MidlandRed.net

Cradley Heath Depot

Forge Lane, Cradley Heath.

• Purpose built by Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Company Limited (BMMO — Midland “Red”) with three bays, red brick frontage, an Enquiry and Booking Office, and an initial capacity for 70 vehicles.  It was also built with a Air Raid shelter to comply with building regulations of the time, and had a large forecourt and adjacent land for parking and posible future development.
• Opened on 27^th March 1939, with an allocation of approx 30 vehicles, using depot code CY.
• During World War II the depot housed 15 ambulance buses.
• Fitted with Centralised Dock for vehicle overhauls in 1946, with approx 300 vehicles from local depots being overhauled from this site per yer by the early 1950s.
• One-man operated vehicles used from the depot for the first time in 1966.
  The first set of services converted were Service 230 Blackheath–Dudley, Service 231 Blackheath–Cradley Heath, and Service 232 Old Hill–Blackheath.
• Depot allocation of 37 vehicles in February 1967, made up of 20 double-deck and 17 single-deck buses.
• Depot code changed to CH in May 1968.
• Closed on 28^th May 1971, with vehicles and operations shared between Dudley depot, Harts Hill depot, Stourbridge depot and Oldbury depot.
  Following reductions in the Black Country services, BMMO had intended to close the smaller and older Harts Hill depot and divide their work throughout the other garages in the area, but the union at Cradley Heath depot at the time were very militant and were not co-operating regarding the take over of their share of Harts Hill services.  The decision was therefore made to close Cradley Heath depot instead, and transfer their work to other garages.
• Depot temporarily reopened by the Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Company Limited (BMMO — Midland “Red”) on 1^st November 1973, due to the pending West Midland Passenger Transport Executive (WMPTE) takeover of other garages.
  See the “Transfer of BMMO Services and Assets to the West Midlands PTE” page in the “History” section of this website for further details of the transfer.
• Company renamed to Midland Red Omnibus Company Limited (MROC) on 29^th March 1974.  Depot allocation of 36 vehicles at this time.
• Depot closed on 6^th February 1977, following the opening of Cannock depot.
• Now in use as a Mountain Bike Shop (“Hawks Cycles”).