The Flickr Clevelandroad Image Generatr

WMPTE Daimler Fleetline, 79L pictured on WMPTE's Oxford Street compound situated off Bilston Street in Wolverhampton. This was one of many ex Walsall Fleetlines that were drafted into Wolverhampton just a few years before to help introduce 'One man operation' into the town.

The cooling tower of Commercial Road Power Station looms against the skyline, but was already out of use. Brought down in the October on a foggy day by controlled explosives, the cooling tower collapsed in a cloud of mist and thick dust, disappointing onlookers who had hoped for a better view of its demise.

August 1977.

WMPTE 4522, outside its home depot 1979.

WMPTE 501, one of two Ford Dormobile minibuses (501 (NRF712P) & 502 (NRF177P)) purchased by West Midlands PTE in January 1977. The two buses replaced 703 & 704, two 1963 built Martin Walter bodied Thames Trader buses used for the transportation of disabled school children to and from eduction facilities in and around the Wolverhampton borough.

501 and 502 were unusual in carrying 'RF' registrations issued in Staffordshire rather than Birmingham, presumable pre-registered by the dealer supplying the buses to the PTE?

The two buses were initially given standard 6xxx series fleet numbers 6297/8, but this was changed to three-digit 5xx series fleet numbers, numbering them outside of the main fleet. 18 more of the type joined the PTE between 1979 - 1981, numbered 503-520 (AOE503T-AOE508T, EJW 509-13V, HOC 514-20W) and were allocated around the system where required. 503 was allocated to Wolverhampton replacing an ex Wolverhampton Corporation Morris FG ambulance.

In Wolverhampton, these buses tended to be driven by a small group of long-service drivers allocated to the rota that worked these services. I know that Wolverhampton Council now runs a large fleet of specialist minibuses but how many are dedicated to children's transport I don't know, but I would wager quite a number of them?

Returning to the picture, 172 had a relatively short service life being withdrawn by 1986. The picture was taken inside Cleveland Road bus garage on 1st July 1982. It was never easy taking pictures in this garage because of the yellowy overhead sodium lighting.

WMPTE owned this 1955 Bedford RL 4x4 recovery lorry, which had been acquired from Coventry City Transport in 1974. The vehicle was transferred to Stourbridge garage in 1978, and is seen in Cleveland Road, Wolverhampton in May 1979 following a visit to Cleveland Road Bus Garage (seen in the background). To the left of the picture is a trolleybus traction pole that still stood in what had been Transport Road.

Today, the Wolverhampton Ring Road runs at 90 degrees through the spot where the cars are seen, and the Bedford would find itself in the car park of the former Wolverhampton's Sainsbury's Supermarket!

Click on the link to see a similar vehicle operated by Southern National in Devon: www.flickr.com/photos/8050359@N07/2166863090/

A re-post of an older posting.

Starting February 5 1972

with the compliments of London Buses

From 1st & 2nd June 1985

Wolverhampton Corporation Transport, tower wagon No2 pictured inside Cleveland Road Depot, having received its repaint from red and cream into apple green and primrose livery in July 1969. New in January 1959, No2 was one of two identical tower wagons built for maintaining the town's extensive trolleybus overhead; its sister No1 having been delivered new in June 1958.

Both tower wagons featured bespoke locally built Robinson bodies mounted onto a locally built Guy ‘Warrior’ lorry chassis, incorporating an onboard workshop. The tower was likely built by 'Eagle Engineering' who specialised in building wooden/metal telescopic towers for these types of vehicles.

When the Wolverhampton trolleybus system closed in March 1967, these two tower wagons were used in the dismantling of the overhead wires between Wolverhampton and Dudley. Beyond that the two relatively new vehicles were retained by the Corporation.

In late 1967, No1 was converted by the Transport Department into a bus towing vehicle, having its tower removed in the process. However, No2 remained as a tower wagon and continued its maintenance duties for lighting and depot roof infrastructure repairs, seeing extended periods of disuse.

In October 1969, both of these ancillary vehicles passed to the West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive (WMPTE) with the rest of Wolverhampton’s bus operations, staff and assets. At that time WMPTE were duty bound to continue trolleybus operations in the neighbouring town of Walsall. Walsall Corporation had not given up on the trolleybus and intended to operate them into the 1970s. However, WMPTE had other ideas and closed the system in October 1970.

On the closure of Walsall’s trolleybus system, No2 was resurrected and used by outside contractors to help dismantle the now redundant trolleybus overhead wiring in Walsall. After completion of that final task, No2 became redundant and is recorded as being sold to scrap dealer ‘Berry’ of Leicester. However, in truth, No2 was driven to Stone in Staffordshire and parked in a scrap yard next to the railway line where it languished for decades. It was discovered in the 1990s and inspected by Guy Motors enthusiast and restorer, the late great Ron Lucas. No2 was to be later recovered by the Aston Manor Transport Museum and placed into undercover storage. Sadly, its rescue came too late and now in a terribly dilapidated state the badly decayed vehicle was deemed beyond saving and was dismantled.

ex-WM and Metrowest Metrorider rests in the basement of the Cleveland Road / Bilston Street garage complex in Wolverhamton in February 2007, ahead of its move to Witton. a whole sixteen years later, she is now roadworthy again.
looking at these shots, there is still a lot of Metrowest green paint showing, including some mysteriously up the windscreen pillar, and the front valence appears to be secured by a couple of old bits of aluminium and pop rivets.

ex-WM and Metrowest Metrorider rests in the basement of the Cleveland Road / Bilston Street garage complex in Wolverhamton in February 2007, ahead of its move to Witton. a whole sixteen years later, she is now roadworthy again.
looking at these shots, there is still a lot of Metrowest green paint showing, including some mysteriously up the windscreen pillar, and the front valence appears to be secured by a couple of old bits of aluminium and pop rivets.

