LAST EVENT OF 2001 SEASON
You will recall from the last edition that only the Midland Red Day on 28 October remained to close the 2001 season. We wanted to see if the poorly attended Birmingham Day, held on the last Sunday of June (traditionally a 'black hole' date for us), was a freak or if enthusiast inclined events are on their way out. Lastly, we had put in a request to the big man in the sky to give us something less than a tempest flooding half Britain when we put the vehicles away. It's a pleasure to report that the event was a thorough success with patronage only exceeded on Two Museums Day and the Bus Rally & Running Day, which were both Bank Holiday Mondays.
Moreover the day was blessed with glorious Autumn sunshine which brought us enthusiasts and families for one more day out. It's difficult to explain the success of the day which brought to a close a record-breaking season at Wythall. The weather was wonderful but so it was in June - does June sunshine make people head further afield? Midland Red is very much in favour with the enthusiast press, backed up by the 1:76 models by Original Omnibus Company. We were lucky to get good coverage in Bus & Coach Preservation magazine of last year's Midland Red Day and this no doubt encouraged some visitors.
The magazine coverage made it important to produce a line-up that exceeded that of last year and, again, colleagues were kind enough to bring their BMMO vehicles, including two brought by the Worcester Bus Preservation Group. A highlight was to park together the C1 s of the 3301 Group and Colin Hawketts. BMMO buses other than D9s or 36 foot saloons are in short supply so a display in front of our Ludlow lookalike garage including, from left to right, CM6T, the two C1s, LD8, S17, D7, S12, S14, D10 and S15 vehicles was intended to stop enthusiasts in their tracks. Then there was the SON which delighted visitors by moving around the site. I encountered it being posed with 3301 and what an attraction that caused. Camera activity was redoubled when S14 4255 replaced the C1. The attention was perhaps surprising until we remembered that 4255 did not feature in the 2000 line-up. The S14 is arguably now our shabbiest BMMO and made the SON look really good. This was, of course, not authentic because, back in the late fifties, the S14s were new and the SONs they were replacing looked shabby! The final companion for the SON was Mike James' Leyland National HHA 126L, newly clad in NBC livery. Thanks to those involved in the photoshoot; there is no doubt it was appreciated by the enthusiasts present.
Whoa! Did the man say S12? Yes, 3744, the subject of so much effort by Mike Jordan and Dave Brown had its front end sufficiently reassembled and repainted to allow posing at the garage entrance in similar fashion to LD8 4031 last year. Of course it's cheating but few would surely carp at a glimpse of one of the early postwar single-deckers in shiny red again. Of all the tremendous efforts put in by the volunteers on BMMO vehicles at Wythall in the last twelve months, 3744 displayed one of the most delightful. It sat there, gleaming in the sunshine, destination set to 'WYTHALL 170'. The 7 had apparently slightly slipped and showed just a hint of the numeral 6 above. I wonder how many of the visitors spotted that this was simply a piece of corrugated cardboard, brilliantly painted by Mike with white numbers on matt black for the three 'numeral blinds' and gloss black for the 'frame' containing them.
Thanks to all the volunteers who have expended so much effort on our Midland Red fleet and got them out for the day, and then put them all away again at the end of the day! Thanks too to all those in supporting jobs that would make all the difference to visitors if they were not carried out efficiently. It was a treat to see our visitors so obviously enjoying themselves and their pleasure was sufficient reward and encouragement to give us a satisfying day too.
Chapel Lane, Wythall, Worcs B47 6JX
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