I spent half of Easter Sunday in the company of the 'Godiva Two-Horse Riding School' (the Coventry branch of 2CVGB) at the Birmingham & Midlands Museum of Transport at Wythall, just off J3 of the M42 (a massive 11 miles from home...).
Unsurprisngly, given that I'm turning into something of an anorak snapaholic, I took over 100 pics, some of which I'll post here, starting with the Tin Snails. Enjoy.
And now....it's anorak time. ;D
I must have ridden on this 1976 Leyland National as a callow, spotty youth back in 1980ish. Usually using a forged copy of my sister's Student Bus Pass with my photo instead of hers. I can still see the faceless New Town passing by through rain and dirt-smeared glass, with Joy Division playing in my head (this is pre-Walkman....and pre-Smiths), trying to make sense of my pointless adolescent existence. ;D
Part-restored CM5T coach from 1960. These babies were designed specifically for 'The Motorway Age' and could lap the banked track at MIRA at 85mph. with over the magic ton attainable downhill.
Of course, it's not all as exotic...
Meanwhile, inside....
You could buy yourself a model bus....
Or some genuine timetables.....or, for the bus enthusiast who has everything...
Yes, those really are rolls of unused bus tickets. And yes, I saw people buying them. And no, you can't see photographs.
Meanwhile, back to the action.
Another National, specially-requested by Hirst. Check out the Karrier Gamecock (I'm not making this up, that's it's name) lurking in the background.
I went out on this 1950's WMPTE Guy, for a lovely 30minute wallow down Memory Lane. Actually we went to Sainsbury's in Maypole but it doesn't sound as nostalgic...
The above BMMO D9 was the bus I remember most as a youngster growing up in Redditch. Far from being old-fashioned, the D9 was ground-breaking when it was launched, being chassis-less AND having stuff like disc brakes all round. Birmingham Midland Motor Omnibus were true pioneers in bus manufacture, they even made their own engines at their huge factory in Carlyle Road, Edgbaston.
Anyone here who went to Hednesford Raceway between 1965 and the late 1990's will have seen this early post-war BMMO double-decker, it used to be the lap scorer's office up on the East Bend banking. Apparently a very rare model, it's been donated to BAMMOT by Incarace and will be restored.
The business end. This Gardner 6LX sits in the back of a stripped-down Daimler Fleetline chassis as an outside display.
Full Flickr album? Go here: www.flickr.com/photos/damaged23/sets/72157616666507892/
That's it, I can take my anorak off again now......
;D
Unsurprisngly, given that I'm turning into something of an anorak snapaholic, I took over 100 pics, some of which I'll post here, starting with the Tin Snails. Enjoy.
And now....it's anorak time. ;D
I must have ridden on this 1976 Leyland National as a callow, spotty youth back in 1980ish. Usually using a forged copy of my sister's Student Bus Pass with my photo instead of hers. I can still see the faceless New Town passing by through rain and dirt-smeared glass, with Joy Division playing in my head (this is pre-Walkman....and pre-Smiths), trying to make sense of my pointless adolescent existence. ;D
Part-restored CM5T coach from 1960. These babies were designed specifically for 'The Motorway Age' and could lap the banked track at MIRA at 85mph. with over the magic ton attainable downhill.
Of course, it's not all as exotic...
Meanwhile, inside....
You could buy yourself a model bus....
Or some genuine timetables.....or, for the bus enthusiast who has everything...
Yes, those really are rolls of unused bus tickets. And yes, I saw people buying them. And no, you can't see photographs.
Meanwhile, back to the action.
Another National, specially-requested by Hirst. Check out the Karrier Gamecock (I'm not making this up, that's it's name) lurking in the background.
I went out on this 1950's WMPTE Guy, for a lovely 30minute wallow down Memory Lane. Actually we went to Sainsbury's in Maypole but it doesn't sound as nostalgic...
The above BMMO D9 was the bus I remember most as a youngster growing up in Redditch. Far from being old-fashioned, the D9 was ground-breaking when it was launched, being chassis-less AND having stuff like disc brakes all round. Birmingham Midland Motor Omnibus were true pioneers in bus manufacture, they even made their own engines at their huge factory in Carlyle Road, Edgbaston.
Anyone here who went to Hednesford Raceway between 1965 and the late 1990's will have seen this early post-war BMMO double-decker, it used to be the lap scorer's office up on the East Bend banking. Apparently a very rare model, it's been donated to BAMMOT by Incarace and will be restored.
The business end. This Gardner 6LX sits in the back of a stripped-down Daimler Fleetline chassis as an outside display.
Full Flickr album? Go here: www.flickr.com/photos/damaged23/sets/72157616666507892/
That's it, I can take my anorak off again now......
;D
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