40 Years Since The End of Midland Red

Forty years ago Midland Red ceased to exist when the Midlands based company was split into smaller companies. The privatisation programme then came along, allowing the companies to be sold to bus groups that were forming at the time to deal with the opportunities created by privatisation.

Midland Red were well known for building their own buses, which were thought to be superior to anything else on the market at the time. They were the first company to develop the underfloor engine design for single deck vehicles. They were pioneers of high speed vehicles that served the then new motorways that were springing up across the UK and which had no speed limits. It is said that Midland Red coaches ran at speeds of 80mph.

In spite of the demise of the company 40 years ago, the Midland Red name lives on at the Wythall Transport Museum where a fleet of 90 single and double-decker buses are housed.

Here, the buses are repaired, serviced and kept in good order by the band of volunteers who support the charity which runs the museum.

The BBC have just posted an excellent article about the MIdland Red and how the museum was formed to care for the remaining Midland Red vehicles. This can be seen here.

Wythall Transport Museum reopens to visitors on 26 March