Midland “Red”
BMMO and MROC
Midland “Red” Motor Services (BMMO & MROC) BMMO D9 - Miscellaneous Information

Midland “Red” Motor Services (BMMO & MROC)
BMMO D9 — Miscellaneous Information

Vehicles Converted to Open Top

All of the 345 type D9 double-deck buses built by Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Company Limited (BMMO—Midland “Red” Motor Services) operated their entire service with the company in standard form with fixed roofs. However, after being withdrawn Prince Marshall (“Obsolete Fleet”) of London acquired seven examples to operate open-top sightseeing tours around London on behalf of London Transport. These vehicles were converted to open-top and repainted to overall red London Transport livery by LPC Coachworks Limited of Hounslow and entered service with Obsolete Fleet in April and May 1975. They remained in service in London, along with a small number of standard fixed-roof BMMO D9 double-deck buses that Obsolete Fleet also operated, for about five years before withdrawals started. In the Autumn of 1983, Prince Marshall past away and his business interests closed. All remaining assets, including three BMMO D9 double-deck buses, were sold.

Details of the seven BMMO D9 double-deck buses converted to open-top as as follows…

4903 (903KHA) — OM1/OM5

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Photograph

Fleet number 4903 was new in January 1961 at Redditch depot, and later saw service Banbury depot, Nuneaton depot and Leicester (Wigston) depot before being withdrawn in December 1974. The vehicle was allocated fleet number OM1 by Obsolete Fleet, but ended up with registration number 5016HA and fleet number OM5 by mistake. It was withdrawn by Obsolete Fleet when the company closed in Autumn 1983, and was exported to Germany where it operated as a promotional vehicle in overall blue livery until 2001 when she revieved and overhaul and was repainted to overall green livery.

4917 (917KHA) — OM7

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Fleet number 4917 was new to Worcester (Padmore Street) depot in April 1974. It moved to Evesham depot in May 1967, then Hereford (Friars Street) depot in January 1973. On withdrawal in November 1974 it passed to Obsolete Fleet as fleet number OM7, and operated until being withdrawn in October 1980.

Corgi Classics Limited produced a Limied Edition 1:76 scale diecast model of this vehicle as operated by Price Marshall. The model is number OM45607 in Corgi’s “The Original Omnibus Company” range, and 3100 examples were produced.

4959 (2959HA) — OM3

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Fleet number 4959 was new in February 1962 at Dudley depot. It later saw service at Tamworth (Aldergate) depot from July 1969, Leamington Spa depot form May 1971 Leicester (Southgates Street) depot, form October 1971, and Leicester (Wigston) depot form April 1974, before being withdrawn in August 1974. It operated as fleet number OM3 while in service with Obsolete Fleet.

5016 (3016HA) — OM5/OM1

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Photograph

BMMO D9 fleet number 5016 entered service at Redditch depot in November 1962, and moved to Nuneaton depot in March 1969, then Rugby depot in September 1971, before being withdrawn by Midland Red in November 1974. On paper this vehicle operated with fleet number OM5 while in service with Obsolete Fleet until being withdrawn in 1981, however 903KHA and 3016HA managed to get their registration numbers swapped at some point around mid-1980, so this vehicle ended up as registration number 903KHA and showing fleet number OM1 and, so in reality it operated with Obsolete Fleet as fleet number OM1 until the company closed in the Autumn of 1983.

The vehicle passed to Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Trust (“The Transport Museum”—BaMMOT), Wythall on Saturday 31st December 1983, where it has been preserved in overall red London Transport livery. Initially BaMMOT believed they had bought 4903 (registration number 903KHA), but in mid-1984 it was noticed the chassis number was not what they had expected it to be and the mistake corrected, with the vehicle now showing the correct registration number.

5035 (3035HA) — OM6

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5035 was new to Stafford depot in January 1963 and remained in service at that depot until being withdrawn in November 1974. She passed to Obsolete Fleet as fleet number OM6, and was subsequently used at Duxford Airfield, before passing to the Aston Manor Transport Museum in 1987, where it is now preserved and undergoing restoration.

5043 (3043HA) — OM4

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5043 Entered service at Redditch depot in February 1963, before moving to Coalville depot in December 1967, and then Sandacre Street depot, Leicester in December 1971. She was withdrawn in August 1974 and passed to Obsolete Fleet as fleet number OM4. This vehicle was scrapped in May 1978.

5301 (6301HA) — OM2

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Photograph

5301 was new to Stafford depot in March 1961, moving to Ludlow depot in June 1966, and then to Hereford (Friars Street) depot in February 1971. She was withdrawn in October 1974, passing to Obsolete Fleet as fleet number OM2. She later saw service with Black Country Tours until c. 1998, before being withdrawn and put into storage. The vehicle has survived in storage, unused and presumably in poor condition, and was late recorded in late 2020.