Roy B

Continued from above: The canal was connected to the MB&BC in c.1801. Its course was parallel to the MB&BC but on the opposite bank of the River Irwell. When completed, it was 1½-miles long and it joined the MB&BC at Clifton Aqueduct. A busy Clifton Aqueduct in days gone by Overgrown and out of use today This map shows the aqueduct and Pack Saddle Bridge There was a towpath throughout the length of Fletcher's Canal and to connect this to the towpath of the MB&BC, a junction side bridge was built at the southern end of Clifton Aqueduct, this being known as Pack Saddle Bridge. An archive photograph showing Clifton Aqueduct (left of centre) from Fletcher's Canal. The stone towpath bridge which crossed the canal at its junction with the Fletcher's Canal is now gone. The railway viaduct dominates the background. Another archive photograph, this time showing the towpath bridge close up with a person crossing over it. The canal goes below the bridge to cross the aqueduct. The area around the overgrown Clifton Aqueduct is hardly recognisable today with only a very small part of the Pack Saddle Bridge left. This small fragment is all that remains of the Pack Saddle Bridge Continues below:

Continued from above: The Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal opened in 1795, serving coal mines from the Clifton, Agecroft, Kearsley and Pendleton mines. One of the principal arms ran southwards from Bolton along the Irwell valley, and through the village. The Horseshoe Inn by the church gate was a scheduled stopping place for the packet boats running from Bolton to Manchester. The Horseshoe Inn as it was in the early days As it is today with substantial alterations Later industry included a coal fired power station. Kearsley Power station was built in the late 1920's, water for cooling taken from the Irwell. It had a dramatic impact on the landscape of the Irwell Valley and although its massive cooling towers were demolished in 1985, the pylons dominate many views. During the present century suburban development has encroached upon the setting of the village. Moving south from the village we come to the main mining area. The above-mentioned canal was extended with a cut called Fletcher's Canal to carry coal from the pits. Other pits in the area were the Ringley Colliery, and the Outwood Colliery. In the 18th century the two foremost impediments to making coal mines profitable were flooding and transport. At this time, the accepted way of draining shallow mines was to use men or horses to draw up buckets of water. A somewhat more advanced method was to use a horse gin. An alternative method, if the coal seam was at a higher level than the surrounding ground, was to drive a sough (tunnel) from the mine to the lower ground. Additionally, the road system in the country was also inadequate and poorly maintained. Transport was by horse and cart, or even by packhorse and it was expensive. If the coal seams happened to be in an area where there was a navigable river then this could be used for transport. Often this was not the case but when one was available then it was subject to the vagaries of weather, floods, water shortage and silting up of the channel. Close to Ringley was the Wet Earth Colliery. Here Ringley witnessed a remarkable feat of engineering by James Brindley in the early part of the Industrial Revolution. At this location the solution to the mine flooding was: James Brindley's Hydraulic Pumping System In c.1740 John Heathcote, a landowner in the Irwell Valley, endeavoured to sink the first deep coal mine in the area at Clifton but it persistently flooded and Matthew Fletcher (c.1733-24 August 1808), a member of an influential local mining family, was brought in to advise on how to solve the flooding problem. It seems that he had little success and in due course the mine closed. In 1750, Heathcote called in the renowned engineer and millwright, James Brindley (1716-1772), to advise on how best to prevent flooding. Heathcote was impressed with Brindley's abilities and he thereupon appointed him to put into practice a solution to the flooding problem at Wet Earth. It took Brindley two years to survey the land and design an appropriate pumping system. Heathcote accepted Brindley's proposals in 1752 and the go-ahead was granted for work to commence. It took Brindley another four years, until 1756, to complete the work. Brindley's solution was to use the River Irwell to provide power to pump water from the bottom of the shaft. Wet Earth Colliery was located close to the south bank of the river and upstream, by the hamlet of Ringley Fold, the river begins a loop nearly half-a-mile wide. He resolved to build a weir across the river near Ringley Fold, the purpose of which was to impound water and increase the head of water available to power a waterwheel. Above the weir, on the north bank of the river, he drove a tunnel some 800-yards long across the loop. To begin with, it was driven through shale, which required it to be brick lined. The works then struck the Pendleton Fault where it entered sandstone and from thereon it was unlined. Just below the weir a short side tunnel was driven to the river bank for flush-out purposes. The tunnel arrived at the river by a place known as Giant's Seat where a vertical shaft was sunk to a depth below that of the bed of the River Irwell, as well as one more flush-out tunnel to the river bank. Opposite this shaft, on the south bank of the river, a second vertical shaft was sunk to the same level as the first tunnel. The two vertical shafts were then connected together by driving a 220-foot long horizontal tunnel below the bed of the river. In this way, the two vertical shafts and the horizontal tunnel formed an inverted siphon. From the top of the southern shaft an open leat (head race) was cut to a point close to Wet Earth Colliery where it turned sharply westwards. It then entered the hillside by a short tunnel that accessed the pumping chamber where the pit shaft was located. In this chamber, Brindley installed an overshot waterwheel to drive a pumpjack (or nodding donkey). Water pumped from the mine shaft and spent water from the waterwheel then discharged down a tail-race tunnel into the river Irwell. Brindley's ingenious system was successful and Matthew Fletcher became the owner of Wet Earth Colliery. Afterwards, he sank a new shaft at Wet Earth, known as Gal Pit, which was some 159-foot deep and 13 feet in diameter. This shaft reached down as far as the Doe seam of coal. The name of the pit comes from the Galloway pony, the traditional name for pit ponies or Galloways. To summarise; water from above Ringley Fold Weir flowed along a tunnel for some 800 yards, passed below the river by way of the inverted siphon and rose to the open leat on the south side of the river. The leat then conveyed the water to the pumping chamber where it powered the waterwheel that, in turn, drove the pumpjack that lifted water out of the mine. Drain water and spent water from the waterwheel then discharged into the River Irwell via the tail-race tunnel. The head of water from the top of Ringley Fold Weir to the pumping chamber was 35 feet. Following the positive result of this project, James Brindley became known as the 'man who made water run uphill' because of the inverted siphon below the River Irwell. It was this project that confirmed him as the leading engineer of the day and in retrospect he was arguably the first civil engineer of the Industrial Revolution. The Wet Earth project showed that he had the ability to conceive, plan and bring to a successful conclusion a major undertaking, while at the same time training others to carry on with the work while he attended to other tasks. By 1760, Fletcher had sunk another shaft one mile east of Wet Earth Colliery, known as Botany Bay Colliery. Simultaneously, he extended Brindley's leat for this distance where he installed a second waterwheel but this one was used to wind coal up the shaft. Brindley's waterwheel worked continuously until 1867 when it was replaced by a water turbine. This worked until 1924 when a steam-driven pump replaced it and this worked until 1928 when the colliery closed. Wet Earth pit closed in 1928 after 180 years of working. Even L.S. Lowry painted a picture entitled ‘Pit Head Scene at Wet Earth’ in 1925. The Wet Earth Colliery site. The dock shown on the old map above is heavily overgrown now Also on the map you can see a travelling crane to the right. This is one of the remaining brick supports. Thus Brindley's waterwheel worked for 111 years; the water turbine for 57 years and the steam-driven pump for four years. Closure of the colliery did not spell the end for Brindley's tunnel, siphon and leat. These continued to supply water for industrial purposes until 1960 when the site of the tunnel was used for Ringley Fold Sewage Treatment Works. After that, Ringley Fold Weir was used to supply cooling water to Kearsley Power Station. Fletcher's Canal: By the 1790’s, Matthew Fletcher was the Chairman of the Mersey and Irwell Navigation and a Committeeman of the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal Company. He was also the Principal Engineer of the latter company. In 1790-91 he widened and deepened the leat between Wet Earth and Botany Bay Collieries and extended it eastwards, in preparation for making a head-on junction with the proposed Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal (MB&BC). The purpose of this was to enable him to convey coal from his mines, while still retaining the original function of Brindley's leat. This isolated canal became known as Fletcher's Canal and on the hypothesis that it was provided with a number of coal boats then initially it could only have been used to carry coal to a wharf by a suitable road and/or tramway. Although the MB&BC was opened between Rhodes Lock and Salford in 1796, there was still no connection between Fletcher's Canal and the MB&BC in 1799. The delay in making the connection was brought about by two issues: 1. Mill owners by the River Irwell had only agreed to the construction of the MB&BC after strict conditions had been written into its Act to limit the amount of water that the canal could take from the river further upstream. This meant that it was essential that no water from the MB&BC should enter Fletcher's Canal. 2. It seems that in anticipation of making a connection, Matthew Fletcher had built a lock in his canal, which was located about 220 yards from the proposed head-on junction with the MB&BC but its fall was found to be too great for the water level in the MB&BC when it opened. The Derbyshire engineer, Benjamin Outram, who was advising the canal company at the time, recommended the construction of a second lock in Fletcher's Canal with a small rise. Apparently, his recommendation received the approval of both the canal committee and the mill owners but it was not acted upon. Instead, the original lock seems to have been enlarged to create a chamber 90-foot long by 21-foot wide, with a fall of 20 inches towards the MB&BC, which therefore always gained water. This lock could accommodate three narrow boats side-by-side. We continue alongside the abandoned Fletcher’s Canal and cross underneath the M60. The disused Fletchers Canal Continues below:

