WMT 3124, Quinton, Birmingham, 1990
A re-scan of an older posting.
West Midlands Travel, Metrobus 3124 was numerically the last and highest numbered Metrobus to be delivered to West Midlands Travel (WMT). That said, I do not know if it was the last Metrobus to be delivered to an operational WMT garage?
The manufacturers of the Metrobus, Metro Cammell Weymann (MCW), then part of the Laird Group, had gone into liquidation prior to 3124's delivery.
As a consequence, MCW were unable to honour the after-sales warranty on completed Metrobuses awaiting delivery. An ensuing legal row developed between WMT and MCW's liquidators over the warranty issue. In the meantime, with the MCW factory being prepared for disposal, the completed buses were moved into Sheepcote Street Garage, Birmingham for storage.
During this period, the DAF and Optare companies had jointly become interested in acquiring the rights to bus manufacturing from MCW. With agreement, DAF/Optare had taken Metrobus 3107 off for evaluation, part-dismantling the bus to gain a better understand of the design and construction of the Metrobus. This would eventually lead to the manufacture of DAF/Optare Spectra.
Once DAF/Optare's findings were completed, 3107 was rebuilt and offered back to WMT. However, WMT weren't impressed, and refused to take the bus into stock. The rejected bus was subsequently sold onto London based operator.
On settlement of the warranty issue, the stored Metrobuses were handed over to West Midlands Travel. As with all acquisitions, WMT inspected the new buses and then fed them to their allocated garages. This final batch of buses were not of the best build quality and rectification work had to be undertaken before entering service. Rather a sad end for the Birmingham built bus that had been developed with the assistance and input of WMT's forerunner WMPTE.
On delivery, 3124 became a Hartshill based bus. The recently delivered bus is pictured on a wintry afternoon in Quinton, working the 137 service into Birmingham,
From memory 3124 was accident damaged in its later years and sold straight to scrap.
Photo - 6th January 1990.
WMT 3124, Quinton, Birmingham, 1990
A re-scan of an older posting.
West Midlands Travel, Metrobus 3124 was numerically the last and highest numbered Metrobus to be delivered to West Midlands Travel (WMT). That said, I do not know if it was the last Metrobus to be delivered to an operational WMT garage?
The manufacturers of the Metrobus, Metro Cammell Weymann (MCW), then part of the Laird Group, had gone into liquidation prior to 3124's delivery.
As a consequence, MCW were unable to honour the after-sales warranty on completed Metrobuses awaiting delivery. An ensuing legal row developed between WMT and MCW's liquidators over the warranty issue. In the meantime, with the MCW factory being prepared for disposal, the completed buses were moved into Sheepcote Street Garage, Birmingham for storage.
During this period, the DAF and Optare companies had jointly become interested in acquiring the rights to bus manufacturing from MCW. With agreement, DAF/Optare had taken Metrobus 3107 off for evaluation, part-dismantling the bus to gain a better understand of the design and construction of the Metrobus. This would eventually lead to the manufacture of DAF/Optare Spectra.
Once DAF/Optare's findings were completed, 3107 was rebuilt and offered back to WMT. However, WMT weren't impressed, and refused to take the bus into stock. The rejected bus was subsequently sold onto London based operator.
On settlement of the warranty issue, the stored Metrobuses were handed over to West Midlands Travel. As with all acquisitions, WMT inspected the new buses and then fed them to their allocated garages. This final batch of buses were not of the best build quality and rectification work had to be undertaken before entering service. Rather a sad end for the Birmingham built bus that had been developed with the assistance and input of WMT's forerunner WMPTE.
On delivery, 3124 became a Hartshill based bus. The recently delivered bus is pictured on a wintry afternoon in Quinton, working the 137 service into Birmingham,
From memory 3124 was accident damaged in its later years and sold straight to scrap.
Photo - 6th January 1990.