lichfield Road(now Walsall Academy!).

Not sure exactly when it changed to it's next version, which was basically the route as it was now between Bloxwich & Pelsall, also serving Ryders Hayes, but the next time I caught it, with a friend, to go to Pelsall, we caught it from Chantry Avenue & it was a WMT Irish Dart that was showing 347 still.

Will have to look at the old maps, to give me an idea.

[Bus_user_jay]

Has anyone got any information on what route the 78 used to take? I'm aware it was operated by West Bromwich garage and stopped c.2000 after being shortened to Birmingham - West Bromwich - Wednesbury

I know that it followed the 79 route, B'ham - Handsworth - West Brom - Wednesbury - Darlaston - Moxley - Bilston - Wolverhampton. But unsure where it went between West Bromwich & Wednesbury, other than Hateley Heath. Did it follow what is now the 47 route? Or were there any other parts of the route that deviated from the 79 route? Cheers  :)

[DJ]

Has anyone got any information on what route the 78 used to take? I'm aware it was operated by West Bromwich garage and stopped c.2000 after being shortened to Birmingham - West Bromwich - Wednesbury

I know that it followed the 79 route, B'ham - Handsworth - West Brom - Wednesbury - Darlaston - Moxley - Bilston - Wolverhampton. But unsure where it went between West Bromwich & Wednesbury, other than Hateley Heath. Did it follow what is now the 47 route? Or were there any other parts of the route that deviated from the 79 route? Cheers  :)

I'm not sure on the exact routing, but I'm pretty sure it survived longer than around 2000, as I remember using it when I was younger. I was only 1 or 2 in 2000, so I highly doubt I'd have remembered it if it went then.

[the trainbasher]

Has anyone got any information on what route the 78 used to take? I'm aware it was operated by West Bromwich garage and stopped c.2000 after being shortened to Birmingham - West Bromwich - Wednesbury

I know that it followed the 79 route, B'ham - Handsworth - West Brom - Wednesbury - Darlaston - Moxley - Bilston - Wolverhampton. But unsure where it went between West Bromwich & Wednesbury, other than Hateley Heath. Did it follow what is now the 47 route? Or were there any other parts of the route that deviated from the 79 route? Cheers  :)

Iirc it followed what is now the 47 route between Wednesbury and West Brom (i believe it got cut at one stage to Parkway Metro)

[sryan188]

Has anyone got any information on what route the 78 used to take? I'm aware it was operated by West Bromwich garage and stopped c.2000 after being shortened to Birmingham - West Bromwich - Wednesbury

I know that it followed the 79 route, B'ham - Handsworth - West Brom - Wednesbury - Darlaston - Moxley - Bilston - Wolverhampton. But unsure where it went between West Bromwich & Wednesbury, other than Hateley Heath. Did it follow what is now the 47 route? Or were there any other parts of the route that deviated from the 79 route? Cheers  :)

Here is part of the Sandwell & Dudley Map from May 1998
It follows the current 47 route apart from a slight difference in Hateley Heath but there is both the 78 & 78A operating in 1998.
78 operates Birmingham to Wednesbury every 12 minutes and the 78A operates West Bromwich to Wednesbury every 20 minutes.

Its listed as a service in the Nov 2002 Birmingham Map but then the 78 only operates every 30 minutes - can't see if the 78A still operates from that map unfortunately. Think it became the 428/429?

When the 78 operated through to Wolverhampton it operated a different route between Wednesbury & Darlaston but from Darlaston to Wolverhampton they both operated the same route.

[Bus_user_jay]

Thanks for all the info! Very interesting seeing that map and all those old routes! I did wonder if it followed the current 47. So how did it go to Darlaston? Straight down Trouse Lane and Darlaston Road?

[sryan188]

Thanks for all the info! Very interesting seeing that map and all those old routes! I did wonder if it followed the current 47. So how did it go to Darlaston? Straight down Trouse Lane and Darlaston Road?

I've got a 1990 Wolverhampton Map and you can just see the 78 uses Darlaston Road & the 79 uses Holyhead Road/Dangerfield Road (see attachment)

79 changed when Holyhead Road was converted in to the Black Country Route (circa '97) i think then it went to the current Trouse Lane, Darlaston Road, Woden Road West & Dangerfield Lane that it operates now. That is probably when the 78 was curtailed to Wednesbury with the 639 picking up the rest of Darlaston Road.

[Crosville]

I have a 2001 Sandwell & Dudley map & the 78/78A still operated Birmingham/West Bromwich-Wednesbury then & still every 20 minutes for each route, there was an evening & Sunday 478 Bearwood-Wednesbury, which followed the 78 The Hawthorns to Wednesbury operated by Pete's Travel

[Crosville]

Another thing, what were the changes when the Midland Metro opened, i think the 979 was withdrawn, replaced by the 80 which was only Wednesbury-Birmingham, leaving Holyhead Road/Church Street unserved

[DJ]

Another thing, what were the changes when the Midland Metro opened, i think the 979 was withdrawn, replaced by the 80 which was only Wednesbury-Birmingham, leaving Holyhead Road/Church Street unserved

The 979 carried on until 2000 I believe, with the 78 extended to Bilston at the same time, if my memory serves me right.

[Crosville]

The 979 carried on until 2000 I believe, with the 78 extended to Bilston at the same time, if my memory serves me right.

I see.

I've got a 1997 Wolverhampton bus map & that shows a 76 Wolverhampton-Wednesbury every 20 minutes via the withdrawn section of the 78, the 76 was withdrawn by 2001.