TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
Thanks for a really interesting report of your travels around Derbyshire; did it myself just a few weeks ago. You did some of the bits that I didn't have time to do!
Look forward to hearing about some of your future trips!
A meeting with a fellow forum member inspired me to have a cheeky trip in the West Midlands (mainly the Black Country); an area I know reasonably well and, from a time when I wasn't that keen on it (for perhaps other reasons), it's somewhere that I've now embraced and actually enjoy exploring. Sure, it's not as stereotypically attractive or scenic as the Peak District or the Cotswolds, but I've many good memories of bouncing around Lynxes and Metrobuses in the 1990s and I still try to fit in the occasional trip. Hope you enjoy.
Having hidden the car not far from Junction 2 of the M5 at Oldbury and then waited for the next bus to Halesowen where I could buy my extremely good value Network Rider ticket for £4.20. This is a route operated by both NX West Mids and Diamond and an NX Omnilink duly arrived. I went to pay contactless...except to be told that I couldn't pay contactless for a TfWM Network ticket; only the NX ONLY day ticket can be purchased on an NX bus via contactless - ridiculous. I therefore waited for the Diamond bus and about 5 mins later, an e200 smartly wearing the two tone Diamond livery. It was reasonably presented internally too with a few general welcoming notices though not much else. It was a reasonable trip to Halesowen, and a decent load mainly of pensioners as we arrived in bright sunshine in Halesowen, one of the more attractive towns in the area. It's a fairly pleasant little town though clearly suffering the malaise affecting many towns of that type; the bus station is a rather grand affair for a small town (why do PTEs do that?) though the closed info office did seem to reflect the general state of the town's shops!
After a brief explore, I got ready for the next trip which was to Stourbridge on the 9 - the trunk route from Birmingham along the Hagley Road. Unlike the Metrobuses I fondly remember, this is now entrusted to NXWM Platinum e400mmcs. I have to say that these are superbly specified machines with seats that mirror what you'd have in a higher end car. We made our way back out and through the rolling lands on the edge of the conurbation to Stourbridge. I recall the old bus station there, strings of knackered bus shelters perched on a hill. Well, the site is the same but the bus station is a very smart affair. If I had a complaint, it's that TfWM and its predecessors have an absolute hatred of buses reversing and that seems to have precluded a design where bus and train station could be in a single structure. You can see the bus and rail stations here (and no naughty comments please)
Still, it's still a very good facility. I didn't hang about and my next bus was also NXWM on the 28 but a contrast to my previous one. Instead of comfortable seats, this small e200 that originated outside NX was fitted with urban 90s. At least they had been recently retrimmed in standard NX moquette and so were a bit better than usual though with some new padding. We scooted back towards Merry Hill though I declined to return to Halesowen. Instead, I got off at Cradley Heath Interchange - a long established and excellent bus and rail facility situated opposite the former Midland Red depot that closed in 1977.
My next bus was to take me to the smallest and most basic bus station in the West Midlands (IMHO) with a trip on NXWM's X10 to Gornal Wood. I'd done this years ago on a Sunday afternoon when it was the 137 and discovered Gornal Wood is not a hive of activity then. The X10 was sadly not a Premium vehicle but a modern yet less luxurious (though perfectly enjoyable) standard e400mmc. Unlike the Platinum vehicle, this had not a trace of internal promotion - something that affected all the vehicles I experienced during the day; don't operators like to promote their services on their vehicles? We retraced my steps via Merry Hill (aka Merry Hell - but not sampling the retail delights of this shopping behemoth) and then through Brierley Hill and the West Midlands most massive police station - how much crime is there in Brierley Hill? We then went past the site of the old Midland Red/WMPTE depot in Hartshill that had been used by a car auction firm for many years but was redeveloped some years ago; however, I noted that we continued to lose time, meaning I would miss my intended connection at Gornal Wood for the Diamond 223. Therefore, on arrival, I elected to have lunch. Beans on Toast and a cuppa were enjoyed at the cafe adjacent to the minimalist bus station.
I had a quick explore of Gornal Wood - not much there but there is a real Darby and Joan club - I thought they were mythical!! Having appraised my options, I decided to have a trip to Wolverhampton and a well turned out NXWM Eclipse duly turned up on time. These are great vehicles and the NXWM ones are nicely specced with the standard moquette. This had very few rattles as we headed on the 17A, initially through some 1970s suburbia, then via the small town of Sedgley, and then some very leafy streets before finally arriving into central Wolverhampton and the massive bus station. All the time, I was captivated by a guy with a salmon pink leather jacket and very obviously jet black dyed hair - a strong look that is almost like a Gary Numan tribute act!
I reached Wolverhampton but had already decided I wasn't hanging about. I left the bus station and went around the corner to the currently out of use tram stop to where the 530 departs from. This is Banga Travel - a firm that I have never travelled on, much to my shame. Well.... what an experience. The vehicle that arrived was a slimline Solo that, like me, is a Somerset emigree. I got on and the youngish driver did not look up from his phone as I showed my ticket - barely an acknowledgment. A number of passengers got on - this was a route that Banga and NXWM used to fight over and it didn't seem to be particularly lucrative. One old guy got on having done his shopping; to say he was unkempt is an understatement. The "system" is clearly failing when a man is frankly wearing rags (and I mean that) and he stank to high heaven though he thankfully soon departed our Solo. The vehicle itself had Urban 90 seats and the padding was threadbare. However, comfort was not a consideration as our pilot aimed (rather than drove) the Solo down the backstreets of Wolverhampton to Bilston. The operation is a throwback to the early 1990s of cheapo operators and Banga exists from that time; it just has never grown up. I had chance to wander around the centre of Bilston.
