WALSALL WORKSHOPS
XDH516G - Daimler Fleetline / Northern Counties -
Walsall 116(Dave Taylor)
Winter 2007 and Spring 2008 saw 116 undergoing preparation for its repaint and it duly went through the paint shop in July following plenty of detailed body work by Kevin Hill. The badly discoloured white window rubbers were cleaned using a bleach bath and the bus emerged in August complete with coats of arms, courtesy of Stan Letts, and lettering by Steve Evans. The final touches in the form of the fluorescent orange strips to the rear end were applied before a trip to Showbus in late September.
For the uninitiated, all Walsall buses with front entrances were adorned with these rear fluorescent strips to warn following drivers that the bus would stop short at bus stops, another Edgley-Cox innovation. The strips on 116 are orange, 56 should be pink, and probably 808 in later life too, although I'm not sure of that one, any photographic evidence would be welcome.
Walsall must have been a confusing operator to drive for in the 50s and 60s, not only so many different cab layouts and one-offs but imagine following 815 a standard rear entrance PD2, then 812, a bus from the same batch but last week it was lengthened and converted to front entrance. The same was even true for the trolleybus fleet where the same practice applied.
In my travels with 116, I have often been entertained by former drivers and engineers with stories of some of the strange goings on at Birchills Garage. One story, or more probably 'urban myth', relates to a driver only discovering how to start one of the former London Transport RTLs when he hung his coat on the starter handle, conveniently placed in the top rear corner of the cab. Evidently no 'type-training' in those days!
XDH56G - Daimler CRC6-36 / Northern Counties -
Walsall 56 (Dave Taylor)
August saw 56 over the pit for a week, undergoing work to its seized wheel hubs. Dave Parry performed sterling work, freeing up parts that hadn't moved for twenty years. At the end of the process a clank round the car park confirmed that the hubs were free and the next project was to deal with the brakes, seized in the off position, together with three badly corroded leaf springs.
In early September, 56 replaced the Wolverhampton Roadliner in the new Power Hall. Finance and the 'credit crunch' permitting another bout of work will be undertaken in Spring 2009.
RDH505 - Leyland Titan PD2/12 / Roe -
Walsall Corporation 815 (BaMMOT)
Now back on the agenda, with October 2009 seeing an event to commemorate forty years since the formation of WMPTE and the end of the old Corporation fleets. Geoff Hodkinson has begun to deal with the cab area, originally started in the 80s by Lew Giddings and me. Good progress has been made with many parts now in primer.
A major stumbling block remains with the lack of front upper deck window pans and hoppers. News of any Roe fittings of this type for 8 foot wide bodies of the period would be welcome.
Dave Taylor
Chapel Lane, Wythall, Worcs B47 6JX
Tel : 01564 826471 e-mail us
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