Hi there folks, Before we begin this week here’s a quick update on Midland Red. The last operational Midland Red garage in Leicestershire was finally closed on 31st October 2021 when Arriva shut its Wigston garage. It had been built in the favoured ‘Art-Deco’ style and first opened for bus operations on 5th October 1957 as a result of the two established BMMO garages in Leicester (Sandacre Street and Southgate Street) being full to overflowing. RHA 919G outside Wigston Garage. Built as B51F between 1968 and 1970 by Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Company Limited (BMMO—Midland “Red” Motor Services) as type code S23, one-man operation single-decker service bus. Bodywork finished in-house by BMMO at Central Works. Wigston began with 20 buses from each of the Leicester garages, but went on to have an allocation of mainly BMMO built double-deckers with a few saloons required for country services. It also served as an area engineering centre looking after major servicing even attending to Nuneaton’s CM6 motorway coaches that worked the Coventry-London services. However, with the fabric of the building now showing its age and in need of a lot of repair Arriva felt it could manage its fleet by concentrating it at its main depot at Thurmaston. Following the closure only five former BMMO garages remain operational, these being Banbury, Nuneaton, Rugby, Tamworth and Worcester. Finally on the bus scene here’s a great look at a Leyland Super National featuring a classic smoky cold start, and an on-board drive over the River Trent via the King George V (Keadby) bridge which was built in 1916. The engine note sure brings back the memories. The Super-National at Marble Arch Onto this week. We start with a couple of F2 Qualifiers from the south-west, and then move up country to Greater Manchester. Bristol – Sunday 30th May 2021 In addition to the south-west drivers there was a good showing of English drivers from the east and the north-west, together with a quintet of Scots. Heat 1: A quiet race saw Jon Palmer take a routine win. Result: 24, 27, 184, 398, 542, 844, 195, 689 and 928. Heat 2: Luke Wrench had an easy victory in this one. Result: 560, 38, 126, 53, 16, 438, 890, 325, 194 and 736. Heat 3: Bizarre circumstances at the end of the race saw first over the line Matt Stoneman (127) docked, and the same fate befell Harley Burns (992). That saw James Rygor (783) inherit the win from his third spot finish. He then also failed post-race checks, and left a surprised Luke Beeson (287) as the official winner. Result: 287, 667, 127, 992, 606, 895, 979, 915, 419 and 787. Consolation: Jack Cave (801) took the win to continue his great start to the season. Result: 801, 183, 359, 736, 210, 419, 581, 629, 194 and 618. Final: Even though she didn’t finish in a qualifying place Lauren Stack (928) was allowed to race in the Final for some unknown reason. Some would say it doesn’t matter but as it goes it did. The race looked to be going to Jamie Avery (126). He was in control and clear at the front when the race went under caution with just three laps to go after the 928 car had spun in turn two. At the restart J.P in the 24 car pounced to grab the lead, and the win, which netted him the impressive Gerry Dommett Trophy. Jack Cave (801) finished second leaving Avery in third. A damaging last bend crash saw Steven Gilbert (542), Charlie Guinchard (183) and Stoneman crash out. Ryan Farquhar (419) went into the last lap fifteenth and came home eighth which was some reward for his long drive back to Aberlour in the north of Scotland. Jon Palmer (24) became the first driver at that point of the season to achieve a maximum score in a WCQ. The Heat and Final double victories gained him 30 points to add to 5 attendance points. Result: 24, 801, 126, 38, 890, 667, 184, 419, 581 and 915. Adrian Blackwell, the F2 tech officer checks the 24’s tyres JP on the victory lap GN: The GN fielded just 18 cars such was the damage in the Final. James Riggall took the win. Result: 527, 38, 560, 126, 194, 667, 24, 915, 890 and 184. St.Day – Sunday 20th June 2021: Would this be the last time? The last time for a Brisca F2 World Championship Qualifier at St. Day. The question remains unanswered for now. The annual qualifying round took place in warm sunny weather in front of a healthy sized crowd. A steady stream of bookings had been coming in to boost the entry list. Scottish pair Mike Philip (195) and Colin Stewart (191) clocked up some jaw-dropping miles to attend for their track debut. Lady racers Jess Ward (86) and Courtney Witts (780) were two more track debutants. Aaron Vaight (184) is seen so much in the south-west that it’s easy to overlook how far he travels from the north-west of England. The inclusion of Andy Ford (13) and Charlie Guinchard (183) added to the entertainment factor. With one third of the entry being from Plymouth, and further west into Cornwall there were still several south-west drivers clocking up 100 miles or more to be present. Of the local contingent (including 24, 27 and 126), gathering World points at the south-west rounds would be key to those aiming to advance to the Semi Finals. The strong 39 car entry was ideal for a full-format meeting. It would hardly be the St. Day World Qualifier without a very nice touch from perennial sponsors Neil Truran Motorsport, who handed out a ‘traffic light’ trio of red, amber and green bottles of Rattler cider to all drivers on the traditional Grand Parade. Heat 1: A dominant win for Justin Fisher (315) who tore through the field from his blue grade start to pass white top John Brereton (948) for the lead with six laps remaining. Brereton had some trouble dealing with backmarker traffic, including Stewart who had been delayed when Jack Bunter (128) spun early on, but held onto second from Joe Marquand (689) and Jon Palmer (24). Result: 315, 948, 689, 24, 542, 302, 438, 606, 35 and 86. Heat 2: There was an early caution when Ian England (398) took a heavy hit into the wall by the pit gate and lost the steering wheel in the process. This closed up the field and let the higher graded drivers make up track position. On form man Kieren Bradford (27) passed the early pacesetters in the shape of Dayne Pritlove (540) and Jack Prosser (844) to take the top spot before half-distance and looked like he was set for another race win. However, Paul Rice (890) and Ben Borthwick (418) were flying. Borthwick used the bumper to pass Rice and Bradford in one move, but Rice had other ideas and followed him through and then took the lead himself. Borthwick tracked Rice for the remainder of the race but could only make light contact with a last-bend hit which wasn’t enough to move the 890 car from the top spot. Result: 890, 418, 27, 126, 183, 783, 184, 844, 464 and 251. Consolation: The 15 car race proved easy for the blues and reds who had failed to qualify from their heats. Ben Goddard (895) overtook long-time leader Pritlove with three to go. Paul Moss (979), with a new bumper fitted after a big hit into the wall in his heat then spun Pritlove from second, but delayed himself in the process allowing Tommy Farrell (667), Ryan Sheahan (325) and Courtney Witts (780) to blast past. Result: 895, 667, 325, 780, 979, 195, 398, 578, 797 and 828. Final: A full 30 car grid assembled for the main race which was led off by the lone white top qualifier Brereton. Early problems for superstar James Rygor (783) dropped him off the lead lap but as he tried to re-pass Brereton it allowed Stewart to find a way into the lead. It wasn’t long before the flying Fisher hit the front though, as bumpers flew in all around the track. Goddard moved into second but was well behind, while maintaining a decent gap over third placed Bradford who had Palmer on his tail. Having been delayed early on Borthwick appeared to be riding shotgun for fellow Motorworld man Fisher, although the Devon veteran needed no help such was his dominant pace. The in-form driver eased to victory as he had been threatening to do since the season began. “I’ll take that,” was race winner Fisher’s understated reaction. “A good day - lots of cars, lots of people watching,” was his summary. Palmer admitted: “I wasn’t fast enough to catch the top two. I could have done with some caution flags really. Justin was gone – absolutely flying” Result: 315, 895, 24, 689, 27, 667, 542, 251, 183 and 184. The winning car GN: 26 on track for this one. Brereton was left well clear after a messy start by the rest of the field. England was one of a number of early retirements, with Bradford also forced out by a puncture. Into the second half of the race Brereton maintained a big gap over the chasing Charlie Fisher (35), with 689 third ahead of top stars Borthwick and Palmer who still had plenty of ground to make up. While Fisher was unable to catch the leader he nevertheless inherited the win, (his first in the formula), after Brereton was docked two places for jumping the start (along with Fisher Snr). It was a very happy Fisher family who went home with three wins split between father and son on Father’s Day. Result: 35, 689, 948, 418, 24, 251, 183, 780, 325 and 844. The Saloons had a disappointing turn-out of 15 cars. The afternoon was completely dominated by star novice Warren Darby (677) who secured a hat trick of victories. In each race the teenager opened out a big advantage from the off and never looked like being beaten. Top 3’s: Heat 1: 677, 84 and 902. Heat 2: 677, 902 and 447. Final: 677, 84 and 902. Pics in the gallery for both meetings. Okay, we’ll now make our way to the village of Ringley, near to Kearsley in Greater Manchester. It is situated alongside the River Irwell. The area close to the village has a fair amount of the industrial past now long overgrown and forgotten. It also played a major part in the career of ‘the man who made water run uphill’. Ringley is situated in the Irwell valley, about 6 miles north-west of Manchester. Before development the area was wooded and the name probably comes from the Old English meaning a clearing. Early settlement and industry grew up on the banks of the river. The river could be crossed at a ford a little further downstream. In Medieval times it was one of the few bridging points across the Irwell between Bolton and Manchester. A stone packhorse bridge constructed in 1677 remains at the heart of the village although it is now closed to vehicular traffic. The 400 year old former church tower with evidence of subsidence The old village stocks are located on the opposite side of the road from the Church tower. No record of their construction can be found but they probably date from the early 17th century. The stone posts have grooves on their inner faces, into which are slotted two tiers of foot holes, to secure the prisoner by his ankles. Now behind railings Stocks were in general use from Medieval times or before. They were set up in a public place, either at the entrance to a town or on a village green. No village was considered complete without its stocks as they were essential to law and order. According to the severity of the crime, the offender would be sentenced to spend a number of hours, or even days, clamped in the stocks.The stocks were used to punish minor offences such as petty stealing, drunkenness and vagrancy. For instance, in 1605 every person convicted of drunkenness was either fined five shillings or put in the stocks for six hours. Wood stealers might well have been punished by two days in the stocks. Often prisoners were taunted and laughed at by onlookers. Not only were stocks used as a mode of punishment and show of public disapproval, but also as a means of securing all offenders before they were dealt with officially. Early occupations here were farming and handloom weaving, before coal mining, paper making and cotton spinning took over. The first mill, built around 1780 was situated where the River Croal and River Irwell meet, and powered by a wheel from a weir on the Croal. Near this spinning mill was a chemical works owned by Benjamin Rawson producing acid for the bleach and paper industry. Thomas Bonsor Crompton built a steam and water powered mill c1833 adding to the 16 mills already in the Farnworth and Kearsley area. In 1826 Clammermouth Mill was built by Joseph and Robert Lord. A pottery at Clammermouth used clay from the bed of the Irwell. Kearsley Spinning Mill, owned by Edmund Turner, was destroyed by fire in 1832, probably caused by a candle (used for lighting). Rawson's chemical plant stopped producing vitriol in around 1834 and the plant was sold to a Mr Wilson but closed in 1875. John Livesey had a small paperwork’s at Dye House Mill, but five years after it closed, paper was being made at Crompton's Mill in Ringley, later to be called Robert Fletcher and Son. By 1897 the Bankerfield Mill and the New Prestolee Mill were among the largest spinning mills in the country. Of the paper industry, these are the recorded mills during the early 1800's. Creams Mill, Little Lever founded by James Crompton 1670. Farnworth Bridge Mill, founded 1680 by Robert Crompton. Lever Hall Mill, Great Lever founded 1718 by Ellis Crompton, Grundy's Mill, Little Lever founded by James Grundy in 1760, Livesey's Mill, Prestolee founded 1770 by John Livesey, Seddon's Mill, Prestolee founded by Thomas Seddon 1780, Springfield Mill, Bolton founded 1820 by James and John Livesey of Prestolee, Stoneclough Mill founded 1823 by Ralph Crompton, becoming Robert Fletcher and Son in 1859, Robert Fletcher himself living from 1804 - 1865. Fletchers Paper Mills acquired a reputation as one of the world’s leading manufacturers of fine paper. Ringley Wakes: A tradition in Lancashire, the Wakes holiday was a time that people could rest from work. It was a time to join in and enjoy the festivities. Ringley Village held its Wakes on the first Sunday in May. Activities included bull-baiting, quoiting, swarming the pole, and gurning through a horse collar. Many other games and activities formed part of the regular programme of merriment. Lord Mayor of Ringley: The highlight of the Wakes was the choosing of the Lord Mayor. This was not an official position and the powers of the office were minimal. The holder of the office was entitled to have, on each Sunday, a pint of beer, a clay pipe, a box of matches and an ounce of tobacco from each of the three public houses within the village, and a further four in Stoneclough and Prestolee. To claim his weekly allowance the Mayor had to dress in his best Sunday clothes, be clean shaven, and have clean clogs and a clean muffler. Unfortunately as part of the proceedings the new Mayor was carried through the village and thrown from the canal bridge into the canal below. Irwell eels were once renowned for their excellent taste which was reputed to result from their diet being supplemented by fat, oil and grease released into the river from the numerous fulling mills along its banks. Communications between Ringley and the neighbouring towns of Bolton and Manchester were very poor until the construction of the canal. Continues below:

