MidlandRed.net

SEVERNLINK wrote: ↑

19:06 Saturday 26th October 2019

Matt wrote: ↑

10:42 Wednesday 10th October 2018

Looks like the stop flag man missed one, there is still an old first stop flag at rock hill, Brecon road stop towards bromsgrove

Still the old style sign.The hedge has grown around it and a conventional ladder wouldn't reach it.I wonder if the sign is languishing in a storeroom somewhere gathering dust

Drove past this morning and something caught my eye it was a shiny new sign I'm sure it's recent but I expect someone will tell me it's been there months although I drive past it about a dozen times a week.Hedge is still surrounding the sign by several feet either side though

I first noted some newer signs last Saturday. On a few drives around and about , I note that the sign by Bredon Road says the route goes to Catshill than Sidemoor . . . . So does the previous one by Grafton Lane. And in Bromsgrove itself , the sign by St Johns church steps say the same. Some would suggest that I have too much time on my hands these days ! !

If you look, you will find that all the flags on the northbound route say Catshill then Sidemoor. This was noticed after they had been printed. It was originally proposed to rectify this, but as yet nothing has been done about it.

Thanks for the info BMMOBOY , good job the tickets machines were not progrmmed in a similar manner . . . . . .

I noticed a plume of "smoke" along Market Street Bomsgrove yesterday evening , a Volvo / Centro looked to be the culprit , 66691 ??

ANDREW wrote: ↑

09:20 Friday 23rd July 2021

a Volvo / Centro looked to be the culprit , 66691 ??

Noooooo!

Hi folks. Just wondering if the travelling times on the 144 have been increased ?? The reason I ask is that yesterday , on trips to and from Brum , we stopped at bus stops - even if no one was getting on or off - four times northbound and five times on the way back and the engine was switched off most times . I know running early is a big no no , but this seemed rather excessive. I guess we were stopped for no more than two or three minutes each time but it always feels longer ! Especially with all other traffic wizzing past .

The running times were increased, I think when the first Covid restrictions took place. It now takes 1 hour 55 minutes each way, which is not really progress as in the 1980s we had 1 hour 32, with a few minutes added during peak hours. There was enough time to operate the service safely, and we only had a couple of minutes layover at Bromsgrove.
It is strange, as the timings now between Bromsgrove and Droitwich are very tight, and it takes some doing to keep to time, but it is more relaxed between Droitwich and Worcester.
I was educating some of our younger drivers recently, and told them that a round trip from Birmingham to Malvern Wells and back took 5 hours, it now takes almost 6 hours, and even then you cannot get to the Wells!

bmmoboy wrote: ↑

11:30 Wednesday 5th January 2022

...I was educating some of our younger drivers recently, and told them that a round trip from Birmingham to Malvern Wells and back took 5 hours...

But it was bloody hard work. Even on a Sunday in a (then) new Lance you had to be flat out everywhere to be in with a chance of making it on time. One set of roadworks or even - dare I say it - a Leyland National allocated to your duty and it was impossible.

Thanks for the replies lads. I can recall "awaiting time" at Rubery on the way back from Birmingham once in a while when on the last run back of the day which in years gone by often produced a Leopard coach off the "Motorway Express" X43/X44 services.