Taken in the final weeks of trolleybus operation, Wolverhampton Corporation, trolleybus 425 is pictured on Cleveland Road. The bus is running 'out of service', from Wolverhampton's Cleveland Road Depot to Bilston Street terminus where it will pick up service.

This section of wiring was only ever used to get trolleybuses to and from Cleveland Road Depot to Snowhill, used exclusively by the Dudley Road group of services for this purpose.

The number of cars in this photograph is evidence of growing car ownership by 1967. As with many towns and cities, Wolverhampton was making huge changes to the town's road infrastructure to accommodate the 'motor car'.

The first stages of the new ring road had sounded the death knell for the town's trolleybuses in 1963. The increasing use of cars was impacting on bus services in general, with decreasing bus patronage across all services. Swimming against the tide of change, Wolverhampton Corporation were more than happy to see its Transport Department became the problem of the newly formed West Midlands passenger Transport Executive in 1969.

WMT Fleetline 6407 standing in the Bilston Street exit of Cleveland Road bus garage on 30th April 1988. The withdrawn bus was being readied for its transfer to Walsall for storage and disposal.

The bus ended its days on sight seeing tours around Glasgow after a spell with A1 Motor Services of Ardrossan, Scotland.

The industrial town of Wolverhampton and its surrounds had been served by the Midland Red bus company since the early part of the 20th Century. Midland Red routes generally connected Wolverhampton with towns and districts outside the Borough boundary, not served by the Corporation.

This leafy summertime view was taken on Cleveland Road in Wolverhampton, close to the town centre. This location had been a Midland Red terminal point for many years.

With steam escaping from the radiator cap, the 1953 Leyland LD8 is clearly overheating after its run from Princess End in Tipton, via the A4123. A journey of about 6-miles.

The crew might be taking a break while the bus cools off, or could be awaiting a change-over? If assistance was needed, it would have to come from the newly built Midland Red bus garage on Wolverhampton's Birmingham New Road. This is where the 12-year old bus was allocated at the time of this picture.

Between 1953 and 1964, 3980 had been garaged at the nearby Bilston Street bus garage in Wolverhampton. However, this had closed in March 1964, with the fleet being transferred to the new facility.

Sadly, time was drawing to a close for 3980, as it would be withdrawn from traffic in the October of 1966. Although 3980 is no longer with us, sister 4031, the sole surviving LD8 lives on at the Transport Museum Wythall, where it can be seen on display.

The Alpha Restaurant to the right of picture, later became 'The Old Ship' Restaurant. The single-storey building was pulled down in recent years.

The glass-mounted slide from which this image was scanned is in a poor state, and much work was needed to refresh the image. Again, a huge thanks to fellow flickrite, Leon Coast who saved this 35mm slide from destruction, so that it can be again enjoyed.

Trial with supercharger. (0 – 60 in ?) This required positioning the radiator further forward resulting in a snout effect. Not very elegant on such a well balanced bus.

RT3326 / LYR545 AEC Regent. New 1951. With snout between 1955 and 1959 when it received a roof box body on overhaul. Exported to Ceylon in 1964. Ref. Ian's Bus Stop RTs – Non Roof Box.

Location and more in comments by andrewcolbourne.

Copyright A B Cross

The colours of winter.

B&W treatment of a copse of trees from Cleveland Road across the moor.

Leyland Nationals 1843, 1039 & 1501, along with Metrobus 3110 are lined up inside Cleveland Road Garage for one last time. The buses were awaiting drivers to transfer them to Wolverhampton's Park Lane on the closure of Cleveland Road Garage that evening.

105, the Foden 'Haulmaster' cabbed recovery truck pictured at the end of the line up, is parked in its usual spot. It was one of the last vehicles to depart CR, being on standby incase any departing buses failed on their journey across town.

As of the following day, the town's bus operations were run out of Park Lane Garage, which had closed as a bus garage in 1986, but had reopened in 1990 as an engineering facility. After much work and preparation, it reopened as a fully functioning bus garage on 31st October 1993.

The 30/10/1993, wasn't the end for the garage, as buses returned to CR on several occasions after closure to refuel, in order to exhaust the garage's remaining fuel stocks. Beyond that, the building lay empty until it found temporary use as an undercover, secure parking facility for the town's shoppers. Sadly, the 40-year old garage was pulled down in 2017.

Returning to the vehicles pictured: Foden 105 survives in preservation with a private owner, but has been shortened and converted into an 5th plate tractor unit.

Of the bus line up, the three Leyland Nationals have long met their maker. Incredibly, 3110 only succumbed to the scrap man's cutting torch in July 2020 after a long wait on death row at Geoff Ripley's scrap yard in Carlton, South Yorkshire. On the plus side, many parts have been salvaged from 3110 in recent years for use on other Metrobuses.

Photo - 30th October 1993.

View from church tower: north over railway towards Springbourne, September, 1988.

Original photograph © Kenneth Mantock, scanned and curated for Bournemouth Civic Society.

View from church tower: north-north-west up Cleveland Road, September, 1988.

Original photograph © Kenneth Mantock, scanned and curated for Bournemouth Civic Society.

The former Co-op Bakery, May, 1988, which - with 106-108 Spring Road - was replaced by St Clement's Court: a block of thirty-five sheltered flats plus a warden's flat. The Warden's flat and communal areas were then converted to make it up to thirty-eight flats in 1993.

Original photograph © Kenneth Mantock, scanned and curated for Bournemouth Civic Society.