Continued from above: The Leyland Titan PD2 recovery vehicle was brought into use on the running day It was sent out to rescue a BMMO S22 after it stopped on the road run with air in the fuel Finally, one of the shuttle buses used on the day was this Walsall Corporation Daimler CRC6 from 1968. It is fitted with a Cummins V6 rear engine and Northern Counties 85 seat bodywork. It has two staircases, and a front entrance and rear exit. It was the first bus to be fitted with CCTV. During the 50’s and 60’s Walsall was well known for its varied fleet, with many one-offs and experimental vehicles. This bus was the final one-off before the fleet was swallowed up in to the new West Midlands PTE in 1969. At 36ft long, it was for many years the longest double-decker in the country. It carried this unusual light blue and cream livery instead of the normal all over blue. Due to the length, it was usually kept away from the narrow roads around Walsall’s housing estates and was often to be seen on the long distance services to Birmingham. It was notoriously unreliable and had to be towed back to the depot at Birchills on many an occasion, once famously closing Birmingham’s busy Corporation Street for several hours. It’s well worth paying a visit to Wythall. There is a large collection of stored vehicles, and a museum housing all things transport related. Plenty of pics in the gallery. Next time: It’s 2021 F2 WCQ time. We’ll have a look at the Bristol and St. Day rounds, and then we’ll go off on a snowy visit to an area in northern Greater Manchester to see what remains of the past.

Continued from above: Whilst Midland Red were pioneers in the production of underfloor engined single-deckers, it was felt that to produce a double decker in such a format would create a bus that was too high. However, the 1958 introduction of the Leyland Atlantean had produced the concept of the double-decker bus with an entrance alongside the driver. Whilst one man operation of double-deckers was still some years away, this not being legalised until 1967, such a layout allowed more seats to be fitted to a similar length bus, so such an advantage was an instant attraction to Midland Red. Less attractive was the rear engine of the Atlantean and it’s 1960 introduced rival, the Daimler Fleetline, which suffered from reliability issues in their early days. BMMO decided to turn to its tried and tested mid underfloor engine concept to produce that enhanced capacity. The height problem was solved by the ingenious solution of fitting the BMMO KL engine the opposite way round to that fitted in a single-decker. Thus the BMMO D10 was born. Two were built, 4943 and 4944, the latter initially fitted with two staircases and doorways before it was rebuilt to match 4943. The duo successfully did the rounds at various garages but, for whatever reason, the company decided to not build anymore, concentrating on the simpler D9. 4943 & 4944 would spend their last days at Stafford garage before withdrawal in the early seventies. Midland Red did accept the rear engine when it purchased the fifty DD11 Alexander bodied Fleetlines in 1963, followed by the DD12 (including 6015), and DD13 from 1966 onwards. 4944 was scrapped, but 4943 found its way into the Wythall collection, where it has lived for many years, making very occasional trips out. S23 5956 5956 was one of the final class to be built at Carlyle Works. Seventy six BMMO S23 thirty-six foot long, mid underfloor engined single-deckers were built in 1969, and early 1970. After 1967 thirty S21 semi coaches were built with luxurious, blue PVC trimmed coach seats, to be used to supplement the coach fleet at busier periods and were used on bus services at other times. These were followed by forty Dual Purpose BMMO S22’s in 1968 (designed for use on the then growing number of one man operated Limited Stop services, their padded seats were comfortable, though not in the same league as those in the S21). The S23’s were built for the company’s bread and butter normal service work, exactly as the original SOS saloons that began bus building at Carlyle Works in 1925 had been. Not only does 5956 represent the final BMMO model, it also represents the final appearance of such buses being painted in National Bus Company (NBC) poppy red livery. BMMO C5 4780 Monday 22nd November 1959 saw the opening of the first stage of the M1 Motorway from the outskirts of London to Crick, in Northamptonshire (that last section now being part of the M45 Coventry Motorway) to which Midland Red responded by introducing a Birmingham – London Motorway service, using an upgraded version of its 1958 introduced C5 class of coach. This service would ultimately evolve into today’s National Express service between the two cities, so to say that it was an unbridled success is a slight understatement! The modified C5’s would become known as CM5T’s, the T signifying that a toilet was fitted, which was quite a rare feature at the time. They also featured turbochargers, making what was already a fast coach even faster! CM5’s without the toilet were also constructed, for the X44 Birmingham – Worcester service via the M5, this beginning on 20th July 1962, the day the M5 was opened. Later, as the M5 was extended north, an X43 variant was started, running into Birmingham along the Hagley Road, as opposed to Bristol Road. In their later days, several C5’s would be modified to work as service buses, these becoming known as C5A’s, whilst several also featured modified gearboxes, these becoming known as C5S’s. BMMO CM6T 5656 Once thirty-six foot single-deckers were legalised in the early sixties, it was an obvious move to develop a thirty-six foot Motorway coach. Thus the CM6 and CM6T were born, entering service in 1965. By this time, the rest of Midland Red’s new coach requirements were being met by the Leyland Leopard, so unlike the C5, only the Motorway version of the CM6/CM6T would be produced. Again, the CM6T’s would be concentrated on the London services from both Birmingham and Coventry (the latter soon being extended to /from Nuneaton) whilst the CM6’s would be allocated to Worcester for the X43 and X44. High mileages would see the class withdrawn from 1972 onwards, though several passed into the white livery of the newly introduced National Express operation, of which the London run had become a part, the Birmingham service initially becoming the 501(with some journeys going to/from Dudley) and Nuneaton the 502. Midland Red had also introduced a weekend motorway service from Shrewsbury, running via Wolverhampton, Walsall, Sutton Coldfield and Chelmsley Wood before joining the M6 for the run to the M1 to London, this becoming National Express 507. Plaxton bodied Leyland Leopards reputedly with nowhere near the power of a CM6T would take-over from the CM6T’s by 1974. Despite one accident damaged CM6T being rebuilt as a CM6A and used on the X43/X44, the CM6’s were soon displaced from these routes. The London service was left initially in the hands of cascaded Leopards from the coach fleet, which became LC7A’s, though these would soon be replaced by the first of the S27 Marshall bodied Leopards, these being displaced in turn in 1976, by the first of the Plaxton bodied Leopard service coaches, such as 674. These would then be the mainstay of the X43 and X44 until the route’s sad 1992 demise, bought about by the considerable improvement of the rail service between the two cities. One of the visitors at the running day: A Leyland Titan PD2/1 with a Leyland Lowbridge 53 seat body. It was first registered on the 17th December 1949 by Todmorden Joint Omnibus Committee, fleet number 18 (owned by Todmorden Corporation). When Todmorden J.O.C. was merged with Halifax J.O.C in 1971 it became number 351 but was not repainted. After 22 years service it was sold to Mulley’s Motorways of Ixworth for school services. It was purchased for preservation in 1977, and dismantled, overhauled and rebuilt in the 1990’s. It made a return visit to its original Millwood depot in Aug 2015, 65 years after first entering the depot (now demolished). Some additional notes on this bus: Although LMS railway’s interest in Todmorden J.O.C passed to British Rail upon nationalisation in 1947, No. 18 entered service on 1st January 1950 with the LMS crest and white roof. As it is today it is shown in 1960’s livery with BR logo and white roof but with the addition of direction indicators fitted in the mid-1960’s. Land Rovers look too small to tow double-decker buses but Midland Red used them on recovery work for many years. After a 1957 demonstrator had successfully towed an 8 ton double-decker uphill Midland Red ordered twenty and by 1963 had distributed them throughout their network. Continues below:

