Aston Manor

Road Transport Museum

208-216 Witton Lane, Birmingham, B6 6QE

A Restoration Story

‘’Is that the type of bus that granddad used to drive?’’ asked my son as we walked in Stafford’s main street sometime in the early 1990’s

‘’No that’s a bread van with windows’’ I replied thinking I wonder where that museum is that was featured on Midlands TV news a few years ago.

‘’I’ll show you a proper bus one day’’ I promised………………

    Lots of research and quite some time later we found some of the vehicle types and actual vehicles that granddad drove in his 30 odd years driving for Midland Red at Stafford Garage, they had been safely kept all those years and now resided at Wythall and Witton Lane, Aston.

    The sights and sounds of the D9, S15 etc must have stirred up a sleeping curiosity as more research revealed that many other Midland Red built vehicles had survived, and were located in various parts of the Midlands under private ownership.

    On a trip in March 1995 to find a C5 reported to be kept in a transport yard at Cradley, Mick [another Midland Red enthusiast] and I stumbled upon an S21 which we were told by the yard owner was for sale!

    I had never thought of owning a bus let alone carrying out any form of restoration yet here I was contacting the S21’s owner to obtain more details, but it was not for sale after all. However he also had several other vehicles including an S22 which was for sale.

     We had no idea what an S22 might look like but arranged to see it anyway. As what now seems usual in vehicle preservation all common sense departed and 3 months later on Saturday 15th June 1995 we were underway from Kidderminster to Stafford towing the S22 with a borrowed recovery truck!

    Outside storage had been arranged at short notice on a local farm and restoration began. We had no previous experience and fortunately Brian who had owned 5905 before us had done a good deal of mechanical work. The basic plan was to prepare and paint the exterior then sort out and clean the interior with a limited amount of re-trimming, how wrong can you be? Luckily we had bags of enthusiasm and a goal to get it ready for Kidderminster - a landmark annual event.

    Work began mainly on the body, rubbing down and removing layers of paint and unwanted later local identity flashes applied when in National Bus colours. We had decided from day one that it would be returned to its 1969 DP origins with the addition of a black roof as on the mid 60’s prototype.

    Preparation seemed easier when trim, lights and most other fittings were removed, after all they would need restoration or in some cases renewing to set off the new paint work. Of course the more we took off the bigger the task became to refurbish resource and replace parts that were up to 30 years old.

    In addition to the body there were other important items which needed attention, not least of these was the water pump that worked rather like a water-wheel and could disperse water under the bus faster than you could fill up the radiator!

    The quest for parts and information led me all over the Midlands and beyond, many contacts were made, several of whom became, and remain firm friends. The parts to rebuild the pump took 6 months to obtain which was not really a problem as the body was progressing and winter approaching, so it was into the garage to work on some of the smaller bits and pieces that had earlier been removed.

    Dark nights and winter snow reduced the hours we had been putting in but photographic searches and museum visits helped to put more pieces of the jigsaw into place. We would have to make new boot doors and although we did get cut down CM6 frames with the bus most of the fittings were still needed and the frames would have to be skinned.

    Spring 1996 arrived and rubbing down continued [would it ever finish] with thoughts as to how the painting could be done outside when we were ready. A new 5Ltr can of ‘Midland Red’ paint came with the bus but when applied to the grill panel at home in the garage it did not look at all right, leading to a lengthy search for the correct 1960’s shade.

    A chance conversation with the farmer led to a possibility of temporary undercover accommodation for the repaint at his son-in-laws farm, this was quickly followed up and we agreed to be in and out of his new milking parlour to-be in 3 to 4 weeks.

    Richard our new temporary landlord was terrific, so much so that we stayed on the farm for over 2 years, in turn occupying most of the farm buildings and outside locations for short periods in winter when the cows came in for shelter.

    Work really progressed in the barn and at last the paint was applied and the vehicle began to be transformed, etched primer, undercoat and several coats of red were applied by mini gloss roller to achieve a much better than hoped for finish. When the black roof was completed the bus took on a fine appearance, now it was time to fit all the trims, lights and accessories.

    Work continued through the autumn of 1996, boot doors were completed to the original style, air scoops re-fitted to the roof and numerous other jobs accomplished and then it was time to vacate the barn for the cows to come indoors.

    The winter months passed with some interior cleaning, this lead to seat frames being removed along with floor treads etc to make a ‘proper’ job but this would eventually take a further 18months to complete!

    When spring 1997 arrived a fresh challenge was required and our thoughts turned to MOT preparation, on the basis that it would be more fun to be able to rally the vehicle, whilst continuing to work on the interior refurbishment.

    As we had missed the Kidderminster shows of 1995/6 a new goal of attending the Welshpool show in July 1997 was set but it was not long before our first set-back when cracks appeared in the radiator and water rail. The latter was due to water remaining in the rail when we had drained the system which then froze, the radiator was an old fracture that just gave way.

    Both were successfully repaired and the next 3 months saw a complete mechanical overhaul to include braking system, fuel system, oil change, filters, hoses and clips, electrics and fluid levels. Also completed and painted were boot doors, platform doors and wheels.

