(2/4/2018) West Midlands WMPTE 2462 MCW Metrobus Mk2 NOA462X - Wythall Easter Monday

[@gunhojput]

Oh wow i remember driving these back in the early 90's only ours were creme and red they always were a sweet drive i always looked forward to a mk2 rather than the mk1 good to see and hear loads of love from down south

[@fenners1290]

That brings back the years that does. The 528 to Bilston Bus Station with the classic thud from 3rd into 4th!

[@anthonyroberts6704]

It’s that sound...oh the joys of waiting in traffic and the buses shaking. Not the same with the modern buses.

[@christopherhulse8385]

Depends which operator you use!

[@peterwilliamallen1063]

WMPTE Metro Buses definitely did not shake !!!!!!

[@TheSimonhammond]

The Reading Transport ones did.

[@danielrussell446]

Takes me back 30 years hearing that soundtrack living in the west mids may have travelled on that new

[@leeburtr9421]

I like the sound of this bus and when it vibrates in traffic classic bus I remember this one

[@markwilkinson3772]

Fast mcw west midlands buses

[@gettrick32]

When do you Improve Runcorn Cheshire

[@roberthaydon7973]

What were the buses that all had number plates of the form SDAxxxS?

[@Squiz1971]

They were mainly Fleetlines with either Park Royal, MCW or 20 East Lanc's bodied plus the first 4 Prototype Metrobuses (6831-6834) all had the SDA S registration

[@roberthaydon7973]

@@Squiz1971 Thank you. :) They stick in my mind for some reason.

[@mazda159786cct]

感覺完全似晒九巴的9.7m mcw ..

[@craigbeaumont414]

Drive it like it was on fifth gear lol

[@gerardchriseugenio4016]

Similar to Hong Kong China Motor Bus Livery

[@peterwilliamallen1063]

The West Midland Metro buses had this livery long before China Motor Bus as the trial buses that WMPTE has 6831 to 6835 were trial buses and Birmingham was chosen as at least one WMPTE garage was close to the Metrocammel factory in Washwood Heath Birmingham and that was Washwood Heath Garage, the China Motor Bus Metrobuses were purchased later when the trials had finished and the Metro Bus went into full production and it would of been Metro Cammel that more than like inspired China Motor Bus to adopt a similar livery but in a lighter blue and grey instead of cream

[@elson.1990]

Why does this bus company copy the colours of CMB?

[@FF3170]

Not a copy, more like a coincidence. I think the similarity can be linked back to the early trial batches of Metrobus Mk1 (6831-6835 & MC1-12): www.flickr.com/photos/31973233@N08/37438378240/ Black skirt and cream waist band are something MCW applied onto Metrobus demonstrators on top of a modified livery of the bus operator, another example is the prototype TOJ592S in Greater Glasgow PTE colours: www.flickr.com/photos/georgeupstairs/2839497419 Compare that to standard GGPTE livery: www.flickr.com/photos/27108685@N03/35267592265/ Here is the standard livery of WMPTE before introduction of Metrobus, cream over blue (less blue than CMB): www.flickr.com/photos/31973233@N08/30244897036/ So perhaps MCW got inspiration from CMB's standard livery (the proportion of blue vs cream), and applied an "improved" WMPTE livery (adding black skirt and cream waist band) onto 6831-6835, then WMPTE adopted a simplified version of the demonstrator livery as their new standard.

[@danielrussell446]

Blue and cream were the colours of West Midlands pte until well into the late 80s

[@peterwilliamallen1063]