Continued from above: As Midland Red grew after World War One it needed a central overhaul works in order to maintain its vehicles properly. The company took over some of the buildings on the Carlyle site from Daimler Co Ltd in September 1920 and began carrying out body construction, repairs and overhauls there. The remainder of the site and buildings were taken over in November 1924 and production of the company’s recently developed own chassis began here. The buildings consisted of two huge Belfast type hangars originally built to house the production of aircraft for the Royal Flying Corps. One became the Body Shop and the other the Chassis Shop. Additionally there were several ancient wooden sheds, housing different activities such as the body drawing office, stores, upholsterers, trimmers and carpenters. Rubery Owen supplied the chassis frames for the company’s own products in fully assembled condition, the Chassis Shop fitting all the necessary parts into the frames. The overhaul of existing, and manufacture of new bus bodies for many years involved wooden rather than metal framed bodies. One of the separate, smaller buildings included the Saw Mill, then performing a very important role and surrounded by great piles of large, rough sawn, carefully stacked planks – maple and elm for floors, elm again for mudguards and steps, ash (for pillars, waist and cant rails) and fir and parana pine(for internal mouldings) all undergoing long term seasoning. A lost art is French polishing, then continually undertaken. In the workshops wooden bodies panelled in sheet steel and metal bodies panelled in sheet aluminium were rebuilt and repaired side by side. Steel panels had to be laboriously attached to the wooden pillars by manually driving wood-screws with a pump-handled Archimedes screwdriver. All slots in the screw heads had to be in line and aligned with the nearest edge as a matter of pride. In contrast, the post-World War Two vehicles would have their aluminium panels pop-riveted to steel pillars using a powered riveting gun and, since pop-rivets have no slots, there was nothing to align so the job would be done in half the time. In the Panel Shop several skilled sheet metal workers could restore front or rear upper roof-end canopies after a driver had lost an argument with a low bridge. These skilled men cut, shaped and welded thin, 18 gauge aluminium sheets by hand so that the finished article looked as though it was a one-piece pressing. The biggest challenge was that this big, 8 feet wide work of art had to match up and fit exactly to its supporting frames and rails. Buses were hand painted by a gang of men wobbling about on the top of huge, very high stepladders. Each bus would be painted several times over, receiving primer, undercoat, finish coat and finally a coat of varnish. The new Chassis Overhaul Department was one large shop, measuring 275 feet by 140 feet, designed to handle 600 overhauls per year. Cleanliness within the new shops was considered very important so, prior to entering, each vehicle going in for overhaul was lifted hydraulically and high-pressure steam cleaned. As the vehicles were stripped for attention, individual parts would be subjected to further steam spraying and degreasing before passing to the various repair sections, or the Unit Shop which dealt with the overhaul of axles, gearboxes, springs and steering components etc. The Engine Shop was laid out on a production line basis and, after final assembly, engines passed to the Test House for an eight hour run on any of the six Heenan and Froude dynamometers kept in constant use. The Machine Shop had crankshaft grinders, cylinder boring and honing machines, radial drills, lathes and milling machines required for the repair of vehicle parts. The Body Shop The Body Shop had ten-door vehicle access and was capable of handling 50 buses for body repairs. Incoming vehicles would be inspected for corrosion, damaged panels to be repaired or replaced, and interiors to be attended to by the seat trimming and upholstery section. There was also a destination blind department. After completion of a body overhaul, the bus would pass to the Paint Shop. Midland Red was especially proud of the spray-painting plant that was designed and constructed by the company and thought to be unique in the bus industry at that time. After all brightwork and painted advertisements had been masked, vehicles were forwarded to the spray booth which contained an electrically operated platform, lowering vehicles below floor level to working height- in the case of double-deckers to a depth of eleven feet. The vehicles were then gradually raised with two operators spraying the whole exterior in 12 minutes. The vehicle was then moved and ‘baked’ in a heated drying chamber for around 25 minutes. The Transfer Shop Repainted vehicles then had all masking removed, windows cleaned of overspray etc, transfers applied, and destination blinds fitted before despatch home. Carlyle Works was truly a self-contained facility. Leyland was one of the big outside companies that supplied new vehicles. They delivered one hundred all Leyland (this being before Leyland stopped building its own bodywork) PD2s, which gained the Midland Red insignia LD8, the L representing it’s Leyland manufacture, common practice when Midland Red designated buses bought from other manufacturers. 4031 is the only survivor. Here is 4031, and a sample of four more of the many vehicles from the open day: These buses possessed excessive leg room, in contrast to many BMMO built buses, where seats tended to be packed in quite tightly! This quality must have made the LD8’s extremely popular on the long interurban routes that became their natural home. Birmingham Digbeth garage ran many such routes, such as the 159 to Coventry, X68 to Leicester, 150 to Stratford and X72 to Gloucester. Leamington was another garage to have a large LD8 presence, as did Bearwood and the small garage at Ludlow, where many were allocated seasonally for the 192 to Birmingham, as well as all year round use on the X34/X35 Shrewsbury – Hereford services. 1963 saw Midland Red purchase fifty Alexander bodied Daimler Fleetlines to supplement D9 production. By this time, it wasn’t the need to increase the size of the fleet, has had been the case with the LD8s, but the then rise of Birmingham car factories taking labour, for which Carlyle Works couldn’t compete (in fact, 1963 also saw the company buy one hundred Leyland Leopards, the LS18 class, the first outside manufactured single-deckers since 1925!) These fifty Fleetlines were designated DD11, and entered service from various garages on front line service, displacing D7s and LD8’s to more secondary work. Sadly, no DD11 survives, their withdrawal (the last Midland Red D11-the extra D being phased out in the early seventies – going in 1977, whilst the last to be transferred to WMPTE went in 1979) taking place when preservationists were largely concerned with saving the last front engine buses. D9 production continued until 1966, after which Caryle Works would concentrate on building single-deckers for the final years of bus building. Therefore, 1966 would also see the company buy more Alexander bodied Daimler Fleetlines. They were designated DD12, and would feature several minor detail differences to the earlier DD11’s. These included a different interior, but the most notable difference was the absence of opening ventilators on the upstairs front windows, the DD12 adopting the plain glass that several D9’s were retrospectively fitted with, as this was considered stronger. Many D11’s would also receive plain glass in their final years. One hundred and forty nine DD12’s would be built between 1966 and 1968, and 6015 is one of them. Continues below:

