Midland Red (West)
First Midland Red
Midland Red West (First Midland Red) Daimler Fleetline - Overview

Midland Red West (First Midland Red)
Daimler Fleetline — Overview

Introduction

Until the late 1970s double-deck buses had featured at a number of the depots that were later to become part of Midland Red (West) Limited. However, when Midland Red Omnibus Company Limited (MROC) closed at the end of trading on 5th September 1981, Midland Red (West) Limited was the only one of the four newly formed bus operating companies that were not allocated any double-deck vehicles of any type. This situation was very short-lived and within a month of being formed, Midland Red (West) Limited had acquired four Daimler Fleetline double-deck buses.

Vehicles Acquired Second-Hand

2541, 2545 & 2547 (R/Nos: DRC541J, 545J & 547J)

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In August 1981, Midland Red Omnibus Company Limited (MROC) acquired four Damiler Fleetline double-deck buses from the Trent Motor Traction Company Limited of Derby. These four vehicles, registered DRC541J, DRC543J, DRC545J and DRC547J, had been new to Trent Motor Traction Company in March 1971, and all had H44/33F bodywork by Alexander that had stayed unchanged throughout their lives. None of these four vehicles were ever operated by MROC, and were stored at the company’s Central Works while they were converted for one-man operation.

In September 1981, shortly after MROC was broken up, three of these four vehicles passed to the newly formed Midland Red (West) Limited who put them into service at their Hereford (Friars Street) depot, while the fourth, DRC543J, passed to Midland Red (North) Limited.

The management of Midland Red (West) Limited clearly favoured single-deck buses, and the three examples with Midland Red (West) did not remain with the company for very long. Two examples were withdrawn in January 1983, while the remaining vehicle lasted until August 1984, and was the last double-deck bus operated by the company until two Bristol VR double-deck buses were used at Redditch depot after privatisation in 1987.

6043 (R/No: JHA43E) - type code: D12

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The fourth and final Daimler Fleetline to be operated by Midland Red (West) Limited was Midland Red type D12, fleet number 6043 (Registration number JHA43E). The vehicle had been new Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Company Limited (BMMO—Midland “Red” Motor Services) in April 1967, at Nuneaton depot, and had operated at a number of depots throughout the 1970s before passed to Midland Red (South) Limited when Midland Red split up in September 1981. Later that month, it passed to Midland Red (West) Limited at their Evesham depot where it operated until December 1982. It was then withdrawn and passed to a company in Worcester for use as a static office.