Birmingham City Transport : the City of Birmingham handbook, 1965
From the 1965 edition of the City's official handbook, the first since the 1958 issue, and editied by F W Bradnock, the city's Public Relations Officer. The handbook was a regular publication and it describes the work of the City Council, in terms of administration, public works and buildings, education, social services, protective services, amenities and civic trading undertakings.
Birmingham City Transport was one of the UK's largest bus fleets and was certainly amongst the very biggest municipal fleets if not the biggest. The Transport Department ran 16 garages, a fleet of over 1,500 vehicles and employed over 6,500. There was a vast central Repair Works at Tyburn Road and this is pictured in the second illustration. A variety of vehicles are seen here including several stalwarts from the 1950s renewal of the bus fleet (modernising the pre-WW2 fleet as well as replacing tram and trolleybuses) as well as one of the new style 'interlopers' as pictured on the first page. By 1963 Birmingham had opted for newer style rear engined vehicles and these, in time, would allow for one-person operation, doing away with the need for the 2,000 bus conductors employed.
The 'new' bus, of the 'Standard type' is one of the 1963 batch of Daimler Fleetlines 3295, 295 GON, that was fitted with a Park Royal body. In later batches, from both Park Royal and local builders Metro-Cammell, the severe flat front seen here would be more styled in design. It carries the traditional livery of Monastral blue and cream, with a deep kharki roof - a hangover from WW2 liveries. It is pictured here not in Birmingham I suspect as the street lamps are not 'local'.
At Tyburn Road two double deckers can be seen up front - one, a Guy Arab of the large batch of 'Standards' or 'New Look' buses fitted with concealed radiators and that served the city so well for so many years. Next to it is one of the later exposed radiator buses, a Leyland Titan PD2/1 of 1948, 1712, HOV 712, with Brush bodywork. You tend to forget amongst the masses of Daimler and Guy chassis that Birmingham did have substantial numbers of Leyland and Crossley vehicles in the post-war fleet and even a few of the pre-War favourites from AEC.
In the background as well as a rear engined vehicle you can see one of the small batch of single deck vehicles the Department had. this being one of the 1950 Leyland PS2/1's fitted witha Weymann body.
Birmingham City Transport : the City of Birmingham handbook, 1965
From the 1965 edition of the City's official handbook, the first since the 1958 issue, and editied by F W Bradnock, the city's Public Relations Officer. The handbook was a regular publication and it describes the work of the City Council, in terms of administration, public works and buildings, education, social services, protective services, amenities and civic trading undertakings.
Birmingham City Transport was one of the UK's largest bus fleets and was certainly amongst the very biggest municipal fleets if not the biggest. The Transport Department ran 16 garages, a fleet of over 1,500 vehicles and employed over 6,500. There was a vast central Repair Works at Tyburn Road and this is pictured in the second illustration. A variety of vehicles are seen here including several stalwarts from the 1950s renewal of the bus fleet (modernising the pre-WW2 fleet as well as replacing tram and trolleybuses) as well as one of the new style 'interlopers' as pictured on the first page. By 1963 Birmingham had opted for newer style rear engined vehicles and these, in time, would allow for one-person operation, doing away with the need for the 2,000 bus conductors employed.
The 'new' bus, of the 'Standard type' is one of the 1963 batch of Daimler Fleetlines 3295, 295 GON, that was fitted with a Park Royal body. In later batches, from both Park Royal and local builders Metro-Cammell, the severe flat front seen here would be more styled in design. It carries the traditional livery of Monastral blue and cream, with a deep kharki roof - a hangover from WW2 liveries. It is pictured here not in Birmingham I suspect as the street lamps are not 'local'.
At Tyburn Road two double deckers can be seen up front - one, a Guy Arab of the large batch of 'Standards' or 'New Look' buses fitted with concealed radiators and that served the city so well for so many years. Next to it is one of the later exposed radiator buses, a Leyland Titan PD2/1 of 1948, 1712, HOV 712, with Brush bodywork. You tend to forget amongst the masses of Daimler and Guy chassis that Birmingham did have substantial numbers of Leyland and Crossley vehicles in the post-war fleet and even a few of the pre-War favourites from AEC.
In the background as well as a rear engined vehicle you can see one of the small batch of single deck vehicles the Department had. this being one of the 1950 Leyland PS2/1's fitted witha Weymann body.