Hi there folks, We start this time with a look back at the May Speed Weekend at Taunton, and then finish up at Wythall for the excellent Midland Red Running Day. Just short of 70 F2’s, and 47 Saloons turned out for the weekend! A truly remarkable figure. This was the fifth time in six seasons that the Benevolent Fund Trophy for the F2’s had been raced for here. However, it was notable that the contingent of local drivers had yet to score a ‘home’ win. The visiting drivers came from all corners of the UK with two Scots -Nigel Davies (269) & Mike Philip (195)-making the long trek from Stonehaven, and Forres respectively. On Saturday evening the Grader’s Trophy was one of the prizes on offer. Not quite twelve months earlier Dave Sansom (352) had landed the trophy, so it had not been in his possession for a full year - at least there was less time for it to attract any rust in the way his car had! Saturday 22nd May – Day one: The opening of the meeting saw an impeccably observed tribute to Saloon Stock Car booking agent Marion Farrow who had sadly died late in the preceding month. The first event was the annual Bill Batten Ladies Race in aid of the Ben Fund. It featured 12 starters including Sarah Harley (362) who was aiming for her third successive victory. The race was a good one with Caroline Harding (689), Leanne Thackra (9) and Stella Farrell (24) all showing good speed but there was no holding back Harley who reached the front and retained the trophy. Stella Farrell raced the 24 car Heat 1: The 23 starters were brought to an early halt following a partially blocked back straight. On the restart Matt Stoneman (127) clattered off the Honiton bend fence before repeating the trick on the pit bend, which led to his exit from the race. A second caution period followed for Ben Bates (161) who was sent spinning at high speed into the home straight plating before being collected by Adrian Watts (222). At the resumption Aaron Vaight (184) quickly sped into the lead with Justin Fisher (315) following him home. Result: 184, 315, 27, 126, 438, 195, 948, and 359. First 8 to the Final. Heat 2: After an aborted start for the 24 cars in this race the yellows flew for a heap of cars including Will Adams (544), Jessica Smith (390) and Dale Seneschall (379) all tangling together. Although they cleared it left Seneschall stuck on the home straight. Luke Wrench (560) quickly overhauled the race leader Luke Johnson (194) and broke clear for the victory with Tommy Farrell (667) chasing hard in 2nd. Result: 560, 667, 783, 890, 700, 533, 325 and 976. Heat 3: An early red flag brought the 23 starters to a stop. The aforementioned Nigel Davies had crashed on the entrance to the home straight. The resultant damage brought an early finish to his weekend and was rotten luck for the Aberdeen based driver. Jamie Jones (915) led the first half of the race until Joe Marquand (689) and Jon Palmer (24) arrived on the scene to take the top two positions. These two enjoyed a good battle with Jones waiting in the wings for them to make a mistake. Palmer eventually came out on top with Steven Gilbert (542) demoting 915 to 4th. Result: 24, 689, 542, 915, 581, 210, 9 and 895. Consolation: 34 cars were on track and it didn’t take long for a ten car pile up to occur on the Honiton bend. Following the complete restart a further stoppage for three cars stuck on the pits bend was called. Sam Dobbs (947) got the lead on the next start and became involved in a battle with Ian England (398). Behind these two Ben Borthwick (418) and Stoneman were duelling side by side until the 418 car ran wide and spun coming to a stop. After the caution to move his car to safety Stoneman moved to the front and held on for the win with white top Dobbs finishing in fourth. Result: 127, 324, 251, 947, 398, 390, 736 and 305. Final: A lively start left Tristan Claydon’s (210) car stuck on top of 390 with Gilbert and Dan Fallows (581) also involved. A short time later Farrell and Ryan Sheahan (325) also piled in. After a second yellow flag for a stranded car Wrench took the lead which he held to the finish. Marquand and Gilbert tangled momentarily which dropped them out of the placings. Palmer and Fisher followed Wrench over the line. Both remarked that they hoped for rain the next day to hamper the chances of the 560 car. Result: 560, 24, 315, 438, 783, 27, 127, 126, 184 and 890. GN: Wrench made a rare mistake at the start of this one with an early spin which lost him even more ground from the lap handicap. However, he got lucky with a yellow flag which saw him in as a backmarker amongst the top six. He was permitted to un-lap himself and move to the rear as per the new rules. Palmer headed in for the win, and Wrench used his good fortune to storm home to third. Result: 24, 184, 560, 542, 689, 581, 27, 195, 126 and 325. As with the F2’s the Saloons had drivers from all four corners of the country present. The customary championship format of drivers contesting three out of five qualifying heats was in play leading to some hectic races through the evening. Heat 1: 27 cars took to the track for this first encounter. Newcomer Warren Darby (677) took up the early running. The teenager scythed his way through the field but came unstuck when he found his desired line at the end of the home straight close up. Darby ended up hitting one of the large infield marker tyres sending the front end of his car skywards. However, he quickly rejoined and soon took the lead. He then set about lapping a number of the top drivers on his way to the win. Billy Smith (161) made his presence felt with a destructive last bend move which saw the third placed man drop to fifth, and Will Morphey (129) cross the line backwards. Result: 677, 364, 161, 314, 399, 618, 489, 172, 661 and 129. Heat 2: White graded Harry Barnes (126) led the early laps but like the previous race leader caught a tyre which ruled him out of a good finish. Adam Hicks (447) took the lead but eventually had Deane Mayes (730) and Diggy Smith (116) coming up fast behind. Mayes went in hard with the bumper on Hicks just as Smith did likewise on Mayes sending both the front two out wide. Smith was through into the lead until the final bend which saw Mayes fire a big hit in on the 116 car. Diggy ended up going very wide and Mayes was through to the win. Result: 730, 116, 600, 85, 618, 171, 199, 447, 888 and 282. Heat 3: Three cars ended up in a heap on the inside of turn four within a lap of the start. Mayes was taken around by Graeme Shevill (661) as up front that man Darby again threaded his way through the traffic to take the win. Result: 677, 573, 370, 126, 730, 389, 85, 428, 561 and 525. Heat 4: Darby once more took an early lead but a lap down Billy Smith couldn’t resist the temptation when he found himself behind the 677 car. He launched the 161 car at Darby and removed him from the lead with a brutal burial into the pits bend. It was Diggy who now inherited a lead he was not to relinquish. Result: 116, 28, 349, 504, 600, 399, 661, 618, 364 and 131. Heat 5: The final heat was a lot quieter affair. Jack Grandon (277) claimed the win to make up for a disappointing set of results over the meeting. Local man Buster Jnr (902) followed him home in second. Result: 277, 902, 570, 672, 131, 282, 670, 116, 370 and 561. Sunday 23rd May – Day two: On a blustery afternoon which got wetter and wetter the first championship events of 2021 took place. Prior to the Benevolent Trophy race for the F2’s two heats featured the majority of the lower graders. Heat 1: I6 cars gridded, with Matt Linfield the sole blue grader. Two cars came to a halt on the Honiton bend facing the wrong way after losing control on the back straight. Another couple of cars hooked up close by so the yellow flags were called. Ian England was making quick progress to the front when he was delayed behind Dan Baker (291) who spun out in the process. Luke Johnson (194) was leading the way when the caution flags flew again. This time it was for Daz Seneschall (379) who was left stranded in the middle of the track after coming under pressure from Linfield when running second. The restart saw Johnson fall prey to England and Linfield who finished first and second. Result: 39, 464, 903, 915, 482 and 128. First 6 to the Final. Heat 2: Lauren Stack (928) led the early stages of this one before spinning on the pits bend as Jake Williamson (466) took up the running. He continued up front threading his way through the backmarkers with ease to take the win. Ex-Saloon racer Charlie Lobb (988) launched a hit on second placed Gary Wrench (359) but the move ended up delaying Lobb who finished 3rd. That proved significant as Wrench inherited the victory after Williamson failed post-race checks on rear axle alignment which cost him a maiden win. Result: 359, 988, 746, 390, 467 and 35. The Ben Fund trophy race was next, the grid being adjusted to take into account the fact that some of the participants had not raced in the curtailed 2020 season, and therefore the usual reverse points chart order underwent some modifications. The field included Johnny Whittaker (533), Kieren Bradford (27), Mike Rice (438) and Tommy Farrell (667) as the top point scorers from the night before not already seeded on to the grid, and this quartet received a new tyre for their achievement. Adam Rubery (700) made a good start from the front row but slammed into a pile up between turns three and four which claimed a large number of fancied runners including Kelvyn Marshall (101), and Luke Wrench (560) who left the race with a damaged front end. It all cleared without the need for a caution but at the front Joe Marquand (689) was forced to take the long way around the pile up and that opened the door for Jamie Avery (126) to pounce. He was flying and set fastest lap multiple times as he led the field at quarter distance. Danger was lurking at every turn though as with 32 other cars on the soaking track it made for some tricky manoeuvres. The likes of Palmer (24), Stoneman (127) and Vaight (184) failed to make an impression and it was left to Marquand (689) to distantly shadow Avery in second. Jack Cave (801) on a rare Smeatharpe appearance came up into third. This is how the top three finished with Farrell and Gilbert (542) in fourth and fifth. Avery commented in the post-race interview that the race was perfect with the traffic virtually opening up in front of him as the race went on. The Newton Abbott based driver got a champagne shower soaking from his fellow podium celebrants. Result: 126, 689, 801, 667, 542, 581, 325, 418, 895 and 184. Consolation: 24 cars contested this one. John Broatch (722) and Colin Gregg (305) had a northern reunion in a tangle on the home straight as Mike Philip (195) had an early spin in the Honiton bend. Johnson led until he came across a spun car in the pits bend. As second placed Bradford took avoiding action Justin Fisher (315) jumped into a race winning lead. Result: 315, 127, 890, 27, 183, 24, 194, 736, 844 and 287. The Ray Tyldesley ‘641’ Trophy Final: The conditions had become even worse for the Final. 29 of the 32 cars made the grid. Jamie Jones took the early lead until Farrell made a bold move which saw him punt Linfield into Jones to gain the lead spot. However, he was delayed by Prosser, and Marquand took over, but he then soon found himself being hunted down by Avery. Upon encountering a battling Stoneman and Jack Bunter (128) Marquand lost enough time to allow Avery through for his second successive victory. Palmer rounded out the top 3. Result: 126, 689, 24, 667, 418, 464, 398, 542, 801 and 890. GN: 15 hardy souls took to the drenched track. Richie Andrews (605) tangled with Seneschall and Jones as the conditions also caught out Palmer who spun round in turn 3. Marquand looked most at home in the wet and picked up the chequered flag ahead of Farrell as behind there was an excellent battle between Cave, Palmer and Paul Rice (890) for third. Result: 689, 667, 801, 24, 890, 315, 126, 915, 903 and 27. The Saloons started their races off with a Last Chance Qualifier for the opportunity to secure one of four places on the back of the grid for the National Championship race. Levi Oughton (152) led the 16 cars away but spun out early in the Honiton turn which allowed Michael Boswell (328) to inherit the lead. He had a narrow escape after building up a healthy advantage when Colin Savage (14) spun out as he was about to lap him. The 328 car took the win, followed home by his brother in the 84 car, with Lee Sampson (428) and Jack Rust (172) picking up the last two qualifying places. Result: 328, 84, 428, 172, 129, 444, 561, 447, 316 and 152. With the wet and cold conditions the drivers took the parade lap already strapped in. 31 cars took the green flag. Graeme Shevill (661) came to a halt mid-track on the entrance to the home straight but managed to fire it up before the need for a caution. Pole sitter Diggy Smith (116) quickly hit the front as Barry Russell (800) and Nathan Olden (364) spun out together on the back straight. Warren Darby (677) tried to challenge Diggy but ended up being spun aside and retiring. As the race progressed the 116 car maintained the charge but was mindful of heavy traffic. Cole Atkins (399) who had moved into second spot slowly reeled the leader in who had been delayed by the backmarkers. As the race entered its closing stages Cole tried to pot the back marking Shevill car into the Smith machine. It was a glancing blow however, and although the World Champ was forced out wide he maintained enough traction to keep the lead. After failing with his first attempt Atkins closed again on Smith but before the next challenge came he was out with a broken throttle cable. Smith enjoyed a comfortable run to the flag whilst Deane Mayes (730) went for a last bender on Buster Jnr (902) for second. The two ran wide, with Mayes forcing the west-country star out to the pit gate plating, but the grippier outside line saw him out-drag Mayes to the line. Smith’s car failed post-race technical checks however when his cam timing could not be aligned. The win and title passed to Buster Jnr-his first major honour, which came on his birthday weekend. Result: 905, 730, 389, 428, 85, 4570, 670, 84, 600 and 672. The weather had deteriorated even further by the time of the Allcomers race and there was subsequently a reduced entry. The action continued to be top notch though as Stuart Shevill Jnr (618) despatched Allard before spinning Timmy Barnes (131) inside out on the home straight. Shevill then faced payback from Barnes on the exit of turn two which finished both for the day. A battle waged behind race leader Olden for the second spot between Atkins and Jack Grandon (277) with the 399 car lunging up the inside of 277 on the last bend to snatch the place. Result : 364, 399, 277, 573, 129, 389, 600, 199, 842 and 152. Just 11 made it out for the Final on a track which could have hosted powerboats by this time. The appropriately named Marty Lake (573) took the lead as Billy Smith (161) renewed his acquaintance with Olden, the two having encountered each other numerous times over the two days. At the front Lake had problems getting past back marking Russell which gave Ryan Santry (389) a chance to dive up the inside in the Honiton bend. Atkins attempted another last bend dive but it ended up with him dropping from third to fifth. This concluded a fine day’s racing in spite of the dreadful on track conditions. Result: 389, 573, 277, 902, 399, 428, 129, 199, 364 and 161. We head over to Worcestershire now to the Wythall Transport Museum which hosted the Midland Red Running Day back in October. Part of the impressive line up The event commemorated forty years since the National Bus Company had split the original company up. It was the biggest gathering ever of Midland Red vehicles on the same day at one venue. The day was dedicated to the running of buses belonging to what was once the largest UK bus operator after London Transport. It was a resounding success thanks to the wide selection of ‘Red’ vehicles across model types, and decades, out and running on passenger services, joined by eight visiting MR varieties. Many of the vehicles were running a three hour timetabled service. The express C5 and CM6 coaches ran their services on the dual carriageway with 70mph easily achieved! The running also provided entertainment for the surprised local residents, bringing back memories of red buses on regular services to Alcester, Evesham and the surrounding towns as they waved the vehicles by. The Birmingham Midland Motor Omnibus (BMMO) company, which would become more commonly known as Midland Red, began its life in 1904, when the British Electric Traction group of tramway companies bought a pioneer motor bus company, Birmingham Motor Express, and combined it with their own horse bus interests, all under the BMMO name. Those early, unreliable motor buses would go in 1906, with Dobbin reigning supreme until 1912, when the company discovered the Tilling Stevens petrol electric system, which would serve the company well over the next thirteen years. Probably the most significant date in Midland Red history was 4th October 1914. The company came to agreement with Birmingham Corporation, to handover all services totally within the city of Birmingham, joining that undertaking’s extensive tramway system and small bus fleet feeding into the Selly Oak trams to take people further along the Bristol Road. They went on to become the UK’s largest municipal bus operator, whilst Midland Red began to expand beyond the city, with protective fares protecting Birmingham Corporation (Birmingham City Transport – BCT – from 1937) on Midland Red services starting from the city. This long lasting agreement would be one of the most successful of its kind, allowing both operators to become the largest of their type. Under Traffic Manager Orlando Cecil (OC) Power, Midland Red would grow to cover large parts of the Midlands, becoming a major bus operator in the counties of Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Staffordshire, Shropshire and Leicestershire, with services stretching into Oxfordshire (with a garage in Banbury), Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Gloucestershire. A mammoth territory! Equally as important as O. C Power to the company’s development was Loftus George (LG) Wyndham Shire, the company’s Engineering Manager who came with those first Tilling Stevens in 1912. Quite unusually, the company pre-war would have no General Manager, with these two men who rarely saw eye to eye, being responsible for the company’s incredible growth. Wyndham Shire’s main contribution being the 1925 introduction of bus building at the company’s Carlyle Works following the need to create lighter buses than those Tilling Stevens, to take on the competing independents light, often American built buses. The result was the SOS range of buses, which were constructed until World War Two, when the company’s management structure would change. 1940 would see Wyndham Shire retire, his place being taken by Donald McIntyre (D. M) Sinclair, who would become the company’s first General Manager, a post he would hold until 1966, following O. C Power’s sudden death in 1943. Post war, the company’s home built buses would become known as BMMO, under a code system using S for single-deckers, D for double-deckers and C for coaches. The 1950’s were literally the golden years for the company. The new Carlyle Works had plenty of capacity. Midland Red produced some iconic BMMO designs around this time. The straight-waisted C5 coach finally said goodbye to rounded designs that had their roots in the streamline era of the 1930’s. The M1 was opened on 2 November 1959 and Midland Red was there, on the first day, with a fleet of motorway coaches designed to cruise at 80 mph. This was the CM5T class, derived from the C5 but with turbocharged engines and on-board toilets so the journey between London and Birmingham was uninterrupted. The sublime D9 double-deck buses were introduced at this time although quickly eclipsed by two D10’s; technological wonders by Midland Red whom proved that you could have double-deckers with engines under the floor while maintaining reasonable headroom in both decks. Behind all the surface glitter, however, sadly things were beginning to go wrong and, when they did, it engulfed the company very quickly. Many of the craftsmen who had spent their lives with the company were now retiring and it was proving very difficult to replace them as the buoyant car manufacturers could afford to offer improved pay rates. From 1962 Midland Red needed to dispose of the large number of buses manufactured just after World War Two and could not build replacements fast enough. Fleetline double-deckers were bought from Daimler to complete the requirements. Leyland Leopards filled the shortfalls in single-deck bus production. Many buses from the mid-1960’s had their bodies completed by Plaxton or Willowbrook, and even complete vehicles were purchased from outside manufacturers which formed an increasing part of the new vehicle intake. The reducing production of new BMMO vehicles became hopelessly uneconomic and the last bus entered service in June 1970. Carlyle Works was saved however, by becoming a separate entity competing commercially for coach and truck overhauls and repairs. BMC FG’s were also delivered in later years. This one from 1970 is badged as an Austin. Subsequently the operation expanded, the company becoming one of the main converters of delivery vans into minibuses. Works conversions from D7 double-deckers into recovery vehicles took place Unfortunately by 1991 difficult trading conditions caused the then owners to go into receivership and the works closed. The site was sold and completely cleared for housing. One wonders how things would have turned out if the NBC had used Carlyle Works as its own in-house vehicle builders. By that time, Leyland and NBC had established its Leyland National plant in Cumbria instead. The Works site is cleared in 1991 The Carlyle Works: In the beginning the company ran its buses from the yard of the Five Ways Inn on Ladywood Road which it had inherited when it absorbed Birmingham Motorway Express. With the increase in fleet size it required bigger premises so moved to Bearwood Garage in Smethwick which in turn had been taken over from the City of Birmingham Tramways. As the company further grew in size the maintenance arrangements had to keep pace. Eventually it needed a central overhaul works which it opened off Carlyle Road, Edgbaston in Birmingham. Owing to Midland Red designing and building its own vehicles this works was more important than those of similar bus companies. The move to Carlyle Road couldn’t come soon enough as the memories of an employee illustrate: R. J. (Dick) Nutt began his Midland Red career as an engineering trainee in 1948 when many functions remained at Bearwood garage. Dick recalls: ‘Present day fire regulations would have closed down Bearwood in minutes. The petrol and diesel re-fuelling pumps were a few yards in from the Rutland Road entrance and although the hoses were fitted with automatic cut-off nozzles the floor was usually swimming in fuel oil. The lake nearly reached to the nearby entrance of the tinsmith’s shop where blow torches and naked flame gas rings were being constantly used to repair radiators, fuel tanks, etc. Next, on the left was the dead-end passage to the engine test shop, with its copious petrol and diesel supplies, and immediately opposite was the blacksmith with his roaring forge, with the uniform and clothing stores above. Moving on into the main garage, on the left were the stairs up to what had originally been the magneto overhaul shop but the greater part of the work had become the servicing of diesel pumps utilising two Hartridge re-calibration stands plentifully supplied with diesel and paraffin. Beyond was the cramped experimental workshop with no escape, in case of fire, except through the fuel laden magneto shop. Returning downstairs the next along on the left was the large engine build and overhaul shop. Beyond that was a unique room where white metal was melted in a furnace and fed to a very clever centrifugal re-melting machine designed in-house to re-cast the bearing surfaces of petrol engine connecting rods. Above this was the works canteen. As if to complete this firefighter’s nightmare the garage would be jam-packed overnight with petrol and diesel buses, their fuel tanks full to the brim’. The Carlyle site spanned seven acres and was entered at the junction with Waterworks Road, and picturesquely located on the south-west side of Rotton Park Reservoir. Continues below:

