Midland "Red" Coach Services Attain Their Majority
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IT was 21 years ago that two longidistant coach routes of the Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Co., Ltd., were started, but unfortunately neither is still in operation, one, to Weston-super-Mare, having been discontinued in September last, while the other, to Llandudno, has not been run since September, 1940.
In May, 1921, regular daily services were started from Birmingham to Weston-super-Mare, isnd to Llandudno via Rhyl and Colwyn Bay, being Worked by Tilling-Stevens solid-tyred saloon buses fitted with basket-carriers
for conveying luggage on the roofs. Pour years later pneumatic tyres were fitted and, of course, the saloon buses later made way for luxury coaches. .
The Llandudno service carried more intermediate traffic than the Westonsuper-Mare route and even during the first season, 1921, was run right up to November.
With other routes between the Midlands and the south-west, the Weston-super-Mare route became part of the Associated Motorways system in' 1934. It still conveyed such heavy traffic as to justify the operation of daily seasonal timings by the direct route via Gloucester, in addition to the connecting services via Cheltenham.
The Llandudno route remained independent and . was augmented by two additional daily services by different routes, via Llangollen and via Ellesmere, the latter of which linked up with London-Birmingham timings so as to provide through bookings from London to Rhyl, Colwyn Bay, Llandudno and other points on the North Wales coast, which proved extremely popular, but had to be abandoned with the outbreak of war.