MidlandRed.net

Digbeth Depot

Mill Lane, Digbeth, Birmingham.

Being located close to Birmingham City Centre, Digbeth depot was at the heart of operations for the Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Company Limited (BMMO — Midland “Red”), and was their most important depot for traffic operations.  The garage was the largest in the BMMO network, having the highest vehicle allocation, annual mileage, and number of staff.  With its integral Coach Station, it was also the launch point for most of the company’s coach journeys to all corners of the country.

• Site acquired by BMMO in July 1925, and cleared of existing buildings, which included warehouses, shops and housing.
• Purpose built steel-framed, brick built garage and workshops with incorporated coach station, and an imposing three story office building with enquiry and booking office, sited on the corner of Digbeth and Mill Street.  The initial capacity was for 110 vehicles, making this the largest garage operated by BMMO.
• Depot opened by Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Company Limited (BMMO — Midland “Red”) on 3^rd January 1929.
• Garage capacity gradually reduced to 95 vehicles by the early 1940s, due to the continuing increase in vehicle sizes.
• Land in front of the garage rented and used to park up to 45 vehicles from c. 1947.
• Control of an out station at Sheepcote Street from August 1951, with 34 vehicles from Digbeth moving to the new site.
• Depot allocation of c. 120 vehicles during the mid-1950s, with outdoor parking provided at a rented site in Benacre Street.
• Site expanded in 1955 when the company acquired land along Digbeth highway after it had been widened to a dual carriageway.  A long four story frontage was constructed, which incorporated a booking office, left-luggage, enquiry area and waiting room, a 100 seat self-service restaurant, toilets etc on the ground floor, with company offices and additional offices let to tenants above.  The new building opened on 20^th June 1958, and was named “Spencer House” in honour of the company’s Chairman of the Board of Directors, John Spencer Wills.
• Site expanded in September 1958, with additional land acquired in Mill Street for surfaced outdoor parking.
• Further overflow parking acquired at Adderley Street in 1965, to replace the Benacre Street site which was developed for housing.
• Depot allocation of 99 vehicles in February 1967, made up of 51 double-deck and 31 single-deck buses, with 17 coaches.
• Bus services wholly within the West Midlands County boundary, along with necessary vehicles and staff, passed to the West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive (WMPTE) at Moseley Road depot on 3^rd December 1973, with control of the overflow bus park at Adderley Road passing to the WMPTE at Liverpool Street depot.  Only cross-boundry and coach services remain at Digbeth depot from this time.
  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.  Digbeth depot has an allocation of 40 vehicles at this time.
• From 1978, MROC reorganise their coaching activities, and from this time, full-coaches are only housed at Digbeth, Nuneaton and Leicester.
  “Local” coaches continue to be used from a number of other depots.
• On 17^th February 1979, all Digbeth based stage-carriage services and vehicles are moved to other depots.  The garage is now only used for coach work and vehicle allocation is between 65 and 70 coaches, all built on the Leyland Leopard chassis.
• Control to Midland Red (Express) Limited with an allocation of 82 coaches when the Midland Red Omnibus Company Limited split up on 6^th September 1981.
• Closed as an operational garage on 1^st February 1986, and used principally as a coach station with the capability for only minor running repairs.  Vehicles relocated to Central Works, Carlyle Road in Edgbaston, with the Midland Red Omnibus Company Limited assuming responsibility for maintenance.  Site passed by NBC to National Express.
• Digbeth depot leased by Midland Red (West) Limited from National Express and reopened as an operational garage on 26^th October 1986 (Deregulation day) for a new network of services in Birmingham and The Black Country operated by Midland Red (West) Limited, with an allocation of 50 Leyland National single-deck buses. In addition to these, vehicles in the Midland Red Coaches fleet also returned to Digbeth depot at this time, with Midland Red (West) Limited assuming responsibility for maintenance.
• Control to Midland Red West Limited when the two companies merged on 22^nd December 1986.
• Depot closed on 26^th April 1997, vehicle maintenance transfered to Worcester depot.  Full control of the coach station passes back to National Express when the lease expired.
• Coach station to close on 12^th November 2007, with National Express operations moving to another site.