@@FF3170 This was the new WMPTE Livery from new for Metro buses and not a copy of China motor Bus livery, as these were the first trial MK1 Metrobuses then this livery came out ages before China Motor Bus purchased them and adopted this livery which was more a copy by China Motorbus of the WMPTE livery inspired by MCW, the 5 prototypes had the small WM motif in the middle of the cream line but the WMPTE did not approve of it so instead they had West Midland in black on the cream line with out the WM symbol and the Leyland Titans adopted this livery as did the Volvo Alsas after the take over by West Midlands Travel. So to put you out of your misery, as 6831 to 6835 were 5 of the first production Metrobuses put on trial for the next generation standard West Midlands bus after the Daimler Fleetline this livery was carried on WMPTE Buses long before China Motor Bus adopted it. The WMPTE also trialled a Metropolitan Demonstrator NVP533M for a while painted in standard WMPTE livery which then carried a Queen Elizabeth the 2nd silver jubilee livery and operated from Miller Street on the 52 route from Beeches Estate to Birmingham City Centre but due to it's technicalities the WMPTE declined to purchase any but opted for the Metro Bus which unlike the Metropolitan which had a Scania Chassis and engine the Metrobus was all British and the reason the first five were purchased for trial by the WMPTE was the proximity to the Metro Cammel Works in Washwood Heath Birmingham to Washwood Heath Garage where at least one was garaged, I believe 6831.

[@FF3170]

@@peterwilliamallen1063 Thanks for your reply. I have edited my original response to make it clearer. Perhaps neither CMB nor WMPTE copied the livery of the other company. It is just a coincidence. Comparing the date of delivery, WMPTE's first Metrobus (6831) predates CMB's one (MC1) by a month (Jan 1978 vs Feb 1978). Taking the shipping time into account, they were likely assembled (and painted) in MCW's factory side by side. The only difference is that WMPTE modified the trial livery before adopting it on the production batches of Metrobuses, while CMB kept the livery unchanged and reserved it for "coaches" only (e.g. MC1-12, as well as early air-conditioned double deckers DA1-12 and LA1-5). www.flickr.com/photos/151014230@N07/51792245038 www.flickr.com/photos/nedbasher/6249885882

[@peterwilliamallen1063]

@@FF3170 As a Brummie, a Bus Enthusiast and a fan of the WMPTE I can assure you that the WMPTE did not copy the livery off any one, the original WMPTE livery on the Fleetlines and Bristol VR's was an exact copy of the old Birmingham City Transport Livery, minus one thin black line under the top deck windows and Oxford Blue instead of Cobalt Blue and on later repaints and new buses the Khaki Roof, this Fleetline Livery was used on the one of trial Metropolitan Double Deck Bus which later was painted Silver for the Queens Silver Jubilee. On setting up the Metro Cammel Metro Bus Order with Metro Cammel the WMPTE decided to upgrade the livery on this new order from 6831 on wards the only diversion's from this livery was the change from just a small WM badge on the cream band to the full West Midlands name minus the WM symbol on the side this only being shown on the front and back of the bus and on the Mk 2 version originally the cream band stopped at the rear lower back windows, as this did not look right the WMPTE repainted the cream band all the way round the back and even the Leyland Titans 7001 to 7005 were repainted in the Metro Bus Livery. This livery then carried on through to West Midlands Travel and Travel West Midlands. Under West Midlands Travel ownership the Volvo Alsa and Leyland Nationals were also painted in this livery but no Fleetline was painted in this livery. The China motor bus livery is very similar but different being a lighter shade of blue and cream with no cream band below the lower deck windows, but at the time these buses were being built Metro Cammel Weyman of Washwood Heath Birmingham was a massive factory building Buses, Trains and Taxi's, they built at the time London Underground Stock, Metrobuses and Metro Cab Taxis and all these were built side by side. Of the Metrobus production the two biggest buyers in the UK were the West Midlands PTE , London Transport and Greater Manchester PTE plus numerous other bus companies around the UK and of coarse China Motor Bus. There is no reason what soever that the West Midlands PTE Metrobuses were not built along side the China Motor Bus Metro Buses or any other Bus Company Metro Buses. The livery is a coincidence and no company copied each others livery but I do remember at the time an article in our local paper doing a write up that Metro Cammel had got a large order from China Motor Bus for their Metro Bus model and the livery is similar to the WMPTE livery as this Metro bus Livery looked very smart on WMPTE buses.