BLIND AMBITION
The Museums' collection of around 400 blinds has now been listed, numbered and photographed including, with a few exceptions, the ones fitted to vehicles themselves. Approximately eight feet of blind is photographed vertically (not rolled out on the floor!) and, when the prints are received, they are trimmed, stuck to a blank sheet of paper and photocopied. Thus a miniature replica of each blind has been produced with a copy of everything clipped in a lever-arch file for the archives and/or day-to-day reference.
The Museum still needs certain blinds to complete a set or, in some cases, no blinds from a particular garage are owned at all. Those particularly required are:-
Midland Red (traditional type):-
Banbury 'A' and 'B'; Digbeth 'A' and 'B'; Evesham 'A' and 'B'; Hereford 'A' and 'B'; Bromsgrove 'A' and 'B'; Cradley Heath 'A'; Kidderminster 'B'; Lichfield 'A' and 'B'; Malvern 'A' and 'B'; Nuneaton 'A'; Redditch 'B'; Rugby 'A' and 'B'; Stafford 'A' and 'B'; Wellington 'A' and 'B'; Wolverhampton 'A' and 'B'.
WMPTE (not WMT):-
Coventry Upper and Lower; Lea Hall Upper and Lower; Selly Oak Upper and Lower; Quinton Upper; Washwood Heath Upper; Yardley Wood Lower.
London Transport:-
Barking front route number and front destination for RT 624 (replace);
Any Green Line for RCL2219.
If anyone has any of the above blinds and would be willing to donate them (or, indeed, any other blinds) please contact Bob Williamson on 01527 852975. Following on from this, do you have a collection of blinds that you would be willing to have photographed? No costs are involved and a photoprint of each blind will be provided free of charge.
In connection with the photgraphing exercise other work on vehicles has been:-
3474 - Winding handle gear refixed and oiled
RT624 - All winding mechanisms oiled. Front route 'via' blind repaired. Complete set of Barking Garage blinds now fitted (also see above).
RF381 - Front and rear mechanisms oiled and now free-running.
4255 - Missing rollers fitted and now has Worcester set of blinds.
101 - Nearside 'via' blind access flap eased; the wingnut access locks had seized.
WDF569 - Destination blind patch repaired where worn very thin.
6030 (FSF) - Rear destination illumination panel refixed.
60 (Leicester C.T.) - Now fitted with correct style number tracks
Finally, if vehicles on display are constantly showing the same destinations etc. the blinds deteriorate through sunlight (heat and ultraviolet) and also damp. Would any member be willing to visit the Museum say, once every couple of months, to alter all displays to show different appropriate route numbers, destinations etc.? No engineering experience is needed(!) but knowledge of Midland Red/WMPTE routes might be useful. Anyone interested please contact Bob as above.
Bob Williamson
Chapel Lane, Wythall, Worcs B47 6JX
Tel : 01564 826471 e-mail us
A registered educational charity no 507191
