Brumstopdogs Posted March 2 Share Posted March 2 On 23/02/2024 at 21:58, Xela said: Still in the top 30% of drivers in Great Barr. Rumour has it he also has a Wolverhampton taxi licence… 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted March 2 VT Supporter Share Posted March 2 I've been away too long. One of my birthday presents was the book pictured below. Many of the paintings are of Birmingham buses, from the routes that I used to use (nos 1, 50, 11, etc.) I was bewildered by the fact that - with one blue and cream exception - the paintings depict all the buses in red livery. What? I only remember the 'Midland Reds' being that colour, never the 'Corporation'/WMPTE buses. In his introduction, the author states: "The fact that when I started and until quite recently the buses were a lovely striking red colour was great for me visually as the pictures would catch the eyes of passers by on my stalls especially in large poster size". This has rocked my world. When did blue and cream go out? And what are they now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xela Posted March 2 Share Posted March 2 2 hours ago, mjmooney said: This has rocked my world. When did blue and cream go out? And what are they now? They were blue and cream when I was a kid, but they went to blue and silver around the late 80s Then my mind is a bit hazy... but I think it went something like this Red/white/blue Red/white and Green/white for the early Hybrids. Red To the recent times 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted March 2 VT Supporter Share Posted March 2 Wow. In my mind they have always been, still are, and always will be blue and cream. I am genuinely shocked by this! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xela Posted March 2 Share Posted March 2 (edited) 49 minutes ago, mjmooney said: Wow. In my mind they have always been, still are, and always will be blue and cream. I am genuinely shocked by this! The Leyland and MCW's in blue and cream are the buses I remember my Mom taking me to school on as a kid The colour change to red, white and blue was because of the merging of operations with National Express, and adopting their colours. I was also a fan of the silver and blue in both regular, and 'Timesaver' guise Edited March 2 by Xela Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xela Posted March 2 Share Posted March 2 There was a black/silver Tracline as well, which was a 'guided' bus route \ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tracline_65 Quote Tracline 65 was a bus route in Birmingham, England which included the first guided busway in the United Kingdom. The existing route 65 bus route was upgraded as part of an experiment to improve bus services, by the West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive. A 600-metre section of concrete-edged guideway was installed on Streetly Road in the Short Heath area, a few miles from Erdington village, at the northern terminal of the route. Located in a central reservation once used by Birmingham Corporation trams, it was segregated from the carriageway used by other vehicular traffic. At the southern end of the trackway, buses used ordinary roads to reach the city centre. Fourteen MCW Metrobus Mark II buses were acquired and fitted with guide wheels, which ran along the guideway's concrete edges. The vehicles were painted in a distinct livery, unique to Tracline 65, being silver with black and red detailing. It began operating in 1984. The trial ended in 1987 and all buses had their guide wheels removed and returned to normal services; the last withdrawn on 26 April 2008. The buses retained their distinctive destination display and gap in the front wheel arch where the guide wheels had been. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fruitvilla Posted March 2 Share Posted March 2 6 hours ago, mjmooney said: One of my birthday presents was the book pictured below. Many of the paintings are of Birmingham buses, from the routes that I used to use (nos 1, 50, 11, etc.) Neat. The 11 bus route was the closest to where I lived and I routinely caught the 50 (and then hopped on to the 54) to get to school. Other local bus routes were 48/49 that went into town and the 2 and 27 routes that headed off in exotic (Stirchley) directions. Can't place the 1 route. The cream and blue livery was a classic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted March 2 Moderator Share Posted March 2 24 minutes ago, Xela said: There was a black/silver Tracline as well, which was a 'guided' bus route \ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tracline_65 They converted 14 buses to run on a 600 meter guided trackway, what kind of insanity is that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xela Posted March 2 Share Posted March 2 5 minutes ago, bickster said: They converted 14 buses to run on a 600 meter guided trackway, what kind of insanity is that? A public body insanity. No wonder the country is broke 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted March 2 VT Supporter Share Posted March 2 21 minutes ago, fruitvilla said: Can't place the 1 route Moseley/Edgbaston, basically. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xela Posted March 2 Share Posted March 2 Bit of info on the Tracline65, for any nerd https://citytransport.info/Tracline65a.htm Quote This was Britain's first kerb guided busway. Operated by the West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive ('Centro') it featured six 'passenger stations' which were equipped with shelters, tip-up seats and electronic information displays advising passengers when the next bus would be due. Access to the stops was by ramp, so even though the vehicles were not 'low floor' they were still more easily reached by people with special needs. The busway trackage consisted of a concrete road surface into which steel guide-walls were set, with the centre strip between the bus' wheels 'rough surfaced' to deter cars from using it and overall landscaping designed to deter pedestrians from wandering where they were not wanted. Technically it was treated like any other bus lane, ie: a part of the normal highway that had been made subject to a Traffic Regulation Order restricting access to buses only - in effect this meant that construction and maintenance were the responsibility of the local highway authority, and not the bus operator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted March 2 Moderator Share Posted March 2 A stop every 120 meters. Must have negated the time savings from being in traffic. Mad bastards 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidcow Posted March 2 VT Supporter Share Posted March 2 2 hours ago, mjmooney said: Wow. In my mind they have always been, still are, and always will be blue and cream. I am genuinely shocked by this! They do the odd blue and cream ones every now and then. But it's not been the overall livery since privatisation. Can't get a 2p ride anymore either Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidcow Posted March 2 VT Supporter Share Posted March 2 1 hour ago, Xela said: Bit of info on the Tracline65, for any nerd https://citytransport.info/Tracline65a.htm Haha. I remember the fanfare about that. Someone somewhere must have made a mint out of it then run for the hills. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xann Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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