    On 26^th June 5905 went for MOT……………and passed 1^st time! Not bad for a first attempt – it was just over 2 weeks to the first outing, so there was time to make last minute adjustments and organise a couple of test runs for John, a retired Midland Red inspector who had worked with my father in the 50’s and 60’s.

    Sunday 13^th July, 2 years and 1 month after acquiring 5905, we set off for Mid Wales calling at Wellington to join up with the well known Midland Red C5 belonging to Dave Thomas, to my relief all went well on the day.

    A  few weeks later a second outing to Kidderminster for a Midland Red day confirmed suspicions of a fuel pump problem, causing the engine to cut out at the most inconvenient times, i.e. traffic lights or road junctions. To resolve the problem the pump was removed and rebuilt [by an expert pump engineer!], and what a difference that made to the running of the engine not to mention the vastly improved driving experience.

    One or two more rallies were attended during 1997 including the Outer Circle but strangely not Kidderminster, restoration however continued but at a slower pace. We also continued our moves around the farm as the seasons progressed and eventually took up our winter position at the rear of the barns when the cows came in for shelter.

    Spring 1998 started early for 5905 with a determination to complete the interior restoration, this would involve removing and repainting all the seat frames, cleaning the seats, floor treads, luggage racks, roof linings etc. All the sides were re-trimmed, the cab painted and bright-work polished, and in fact anything that could be cleaned, replaced or improved was tackled with enthusiasm.

    Whilst the work continued the rally season began and we could now enjoy using the vehicle whilst carrying on the restoration at the same time, unfortunately the 1^st rally at Weston Park in April could not be attended due to adverse weather conditions.

    Work continued on a variety of fronts to complete the interior and when stripping the floor for re-painting it was decided to further investigate a leak from one of the heater pipes. As always one thing lead to another and before long the entire pipe work was being removed together with the heaters, the system was then looped at the thermostat housing to allow a continuous flow of water.

    The floor could now be painted and treads cleaned and replaced, several attempts were made to clean the fibre-glass interior wheel arches and luggage pen base, they always looked fine when wet but shabby as they dried. If only they could be kept wet looking they would be perfect…………. 2 coats of varnish later and they did finally look perfect. It is amazing how many times solutions to problems just seem to appear out of the blue. Whilst we were seeking the correct shade of red some months earlier I was parked outside a hotel in Great Barr when a Midland Red Express with newly refurbished ‘old style’ paint work pulled up beside me – 2 phone calls and ten minuets later I had the answer – Ayres Red.

    May Bank holiday brought the next outing to a local event at Shugborough Hall, we did really well and the bus looked great, our reward was 2^nd place – well we did not actually win anything but there was only 2 buses there and the other one took the prize!

    Attention now turned to finishing off the cab and re-trimming the dash panel before the next outing to Shrewsbury in June, always a favourite event. Back at the farm we moved from the side shed to hard standing and prepared for the 2^nd MOT which again was passed with only a bulb to change.

July brought a trip to Aston Manor for the open day and a photo shoot with the only other surviving S22 and the infamous C1 3301, let down at the last moment by my regular partner my good friend GT stepped in to ride ‘shotgun’ as he had on a previous occasion, and would again in the future.

    Since the beginning of the year seats and frames had been removed, cleaned, painted and re-fitted on a continuous basis, the final seat pad was cleaned and replaced on Sunday 20^th September and according to the number on the base once belonged to S15 5083!

    It was now October 1998 and time for a trip to Kidderminster. The bus was virtually complete, whether this was a contributing factor or possibly we were completely exhausted from the 3 years continuous work, or just fed up with each others company, but we had decided to put up the bus for sale. The rally was actually on Sunday October 11^th and by the Tuesday evening I received a phone call from a chap in Devon – he had not been at Kidderminster himself but was looking at photo’s taken by a friend and wanted to offer the asking price.

    A final trip for me in 5905 was to Wythall on November 1^st for the new owner to see the vehicle in person, and agree the collection details, again GT rode shotgun. With the deal concluded arrangements were made for the new owner to collect the bus on Saturday 21^st, it was to be a particularly sad day but not just because the bus was leaving our care.

    Early on the Saturday morning we arrived at the farm to collect 5905 for the last time, whilst in the middle of the starting process a tractor went by and as usual we waved thinking it was Richard our landlord. A few minutes later I could see Mick was talking to someone else, it was then that we learned the tragic news - Richard had been killed in a farming accident the day before. We were stunned and remained on auto pilot the rest of the day although we did manage to get the bus under way towards Devon.

    Richard was only in his thirties with 3 young children, a super guy who was always smiling – it was a huge loss to his family and to all those that had been lucky enough to know him.

    I still get updates on the S22’s progress from its Devon home; Bob the new owner also had links with Midland Red, as his father had worked for the company for many years. Mick my 1^st partner dropped out of restoration work but GT and I got ourselves involved with another Midland Red classic – but that’s a story for another day………………………

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