Continued from above: The entrance/exit stairway The entrance and exit stairways are still there with a grille over them at street level. A lot of leaves from the trees above find their way down the stairs adding to the derelict appearance. On each stair’s front edge are the words, The Safety Tread Syndicate Ltd, Old Ford, London E3. The suppliers of the non-slip stairs The steelwork for the raised roof section was supplied by Braithwaite and Kirk of Crown Bridge Works, West Bromwich. The Company was engaged exclusively for a number of years on the manufacture of steel bridges, the majority of which was for export. Braithwaite has been linked with major projects spanning 100 years – from supplying in 1897 the 100ft span Tsitsa steel bridge in South Africa to the design, manufacture and commissioning of the suction tanks serving the sprinkler system at the Millennium Dome project, London. Amazingly there is the outline of a LT roundel still visible on the tunnel wall. The south end is blocked with a sloping wall which is where the remaining section has been converted into the Strand underpass from Waterloo Bridge. The southern end has been converted in to the Strand underpass In 2015 a fire caused by an electrical fault broke out in a service road part of the tunnel which raged for 24hrs. This damaged an eight-inch gas main which ruptured. Witnesses reported seeing the pavement explode. The 2015 fire A fire suppression system has now been installed. The fire suppression system Camden Council own the site and now use it for storage of old street signs, bollards etc. It is a truly remarkable survivor from a bygone age. London Transport occasionally open it up for guided tours but H & S requirements do restrict where you can go unfortunately. Plenty of pics in the gallery. Next time: We stay in the south-west with a return to Smeatharpe for the end of May Speed Weekend. The F2’s main race over the weekend was for the Ben Fund Trophy, with a whole host of other trophies and prizes up for grabs including the prestigious Ray Tyldesley ‘641’Trophy. The Saloons were once again in attendance and were racing for their National Championship. We then head to the Midland Red Running Day which brought together a large number of these iconic buses and coaches to commemorate 40 years since the company was broken up by the NBC.

Continued from above: A classic scene from days gone by. The steep gradient of the tunnel ramp in evidence here. The lamp standard above the tram is still there to this day The London Passenger Transport Board was formed in 1933, taking over the London County Council trams. It was decided soon after to replace all trams in London by "more modern vehicles". The abandonment programme began in 1935 with trams in South-West, West, North-West, North and East London mostly being replaced by trolleybuses. In 1937, the rebuilding of Waterloo Bridge necessitated the diversion of the subway exit to a position centrally beneath the new bridge, at a cost of £70,000 including a new crossing of the District Railway; after the changeover took place, on 21st November, 1937, the curved section of tunnel leading to the former exit in the bridge abutment was walled off and still exists. The replacement programme proceeded swiftly until 1940 when the last of the pre-war series of conversions occurred, leaving only the South London trams and the Kingsway subway routes 31, 33 and 35, the only North London tram routes to survive the war. A prototype Kingsway trolleybus (no. 1379), with exits on both sides with folding doors, was constructed for feasibility tests through the subway, but these were unsuccessful. The trolleybuses would have had to run on battery power through the subway, headroom restrictions making it impossible to use overhead current collection. The test vehicle only managed to get halfway through before the batteries died. Ironically a tram was despatched to tow it out. Finally, on Saturday 5th April 1952 trams ran through the subway for the last time; tram service 35 (Forest Hill-Highgate) was replaced next day by bus service 172, and tram service 33 (West Norwood-Manor House) was replaced by bus service 171. In the early hours of the following morning the remaining cars from Holloway depot were driven south through the subway to the scrapyard. The tracks remained unaltered, though disused, until the final abandonment of London’s tramways on 5th July 1952, after which the street tracks were lifted in stages and those in the subway, cut at the approaches, were left as the longest section remaining in London. A technical committee was set up by the Minister of Transport to report on the possible use of the subway for motor vehicles, and tests with road vehicles were carried out both before and after closure. In 1953, London Transport used the subway to store 120 withdrawn buses and coaches in case they were needed for the Coronation. A film company offered to take over the whole subway as a film studio, but this was rejected on account of the fire risk. Repeated questions in Parliament kept the issue alive, but in 1955 London Transport invited applications for the use of the tunnel as a store for non-inflammable goods, and finally leased it in October 1957 to S. G. Young & Co. of Blackfriars as a store for machine parts. Meanwhile, in June 1958, the London County Council expressed interest in taking over one end of the subway and creating an underpass for light traffic beneath the Strand and Aldwych to deal with the traffic jams which often extend right across Waterloo Bridge. In July the contract for the conversion was awarded to John Mowlem & Co. who started work on the 15 month contract. The construction was completed on schedule and the new Strand underpass opened to road traffic on 21st January 1964. In this short video watch how fast the car goes through the tunnel with the men still working down there! It has been suggested that the remaining part of the subway might have been earmarked for some cold war use, and as part of their emergency planning in the 1970’s the GLC established a flood control centre in a portacabin at Holborn Station in 1974. The control centre had its own radio room. Each London Borough had their own flood control centres which would have reported to the GLC’s main London Control at Holborn. This remained operational until 1984 when the Thames Barrier was opened. During the fire brigade strike in 1977 there was talk of the deployment of army fire personnel and green goddesses from a temporary underground HQ at Holborn. It has been suggested that these temporary headquarters were located in tunnels under Kingsway. Since 1984 no use has been found for the subway apart from the first few yards which is used for the storage of road materials by the London Borough of Camden. In 2012, it was announced that Crossrail's tunnel contractor BAM Nuttall/Ferrovial/Kier (BFK) would form a grout shaft beneath the tunnel. The purpose of the grout shaft was to stabilize the ground in anticipation of the arrival of tunnel boring equipment in 2013. Crossrail agreed to restore the tunnel to its former condition on completion of the tunnel boring project. Earlier this year i had the opportunity to have a look inside the tunnel. My pal had to pick up a couple of large generators from within its depths so i went along as banksman. The tunnel entrance is slap bang in the middle of an extremely busy junction so makes it difficult backing a 50ft trailer down the ramp. Owing to contractual obligations between the haulier and Crossrail photographs of the vehicle and load were not permitted. The pic of the vehicle below is identical to the actual one used. A very busy junction during the week. The tunnel entrance indicated by the orange arrow in the centre. Not good to reverse down the tunnel ramp with impatient car drivers ducking and diving every which way! A Sunday pick up would have been preferable but outside factors prevented this. The impatience of people at the scene was truly astounding. Cars were literally trying to go behind the trailer as it was reversing. I’m sure they would have had a go at going underneath it if they could! Once we got parked up I went for a wander around. There are two lamp standards outside the entrance which have been replaced since construction but a third one at the back of the tunnel opening is original. The initials LCC have been incorporated into the base structure. The refuges are normal height at the start of the slope but within the tunnel they have been doubled in height following the increase in depth for the double-deck trams. Although the tunnel has been taken back to its basic structure there is still a lot of evidence that this was a major transport artery. It is the longest remaining stretch of old tramway in London. Certain sections of it are really dark so i was glad i’d taken the death ray lights with me which I use in disused railway tunnels. The sound of the traffic above ground echoed within which made for a strange sound. The fact that the rails are still there makes it even better. There are a set of crossover points which have been laid between wooden blocks similar to cobbles. This is very rare to find still in existence anywhere in the UK. The walls are constructed using the same white glazed bricks that used to be seen in public toilets. The platform is still in situ and the frames for the advertising posters are just as they were when in use over 70yrs ago. The platform and poster frames Another view further back The same view many years ago. A truly brilliant picture. Look how clean it all is. Continues below:

Continued from above: Okay then let’s head across country to our next destination which is in London. We’re here to have a look at an incredible one of a kind place in the very heart of the city – the Kingsway Tram Tunnel. It has a fascinating story so sit back with a brew and I’ll tell you all about it. First of all I would like to credit Nick Catforth for his article in Subterranea Britannica as the source of information for one part of my research of this location. The tunnel is situated under Kingsway in the borough of Camden next to Holborn Underground station and was built by the London County Council opening in 1906. It is the only one of its kind in Britain. We’ll find out more on the tunnel later but first let’s set the scene in the time prior to its construction. For hundreds of years Holborn and Aldwych were open fields, bounded on the north and south by Holborn and the Strand. The traffic choked roads of today were country lanes that led to villages, those of St.Giles and Charinge respectively. The early settlers in the district were the Romans, followed by the Danes who founded the village of Aldwych. From the beginning of the 1600’s the district was a place of fashionable residence, with great mansions and gardens. Great Queen Street (1612) was lined with noblemen’s houses. Drury Lane housed the aristocracy. There the plague showed itself first. The people of rank and riches deserted the area and it sank to a slum of the worst kind. It became the habitat of an overcrowded population of the destitute and lawless. Even as late as the middle of the 1800’s if you walked through unarmed you would most certainly be attacked and robbed, or even worse. It’s hard to imagine when you see the area today. In the late 1800’s/early 1900’s London County Council made a clean sweep of the district and the slums were swept away. They instigated a grand rebuilding scheme and created the impressive Kingsway and Aldwych thoroughfares. Both sides of the road were lined by magnificent buildings, many of them the offices and showrooms of firms famous in commerce. The carriage-way was 60ft wide, with pavements 20ft wide. It was the largest and most important improvement in London since the construction of Regent Street in 1820. An opportunity to use the new streets for a tramway connecting the lines to the north and south arose. The LCC had for many years wanted to connect its "North Side" and "South Side" tramway networks in order to be able to send "North Side" trams for overhaul to the Central Repair Depot at Charlton in South East London. Note the reference to the child funerals on the undertakers window The first tram was introduced into London in 1860 by George Francis Train an eccentric American. It was a horse drawn vehicle and ran along Victoria Street to Westminster on rails that had been secured to the road surface. Naturally this arrangement impeded other traffic, which soon brought opposition to this mode of transport. Later Parliament permitted the introduction of trams to London, but with the proviso that the rails were built into the roadway. In addition, the tram companies were to bear the maintenance costs including road repairs and were allowed to charge one penny (1d) per mile with half-price fares for early and late travel for workers. Trams were immediately popular with the public and soon they were commonplace in London. They were cheaper than the other forms of public transport at the time and allowed more passenger-room and gave a smoother ride. The earliest trams carried a maximum of 60 passengers and were pulled by two horses. By 1901, electric trams were introduced and the last horse-drawn tram finally ran in 1915. Prior to the introduction of electric trams several other ways of powering a tram were tried out. These included motor-power (1873-1891), compressed air (1881-1883), and cable (1891-1906). There were two cable tram services that once operated in London. In 1891, the first cable line in Europe was introduced into operation on Highgate Hill, and the second went into service between Brixton and Streatham. Both were replaced by electric trams by 1906. The Kingsway tunnel arrowed At Kingsway an application was made in 1902 for powers to construct a subway for single-deck tram running from Theobalds Road to the Embankment at Waterloo Bridge, from where a surface line would continue over Westminster Bridge. A costing of £282,000 was proposed. As would be proved in later years going with single-deckers was not the best option. At this time the decision was based on three factors: Avoidance of a large sewer pipe under Holborn which would have created a descent unsafe for double-deck cars, the relationship of the District Railway in its location with Waterloo Bridge, and the steep gradient from the Strand caused problems building a suitable southern exit. In addition there was a train of thought that London traffic could be speedier and more efficient with single-deckers coupled together rather than with double-deckers. The subway construction started at the same time as the new streets were laid out. The northern approach from Southampton Row was by an open cutting in the middle of the road. The tracks then passed into two cast iron tubes, 14 ft. 5 in. in diameter and 255 ft. long, which took them under the Fleet Sewer. The rails were 31 ft. below the road when passing under Holborn, rising again at 1 in 10 to Holborn Station. Elevated footways were provided in the single tunnels. From Holborn to Aldwych the tunnel was 20 ft. wide with a roof of steel troughing just below the street. The running rails were laid on longitudinal wooden sleepers embedded in concrete. At the time the subway was opened it was not connected with any other electrified route, so it was decided to terminate the public service at Aldwych Station and use the tracks which extended southwards from there towards the Strand as a depot. Inspection pits were constructed under this length and some repair equipment installed. An intermediate station was built at Great Queen Street (later renamed Holborn). South of Aldwych Station, the tracks curved sharply to the south west in twin tunnels and continued beneath Aldwych as a single tunnel with brick arch roof, separating again at the Strand into twin cast iron tubes which continued to about a third of the way under Lancaster Place. The exit on to the Embankment was through the western wing wall of Waterloo Bridge and here a triangular junction was constructed. The eastern side of the junction, leading towards Blackfriars, was never used and was removed during later reconstruction. Pending the opening of Greenwich power station, current was obtained from the County of London Electric Supply Company. Sixteen single deck tramcars were ordered from the United Electric Car Company Limited, of Preston at a cost of £750 each. Services opened to the public on 24 February 1906 from Angel to Aldwych, with a ceremonial opening by the chairman of the Highways Committee. The stylish above ground surround to Aldwych The first journey took 12 minutes northbound and 10 minutes to return, despite horse-drawn vehicles also using the roads on the surface part of the route. The early days of the single-deck cars On 16 November that year the routes were extended north from The Angel to Highbury station. Special trams were constructed from non-flammable materials – wooden trams, common on other routes, were not permitted through the subway. Through services commenced on 10 April 1908 from Highbury station to Tower Bridge and to Kennington Gate, with a procession of six cars going south from Holborn through to Kennington, then to Elephant & Castle in order to return through the subway to Angel. The Kennington service was not commercially viable and services were diverted to operate to Queens Road in Battersea which, due to a low bridge, could be operated with single-deck vehicles only. Drivers of the trams recorded difficulty in climbing the ramp out of the tunnel north and would sometimes roll all the way back to the station. Drivers on routes through the subway had to have at least two years' experience on other services to be considered for these routes. The cars were stabled at Holloway and New Cross depots. There were numerous changes to the routes over the following 20 years. As the years passed it became increasingly evident that the operation of single-deck cars could not be made profitable. If the subway could be enlarged to take double-deckers many useful connections could be made and the movement of rolling stock from north of the Thames to Charlton works would be greatly improved. In 1929 therefore, the LCC decided to increase the headroom to 16 ft. 6 in. by raising the roof at the northern end and by deepening the tunnel at other places. This announcement brought suggestions that the subway might well be enlarged to take motor traffic as well as trams, but the Metropolitan Police Commissioner pointed out that congestion would arise at each end of the tunnel, that a serious traffic block would quickly develop if a vehicle broke down inside and that there was a danger of exhaust fumes and even fire. The London Traffic Advisory Committee recommended that the tunnel could serve no useful purpose for motor vehicles and the L.C.C. would have nothing to do with the idea. The contract was awarded to John Cochrane and Sons, Limited, who started work on the street level on 11th September 1929. The start of the dayshift for the tunnel work North of Holborn the roadway was opened up and the twin tunnels replaced by one wide passage with a steel girder roof, while elsewhere the additional headroom was obtained by under-pinning the side walls with concrete and lowering the track by approximately 5 ft. Altering the tunnel for the double-deck trams All the alterations took place while the flow of track continued unabated. It was a very delicate operation in view of the heavy loads carried overhead as the roof lied directly under road level. The estimated cost was £326,000, including £76,000 for the reconstruction of the 50 single-deck cars. The two tramway stations were rebuilt and modernised, that at Holborn being finished in travertine, a cream marble used in ancient Rome. Standard trackwork with yokes and conduit slot-rails set in concrete was used in place of the special type evolved for the original construction. The tunnel is open once again The formal reopening was performed on Wednesday, 14th January, 1931, by the Chairman of the Council, Major Tasker. Public service commenced at 5 o’clock next morning, with a one-minute headway and a total of 5,000 cars per week. Continues below:

