Midland “Red” Motor Services (BMMO & MROC)
Daimler Fleetline — Vehicle Livery
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Standard Bus Liveries
BMMO Bus Livery
Overall red with gold markings.
“Poppy Red” Livery
In 1972,
NBC
announced that they had decided to emphasise its national identity.
To achieve this, the NBC “double-N” logo was introduced, and
liveries were standardised across all the companies in the group.
All coaches in the group were repainted to overall white and carried the
“National” fleetname in large lettering with the local company
name shown in small lettering. Buses and other vehicles kept their existing
livery colour, which for BMMO was overall red, and the company name and
NBC logo was shown in a standardised style on the sides.
The NBC livery used by Midland Red for their buses was known as “Poppy Red”, and repainting of all buses in the fleet started in August 1972.
WMPTE Livery
On the 3rd December 1973, WMPTE took control of 170 services from BMMO. To operate these services six BMMO depots and staff, plus 413 vehicles, were transferred to the WMPTE. Vehicles that were transfered to the PTE were repainted into the standard WMPTE livery of dark blue and cream, carrying “West Midlands” fleetname.
Midland Red repainted the majority of the vehicles passed to WMPTE into cream and blue livery at their Central Works, Carlyle Road, as part of a four-year contract. Before being repainted, vehicles ran in their original overall red BMMO livery but with WMPTE “West Midlands” fleet names and logos. From June 1974, WMPTE repainted several examples in-house at their Walsall paint shop; these differed from those repainted by Midland Red in having cream fleet numbers on the lower panels instead of black numbers above the lowers saloon windows.
Note: It is not intended for this website to chart the history of the West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive (WMPTE); however, a small part of that company’s history has been included on this page to illustrate how it affected the history of the Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Company Limited (BMMO—Midland “Red” Motor Services). For more information about the transfer of assets and services to the West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive (WMPTE) on the 3rd December 1973, see the “Transfer of BMMO Services and Assets to the West Midlands PTE” page in the of this website.
Overall Advertising
5993 (R/No: GHA393D) — “Mitchells and Butlers”
5996 (R/No: GHA396D) — “Mato Holidays”
5999 (R/No: GHA399D) — “Patrick Motors”
6009 (R/No: GHA409D) — “LCP Fuels”
6011 (R/No: GHA411D) — “Rediffusion”
6017 (R/No: GHA417D) — “Redditch and Worcester Building Society” and “Midshires Building Society”
Repainted in January 1974 to overall advertising for Redditch and Worcester Building Society, repainted June 1975 to overall advertising for Midshires Building Society.
6024 (R/No: GHA424D) — “Midland Leisure Centre”
6024 was repainted into overall advertising for “Midland Leisure Centre” by BMMO in 1972, while in service at Birmingham (Digbeth) depot.
On 3rd December 1973, the vehicle was one of 65 type DD12 Daimlers to pass to WMPTE. At this time, the vehicle moved to Sutton Coldfield depot and entered service with WMPTE still carrying the overall advertising. The advertising was replaced by standard WMPTE livery in early 1974.
6116 (R/No: LHA616F) — “National Holidays”
6117 (R/No: LHA617F) — “Midland Red (East) Season Tickets”
6135 (R/No: LHA635F) — “Berni Inns”
6206 and 6225 (R/No: UHA206H and UHA225H) — “Barratt Housing”
The only type DD13 Daimlers to operate with overall advertising were 6206 and 6225, which both had advertising for “Barratt Housing”, although these were not strictly overall advertising as the advertising was only shown on a thick white band fitted between the decks.
6225 carried the “Barratt Housing” advertising from July 1979 until August of the following year. 6206 recieved the advertising in June 1980, and although it passed to Midland Red (East) Limited on 6th September 1981, the advertising remained until September 1982.