Birmingham City Transport Daimler CVA6 - GOE 486

BIRMINGHAM'S FIRST POST-WAR BUSES

Birmingham City Transport renewed its fleet after World War Two. Around 1750 new buses delivered between 1947 and 1954 replaced virtually all the existing buses, plus the remainder of the trolleybus and tram systems.

This bus, number 1486, was one of the first post-war buses to be built and is the last reminder of no less than 425 Daimlers supplied from 1947 with exposed chrome-plated radiators, heavily raked windscreens to reduce reflections, and half-drop ventilators before the 'New Look' concealed radiator design was adopted in 1950. This first contract of 75 Daimlers all originally worked from Harborne garage. Around half were moved to Perry Barr in 1950 and then to other garages. 1486 spent many years at Birchfield Road garage.

Preservation

1486 was sold in 1962, becoming one of two staff transport buses for Elkes Biscuits, based in Uttoxeter. It later stood in a scrapyard for several years but, in 1973, it was saved by the late Colin Hawketts who needed two days to extract it from the debris. Colin restored the bus and looked after it for the next 40 years. The museum purchased it in 2016. A thorough overhaul and deep clean allowed it to return to the road in 2017.