Hi there folks, We start this week with a look back to the opening F2 meeting at my favourite of all tracks Taunton, and then we head off to Holborn in Central London to check out the disused Kingsway Tram Tunnel. Taunton – The Curtain Raiser – Mon 17th May 2021 This meeting signalled the start of the racing season. The Covid-19 restrictions had delayed the start of racing in 2021 so the response to this event was fantastic with 43 cars in the pits. The Smeatharpe venue had been given a facelift and was looking at its best proving that not everything stopped during the lockdown. New cars were in abundance with at least half a dozen from the Luke Wrench (560) workshop, Tristan Claydon's WRC three from Motorworld, and a couple of RCE’s in attendance. Great paint job on the Tommy Farrell car Nobody could accuse Dave Sansom (352) of having a new RCE however as the Semtex Kid campaigned his ‘in rust we trust’ old’un. The Semtex Kid had smartened his car up for 2021 with a new wheel! Three F2 debuts were made at this meeting. One of which was Lauren Stack (928) who is the grand daughter of Kevin (ex-128). He had a trio of 2nd place finishes in the World Finals of 1977, 1983/84. Lauren Stack Heat 1: 19 cars took to the track and it wasn’t long before the stoppages began. Justin Fisher (315) was turned heavily into the turn three wall, and then Richard Andrews (605), a semi-professional speedway rider in his debut of four-wheeled short oval action, went in backwards on the pit bend and required some assistance. Luke Johnson (194) was at the head of the field with one-time English Champion in Saloon Stock Cars, Kieran Bradford (27), looking a threat in 3rd. Further back a great scrap was raging between Ben Borthwick (418), Steven Gilbert (542), Matt Stoneman (127) and Andrew Palmer (606) who were all using the bumper on each other. The leaders had opened a sizeable gap by halfway with Joe Marquand (689) now in the top spot. Bradford then got the lead after Marquand was delayed by back markers. The 689 car hit back hard. It nearly came off but their battle had allowed Gilbert to close in and he swept pass for the win. Result: 542, 27, 689, 606, 127, 895, 194, 948, 988 and 746. Heat 2: 24 cars for this one. After the early race skirmishes it was Ian England (398) who was leading when a caution was called for a lost wheel from the Jamie Jones (915) car. Luke Wrench (560) was already up to 2nd and took the lead at the restart going on to a comfortable victory with Jon Palmer (24) 2nd, and England completing the top 3 for a 1-2-3 for WRC. Result: 560, 24, 398, 184, 890, 126, 352, 903, 581 and 210. Consolation: Borthwick quickly came through the 22 car field to win ahead of fellow Motorworld man Justin Fisher (315). James Rygor (783), who pulled off very early in his first race came to more grief when he hooked onto the spun car of Josh Weare (736) leaving him adrift at the back of the pack. He did well to get up to 7th at the flag. Result: 418, 315, 438, 667, 720, 915, 783, 734, 320 and 828. Final: All 30 qualifiers came out on track to give another spectacular show. Johnson and England set the pace and were still up front as the halfway point was reached. The star men had been battling amongst themselves since race start as they came through the pack. Marquand made his way into second behind England with Palmer and Wrench close at hand. The backmarkers now came into play delaying the now leading Marquand. Wrench made a move entering the pit bend with 4 to go. It didn’t matter that it was his own customer immediately in front, Wrench didn’t need asking twice to put the bumper in. He timed it to perfection, walloping Palmer into England who made heavy contact with Marquand, and the 560 car passed all three cars in one move. Palmer pulled off with a broken throttle cable, while Marquand was disqualified with a broken rear wheelguard. Wrench duly headed home to the victory ahead of Fisher and England. “I thought this is the only chance I’m going to get,” said Wrench of the race winning hit. Result: 560, 315, 398, 581, 27, 667, 542, 127, 126 and 418. GN: 29 cars returned for this last race. Dave Sansom (352) was launched off a marker tyre at race start providing the spectators with some excitement at his wild ride. The tyre ended up on track which brought out the reds. Five cars failed to make the restart, and there was a further stoppage when Charlie Fisher (35) was collected in the fourth bend. Wrench was now on the back of the pack from his full lap handicap and continued his forward progress into 3rd place. The 50 point maximum didn’t look likely but he made a commendable attempt over the closing laps in catching 2nd place man Borthwick with 3 to go. He couldn’t chase down the leading Stoneman however, and had to settle for 2nd. Result: 127, 560 581, 418, 184, 126, 915, 890, 194 and 667. Also on the bill were the Saloon Stock Cars. 22 were in attendance ahead of their National Championship at the same venue the following weekend. Colin Savage (14) was the lone visitor from Scotland, joined by five East Anglians with World Champ Diggy Smith (116) amongst them. Both Smith cars were looking good - Diggy's and Billy's It was a local novice who wowed the crowd though. Eighteen-year-old Warren Darby (677), whose father Eddie was one of the formula’s most successful drivers ever, was making his debut. He led Heat 1 from start to finish and by race end was half a lap up on the rest of the field. Result: 677, 489, 161, 84, 902, 116, 399, 277, 172 and 364. Heat 2 followed a similar pattern with Darby looking unlikely to be caught. Billy Smith (161) had risen to 3rd before getting spun out and collected by the pack. He rejoined a lap down and went on the rampage. Both Levi Oughton (152), the 2nd place man, and later on Simon Paris (672) were treated to the trademark big hits from Smith. Result: 677, 116, 399, 389, 277, 489, 672, 281, 161 and 340. Darby and Billy Smith were in the thick of the action in the Final. Smith was forced into a parked car early on and found himself a lap down so decided to go on a seek and destroy mission. He came upon Darby - who had just taken the lead – on the home straight and sent him spinning the wrong way towards the fence and out of the race ending his hat trick hopes. Adam Hicks (447) had taken a lead which he held to the line ahead of Jack Grandon (277). In 3rd was Junior Buster (902) who then faced the full force of Smith with an enormous near follow-in hit into the Honiton bend wall on the run down lap. Result: 447, 277, 902, 399, 389, 152, 172, 14, 340 and 161. Continues below:

Hi there folks, Welcome back to another off season. What’s in store this winter then? As in previous years we’ll have a review of F2/Saloon meetings of the 2021 season from the far reaches of the Brisca empire, and points in between. There’s some transport themed collections to peruse, and we’ll be having some trips out to see what hidden gems still remain in this green and pleasant land. Join me as we explore some neglected and now rarely seen sites that once played important roles in their communities. These still unite the people that made them matter. Whether they were abandoned a hundred years ago, or within the last few decades, without someone around to maintain them, these places are often degraded by nature, time, and people, leaving a ghostly shell of their former glory. If there’s one thing for sure it’s that old structures are the keepers of secrets. Join me this weekend for our first trip out this winter. A south-west F2 date awaits, and then we’ll head across country to have a look at a very unique place close to here:

Huge thanks to Jane and Nic for 2021. I couldn't wish for two better teammates. Roll on 2022! Plenty of Skeggy pics now in the gallery

Last F1 Race Of 2021 Recall An action packed start sees a huge pile up into turn one. That man 157 again starts his onslaught with a big'un on 318 into turn 1. 8 launches a huge hit on 211 and the cars ahead of her into turn 3. Caution for the stranded 128 and 353 cars at the end of the back straight. Within a couple of laps of the restart 175 gets launched off the back straight infield marker tyres and performs an acrobatic landing bringing out the caution. Light rain falls before the restart which catches Speaky out who spins it in turn 4. 414 and 126 collide with the 318 car. 157 launches 146 into turn 1. 464 takes the win from a hard charging 150. That's it done and dusted for this season folks. Have a good off season everyone. Back from the next meeting 👍

Final Focus A not know where to look action humdinger. 479 leads the field away. 157 gives 318 a hit. 47 does likewise to 318. 307 away up front. 20 puts big hits in on 175 and H410 into turn 3. 124 is on his way through. 307 stops on the outside of turn 1. 157 is the next to get the 20 bumper treatment into turn 3. 353 gets it from 20 on the following lap. 172 spins in turn 4. 157 whacks 479 into turn 1. Adam then gets piledriven into the turn 1 fence by 132. The closing laps sees 8 take both 346 and 150 out with a super hit into turn 1 as 124 claims his second big win of the night.

Consolation Catch Up 307 leads away. 536 makes some hard hitting moves up front. 321 pulls off in the early laps. 20 hits 555 into turn 3, and turn 1 twice over 3 laps but can't shift JJ. Liam then has a dig at 175 before getting caught up with 227 exiting turn 2. 227 takes some unique lines down the straights giving the following cars a fright. 172 tries for a last bender on race leader 536 but is too far back in the end.

Heat Two Happenings 128 leads away. 492 broadsides it through turn 3 and passes a few up the inside. 281 and 283 come to a stop on the outside of turn 1. 211 lets fly with a big hit on 492 entering turn 3. Next time round Phoebe ends up going sideways down the back straight with the right side off the ground in a big coming together with her brother, H248 and 536. 147 leads away following the caution. 128 hits the turn 1 fence in a shower of sparks. 492 whacks 150 into turn 3. 16 passes 381 for 2nd and sets off to try and catch Eddie. As 147 takes the win 150 tries for a last bender on 346 into turn 3 and just misses ending up going out to the fence. Mick came close to losing a place to the close following 381.

Heat One Happenings 479 leads away. 9 and 343 lock together in turn 1 on lap 1. 464 gets through the field early on. 47 and 318 battle it out in the early laps. 157 puts a big hit on 172 entering turn 3. 124 gives chase to race leader 132. 464 and 8 engage in a duel for a number of laps until Luke breaks away. 479 and 350 hook together entering the home straight. 464 passes 124 when Kyle goes wide in turn 3. 132 goes onto win the race.

Hi folks, welcome to Gala Night at Skeggy. U25 Race Recap 343 leads the field away. 124 stacks 'em up entering turn 3 on lap 1. Next time around 5 goes flying in to turn 3 with a monster hit on the back of the blues ahead of him. 36 and 346 go around and are collected by H410. 8 spins out in turn 2. After the caution 147 and 124 head the field. 381, 175, 343, 555 and 127 pile up into turn 3 bringing out the caution once again. Speaky hot foots it down to the scene to gather all the bits of 381 up! 147, 124 and 211 lead off the restart. 124 takes the lead within a couple of laps and sets sail for the victory. H410 is firing in with some big hits. He takes out 36 in turn 3 and his fellow countryman H248 in turn 1. 227 and 295 tangle and come to a stop on the inside kerb just before the starter. 211 has to defend from 20, 346 and 120 who eventually get past. 346 climbs over 20 exiting turn 2 which sees Liam pull off soon after. With oil on track the remaining laps see the field hanging on to make sure of a finish.

Many thanks to Andy for sending some additional pics in which are now in the gallery

A big thank you to you both for the results. Hope hubby is ok Jane. Please send him my wishes. Pics now in the gallery folks. Many thanks to Nic and Mark for sending them in.

Pics now in the gallery folks

Pics now in the gallery folks

Helter Skelter Summary 5 receives a hard hit into the turn 1 fence on lap 1. 8 and 464 make the break from the reds. 217 gets sent wide in turn 2 and makes hard contact with the wall. Caution flag flies. 212 pulls off before the restart. 36 and 124 lead away on the green flag. Jordan then loops it around exiting turn 2. 1 is making his way through the pack. 515 tries to defend his position to the World Champ but to no avail. 166's engine suddenly puts out a lot of smoke down the home straight dramatically reducing visibility in turns 1 & 2. 124 is the first on scene and spins out on the slippery surface. Caution flag. 20 heads the field with 464, 8 and 2 behind. 1 is on a charge and despatches 381 into the turn 1 fence. 8 puts up a good fight against her brother for a couple of laps. The last lap sees the 5 car put a hit in on 515 entering turn 3 which ends up with FWJ clattering down the home straight fence as 464 claims the victory. That's it folks. Back next w/end providing the meeting's on Saturday 👍

Final Focus 197 starts off with some forceful moves forward. 166 and 2 battle at the front of the reds. 1 comes up to engage 197. 48 and 166 lock together exiting turn 4 and come to a stop on the home straight bringing out the caution. 339 leads away the restart. 197 whacks 524 into turn 1 followed by 312 next time around. Turbo Tomo stays put on the outside of the turn for the remainder of the race. A few cars go within a fag papers width of 312 as they go through the turn. 217 comes to a stop on the exit of turn 4 and pulls off soon after. Meanwhile 1 is making good progress with some decisive moves through the traffic to take the lead from 339 with 2 to go. The rest of the field circulate as a high speed train with few changes of position.