Pensnett Garage

[BK63 YWP]

Just because its a sunday a number of reasons  i think the platinum  9   or X10 service interwork on sunday  could be on other service   off for checks or depends on whete they are parked  in the depot

PN 9 InterWorks with the 6
X10 InterWorks with the 18?

Though the latter could of change

[DJ]

PN 9 InterWorks with the 6
X10 InterWorks with the 18?

Though the latter could of change

Yep, the X10 still interworks with the 18 on Sundays.

[37351ml]

Noted 2103 being hauled by a recovery vehicle on the M5 northbound near west bromwich around midday today. Guessing it was walsall bound?

[busfan2847]

Does anyone know when Travel Merry Hill moved from the Merry Hill Shopping Centre to Pensnett depot and was there an intermediate depot on ten Pensnett estate? I have heard 1999 and August 2000 mentioned but have been unable to find accurate dates.

[ellspurs]

Does anyone know when Travel Merry Hill moved from the Merry Hill Shopping Centre to Pensnett depot and was there an intermediate depot on ten Pensnett estate? I have heard 1999 and August 2000 mentioned but have been unable to find accurate dates.

From what I've searched, 1999 is the date that they moved from Merry Hill to Pensnett, and August 2000 is when it seems to have been changed to "TWM Pensnett". (1999 date for the first movement is unsourced on Wikipedia, but has been in that article since it was created, and the August 2000 date is what I've observed on the vehicle movements of 501.

@Westy may have an idea, as I've also observed him talking with Mr. Fitchew on his blog

[the trainbasher]

Does anyone know when Travel Merry Hill moved from the Merry Hill Shopping Centre to Pensnett depot and was there an intermediate depot on ten Pensnett estate? I have heard 1999 and August 2000 mentioned but have been unable to find accurate dates.

It was a straight move from MH to the trading estate Iirc. I believe it was April 99 (if memory serves right). There is a plaque on the office wall at PN (Still there as at the last open day)

[Ian Hardy]

Does anyone know when Travel Merry Hill moved from the Merry Hill Shopping Centre to Pensnett depot and was there an intermediate depot on ten Pensnett estate? I have heard 1999 and August 2000 mentioned but have been unable to find accurate dates.

According to The Omnibus Society's Midland MOG (published by the late David Domin) the Merry Hill Shopping Centre operating centre was closed on 28/08/1993 and the new Pensnett depot opened on the following day (29/08/1993) which was the same day that the ex Midland Red Birmingham Road Dudley depot closed. Hartshill depot closed then about a month later on 26/09/1993.

[busfan2847]

According to The Omnibus Society's Midland MOG (published by the late David Domin) the Merry Hill Shopping Centre operating centre was closed on 28/08/1993 and the new Pensnett depot opened on the following day (29/08/1993) which was the same day that the ex Midland Red Birmingham Road Dudley depot closed. Hartshill depot closed then about a month later on 26/09/1993.

Ian. I think that was the Black Country Buses (Metrowest) depot at Lenches Bridge, Pensnett which was closed with Metrowest on 6th August 1994. TWM did not takeover Merry Hill Minibuses until March 1997.

[monkeyjoe]

Wasn't there a time TWM didn't have any depots in Dudley area and Wolverhampton & Hockley operated loads of them hence the creation of really long routes like the 258 Brum to Wol?

[PB2938]

Yes Dudley closed August 1993
Hartshill September 1993 their routes passed to Wolverhampton West Bromwich and West Bromwich.

Quinton covered a lot of Stourbridge routes

247 248 293 294 295 296 297 298 closed June 1997.

I think pensnett Travel Merry Hill was created summer 1997.

Travel Merry Hill started taking on routes from Wolverhampton mid 1998 243 264 265 being 1st examples.

[busfan2847]

Yes Dudley closed August 1993
Hartshill September 1993 their routes passed to Wolverhampton West Bromwich and West Bromwich.

Quinton covered a lot of Stourbridge routes

247 248 293 294 295 296 297 298 closed June 1997.

I think pensnett Travel Merry Hill was created summer 1997.

Travel Merry Hill started taking on routes from Wolverhampton mid 1998 243 264 265 being 1st examples.

When Dudley and Hartshill closed, their routes passed, in most cases, to Black Country Buses (t/a Metrowest). West Midlands Travel had purchased Metrowest on 13-Jul-1993. They had a depot in Bean Rd Coseley. The first Pensnett depot at Lenches Bridge opened in Sep 1993 to take over the routes from Dudley and Hartshill and another depot opened early in 1994(?) at the Delph Industrial Estate in Brierley Hill. All three of these depots were closed on 6th Aug 1994 when the Metrowest subsidiary closed. (or was Lenches Bridge closed when Delph opened?)

It was at this date that Black Country Services moved to QN, HY, WN and WB.

TWM acquired Merry Hill Minibuses in 19-Mar-1997 along with the operating base at Merry Hill Shopping Centre. Operations moved to the current Pensnett depot in April 1999 (thanks trainbasher). By then some of the TWM black Country routes had moved to TMH. Travel Merry Hill was renamed Travel WM fleet August 2000 or 27-Jan-2001?

It certainly was a confusing 10 years for operations in the Black Country!

[PB2938]

11 May 1998 official Travel Merry Hill opening found this on flickr

https://flic.kr/p/p7eW3z

[DJ]

11 May 1998 official Travel Merry Hill opening found this on flickr

https://flic.kr/p/p7eW3z

It was likely open before that though, as those 'openings' are usually ceremonial, and done a short while afterwards. My secondary school had it's new buildings opened by Prince Philip for example, which happened around 6 months after they actually opened.

[PB2938]

May of been earlier but remember definitely 1998 era opposed to 1999 Travel Merry Hill collecting Wolverhampton routes summer 1998.

243 257 264 265

[Trident 4194]

Is there a e200 booked on a peak 9 board or something? Yesterday I saw one on the 9 and today I saw an e200 going up hagley road displaying bus full - I presumed was on the 9.