Aside from a nice little rank of 1930s shops, there is nothing of note there. A town blighted by decay. I waited in the bus station for my Diamond 326 to Bloxwich. Last time I travelled on this route, it was a disturbing speeding through the streets of Willenhall. This time, it was more measured. The drivers had a changeover with our new pilot taking great time to use his own sanitiser to disinfect the bus. He didn't have a cloth so used several copies of the Metro as a rag - whilst Diamond have improved and vehicle presentation is better, they still have the capacity to look unprofessional. The Solo was otherwise reasonably presented but again, it had Urban 90 style seats - is the West Midlands a hot spot for these aberrations? We weaved our way through the back roads of the West Midlands, heading via Willenhall to New Invention and then into Bloxwich - a pleasant little spot with a large green area where many bus services call in.
It was a quick stop and I got the 32 to Walsall - a jointly operated route under a TfWM partnership, both NXWM and Diamond use Eclipses. I had one from the former. Walsall isn't much to write home about, unless you're into leather....and I'm not. It's a major operational hub for NX West Midlands and I toyed with heading towards Aldridge or Sutton but instead elected to head south along the A34 to Birmingham. This was interesting as the route is being upgraded with bus priority etc for new routes associated with the Commonwealth Games. After my two previous journeys had been afflicted by uncomfortable seats on Solos, it was a return to the NXWM Premium fleet for the fast X51. The real interest is in Birmingham though... the area near Moor Street station has and is being massively redeveloped. Going back to the mid 1990s, it was a bit shabby round there, as was Birmingham in general. Now this area is to be home to HS2 and has accommodated much of the growth in universities with new housing etc.
It is a markedly different city and the new broom was also evident with NXWM's new electric deckers on the 6 to Solihull. I'd have fancied a trip on those but time was pressing so I had a trip down the Bristol Road to Selly Oak. This was a standard NXWM e400 and the lack of bus priority on that road was noticeable. I sought to attain a higher spiritual plane on the journey and so I was, by Pebble Mill, at one - there's a joke for the teenagers!!! Having ground our way through the traffic, I got off at Selly Oak and wandered to the storage depot that was the former WMPTE bus depot, and was historically tram sheds. Until 20 years ago, it was used for storing redundant vehicles by West Mids Travel that were hired to operators around the country and it's a fine looking building. It's the only nice building in Selly Oak really which is nothing more than a large road junction TBH.
I was getting a short hop on the famed 11C outer circle route and a trip to Bearwood, home to a vibrant main street and a weird little bus station that is served by only a few routes whilst the majority serve the main roads. I took a shot of one of the vehicles on the 11A/11C only for a passenger to step off, and shout across the road; he absolutely flipped. Stuff about privacy and the law and all that - I've attached the photo and can doubtless identify the person....except they were actually on the lower deck. I've seen and heard drivers getting annoyed, and I guess stuff like flashes going off and being photographed at work etc but a passenger?
After the excitement of that, this had to be tempered so a trip to West Brom would do the trick. From Bearwood high street, there was a choice of the 49 (a longer route I've done before) or the shorter 48. It was a standard NXWM e400 that made its way through downtown Smethwick and eventually deposited me at West Bromwich bus station - the West Midlands has a lot of bus stations and I had seen most of them. My last bus was to be a Diamond 4H to take me back to my car and it duly arrived - a 16 year old Dart with Urban 90 seats. In fact, Diamond had a varied fleet on the 4s with my earlier e200 being the pick whilst they even had a 17 year old Solo on that trunk route. Anyhow, I'd done really well and the bus arrived and then... a departing driver wasn't being replaced. My only cancellation of the day as the Diamond driver instructed everyone to get the next NX one which then duly arrived - one of the aging Scania Omnilinks that are fast becoming a rare sight around the country. So it was a nice sprint back to the car...and away.
Views and observations of the day. There are a lot of small towns that could be quite attractive but they are suffering the blight of neglect and high street decline, like Stourbridge and Halesowen but also places like Sedgley. Places like Oldbury and Willenhall seem even more depressed. The areas buses seem to be doing ok but there's a challenge to get passengers back on buses post covid. Bus priority really needs to be improved and Selly Oak was a clear example. The fleets themselves were generally ok - National Express was quite impressive though their lack of internal promotion (compared to their Platinum fleets) was rather odd. Diamond is improving and the external appearance is better with the repaints. However, overall service is a little less polished than you'd expect from a now substantial group. As for Banga Travel..... well, it's the type of operation that is cited by those hell bent on re-regulation.
Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) is a decent PTE. I'd argue not as good as West Yorkshire (Metro) but definitely better than Greater Manchester or South Yorkshire. Roadside publicity is generally ok (not withstanding vandalism and Covid) and I do like some of their bus infrastructure. However, fewer shiny bus stations and better bus priority might be better. Talking of bus stations, I racked up 10 in a day (without Bearwood).
As I said earlier, it's an area that I didn't really like at one time yet I've learned to appreciate the warmth of the people and the hidden delights of the area; those bits of countryside that suddenly appear around the hills of Dudley or around Wolverhampton. It's an area that I can really recommend
Hope you enjoyed the read and apologies that the photos aren't as good as @RELL6L or @TheSel
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) . Some minibuses were rubbish (Sherpa, Dodge S56) but I spent a lot of time on those Merc 608s and they were great little servants. Very durable and quite fun on rural runs.
That's another pair of underpants needing washing!
