MidlandRed.net

I wonder how many old Midland Red fans in Worcestershire, have noticed a similarity between some recently allocated fleet numbers, and some from the past (?) :-

40844+40845 have been applied to the two Optare DDs of the expanding midland bus company Diamond, acquired with the Johnsons bus business, which reminds me of -- --

4844+4845 -- a pair of DDs acquired by the still (slightly) expanding Midland Red, along with the Kemp&Shaw business in the 1950s.

Also, First Midland Red has just acquired two vehicles with the fleet numbers
44943+44944, which reminds me of the famous pair of Midland Red D10s --
4943+4944.

I can think of a (most excellent) chap at the Transport Museum, Wythall, who might have noticed the latter numbers !! -- -- -- anyone else ??

P.S. - If you were really thrilled by my last post, you may be interested to hear ( .... or NOT ) that the only bus model that I have, - - an excellent "Oxford" model of Midland Red Leyland Titan No. 4845 JBC989, actually has the wrong number (4843) applied to it by Oxford !!
-- I've just checked and compared the information on this wonderful website, to the info in my 1967 Ian Allan fleet book (which has a few "typos") and they agree about the above !!

Oh yes, I most certainly had spotted the presence of x4943 and x4944 in the lists. I've also shed a tear that 4944 could not have been saved as well. Both vehicles and the C5 (and associated variations) represented the high watermark of Midland Red designs, matters went downhill after that.....

The Mercedes Benz Citaros at Worcester have fleet numbers which loosely tally with Midland Red LD8 Leyland PD2 double-deckers of 1953 vintage, with The Transport Museum's preserved 4031 SHA 431, being 'represented' by orange-fronted 64031.

I saw a red Skoda near Chipping Norton today with registration number JHA2... correct colour but quite a bit smaller than an AEC.

AdamH wrote: ↑

16:57 Tuesday 1st November 2022

I saw a red Skoda near Chipping Norton today with registration number JHA2... correct colour but quite a bit smaller than an AEC.

Just "JHA2", Adam ?

- I didn't know the DVLA (or whatever they call themselves nowadays) had started re-issuing old, previously used, registration marks ( ... at a price !!) ---

-- there's quite a few JHA marks I'd like to own, if I won the lottery !!

Strange that, years ago I tried to buy 1944HA off DVLA and was politely told to wait till it comes up on one of their auctions. Still waiting. .....

I guess having a single digit number makes JHA2 more desirable so the DVLA cashed in early and it's already been through the auctions. A quick search on the government website shows that number is indeed registered to the car I saw it on.

Hope it didn't struggle on the hills like the real JHA2 would have done. In SD we had several AD2's and wo betide if someone allocated an AD2 on a Saturday morning to do the Walton on the Hill route (the clue is in the name of the village.....) and it had to stop at the stop at the bottom of the hill. This would require the removal of several of the more 'burly' sized women with shopping to then follow the bus up the hill. Stiff letters to the Traffic Superintendent would then follow 'Disgusted of Walton'.

AdamH wrote: ↑

16:42 Wednesday 2nd November 2022

I guess having a single digit number makes JHA2 more desirable so the DVLA cashed in early and it's already been through the auctions. A quick search on the government website shows that number is indeed registered to the car I saw it on.

Excellent , - thanks Adam !! (The thought had crossed my mind that it might have been a fake registration).
It's certainly an easy way for a government department to make money, -- taking it off the rich ( .... and then wasting it !!)