Events galore in '24
Published: 03/01/2024
Transport Museum Wythall opens its doors on March 27th 2024 to an exciting programme of events new and old, including two significant anniversaries – 85 years of the Bedford OB coach and 120 years since the founding of Midland Red.
Both events will feature extensive displays of vehicles plus timetabled services enabling enthusiasts and families alike to experience riding on examples of Britain’s iconic vehicles of the past.
Key points:
·Two major anniversaries celebrated in 2024
o 85th anniversary of the iconic Bedford OB coach
o 120th anniversary of the founding of Midland Red
·75th anniversary of Birmingham City Transport’s 50 route
·Wythall BusFest@Gaydon back for its third year
·Ten themed events across the year
·8 museum buses join the running fleet for 2024
·….all following a record 2023 for TMW
2024 follows a record 2023 for TMW
In 2023 17,200 visitors visited TMW, over 2,000 up on 2022. With the cost of living crisis bearing down on family budgets, our visitors were pleased to be offered a great value day out for all the family, as our Trip Advisor Traveller’s Choice 2023award testifies. As a 100% volunteer-run organisation, TMW would like to thank all those that came to visit in 2023 and of course, our dedicated members for all their efforts in running and maintaining the museum, helping us to not only cover our costs but also continue to invest in the site and the vehicle collection.
Wide variety of themed events in 2024
In addition to Bedford OB 85 and MR 120, six themed events will feature in the 2024 programme including the well-established Bristol Owners Gathering, London Comes to Wythall, Wythall Busfest@Gaydon, the 75th anniversary of the number 50 route, introduced by Birmingham City Transport in 1949 and the Great British Bank Holiday-themed August event.
Bedford OB Gathering (May 18/19) and Midland Red 120 (October 6) - the big names in 2024
The iconic Bedford OB coach celebrates its 85th birthday in 2024. Introduced in 1939 and co-developed with Duple, only 73 were produced before the onset of WWII but post-war went on to almost 13,000 built by 1951, becoming one of the most popular public service vehicles of its type.
TMW is working in partnership with the Bedford OB Gathering group to bring as many Bedford OBs as possible to Wythall for the event on Saturday and Sunday May 18th and 19th. The 70th and 75th anniversary events were held at Vauxhall Motors in Luton and were attended by around 30 examples. The brainchild of Tim Wootton, the leading light in OB preservation, these Gatherings were curtailed following Tim’s untimely death in 2017. This event is being held in his memory and will include several surprise OBs, new to the rally circuit, in an attempt to gather well over 30 vehicles.
A wide variety of companies, big and small, operated the iconic Miss Marple countryside coach across the UK and beyond, immortalised in an equally wide-range of diecast models from Corgi and EFE across recent decades. We’re expecting a bumper number of visiting OBs on parade and offering rides around the local country lanes. Not to be missed!
One of the largest English bus companies, Midland Red, as the Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Company, was formed in 1904 to operate motor bus services in Birmingham and started operations in this name in July 1905. Midland Red lived up to its slogan of ‘all over the midlands’, designing, building and operating its own buses to all four points of the midlands’ compass.
MR went on to build a wide variety of buses and coaches, many innovations being incorporated into their design including lightweight construction, disk brakes as early as the 1950s and the widely acclaimed ‘motorway express’ coaches running at up to 100mph on the M1 to London.
TMW will celebrate with its acclaimed collection of Midland Red vehicles, single and double-deck examples, spanning most decades of Midland Red operation, on Sunday October 6th 2024. We anticipate lots of visiting ‘Reds’ too, including examples of its early coaching fleet.
The humble number 50 route at 75 on Spring Bank holiday Sunday and Monday May 26/27.
Established in 1949 to cover the south side of the city of Birmingham with 36 stops to Druids Heath, the 50 still runs under National Express ownership and is one of the busiest bus routes in Europe. TMW’s collection features a number of vehicles that ran on this route so here is the chance to ride the 50 on BCT, West Midlands PTE and National Express.
Wythall Miniature Railway Gala on July 13/14
In addition to bus themed events, the Wythall Miniature Railway, a main feature of the museum site for children, is running a gala weekend on July 13/14 with visiting locomotives and an intensive service of both passenger and freight trains. Visit www.wythallsteamrail.com for more information.
Buses returning to the operational fleet in 2024
Following time off on static display or following rectification/restoration work are eight of the TMW fleet, four to support Midland Red 120:
Midland Red - 1950 S12 NHA 744, 1953 LD8 SHA 431, 1960 D10 prototype 943 KHA and 1965 D9 BHA 399C.
Others: 1950 BCT Crossley DD42/6 JOJ 489, 1953 Walsall Corporation Leyland Royal Tiger PSU1, PDH 808, 1984 WM Travel Metrobus MkII B811 AOP and 1965 Green Line Routemaster CUV 219C, which will attend RM 70 in London.
The full list of themed events for 2024
Sunday and Monday March 31/April 1
Easter bank holiday including Bristol Owners Spring Gathering
Sunday and Monday May 18/19
Bedford OB 75th anniversary gathering
Sunday and Monday May 26/27
75 years of Birmingham’s number 50 bus route
Saturday and Sunday June 15/16
London comes to Wythall in partnership with the Routemaster Association. Ride the capital’s iconic vehicles north of Watford
Saturday July 6th
Wythall BusFest@Gaydon – year 3
Saturday and Sunday July 13/14
Wythall Miniature Railway Gala
Sunday and Monday August 25/26
The Great British Bank Holiday with Devon cream teas and open top bus rides
Sunday October 6th
Midland Red 120
Saturday and Sunday October 12/13
Stationary engines and engineering miscellania with the J40 Pedal Car Club annual event on Sunday
Sunday October 27th
Finishing a busy year with the firm favourite, Twilight Running Day when we take atmospheric bus rides into Autumnal darkness
These events plus information on a number of classic vehicle club meetings and ‘Drop In and Drive’ Sunday classic vehicle events can be found at wythall.org.uk, where you will also find more information on prices, opening times and connecting bus and train services where applicable.
