Route number 140 was first used by Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Company Limited (BMMO—Midland “Red” Motor Services) during the early 1920s[Exact Date Needed] for a route between Rugby, Hillmorton, Crick, and West Haddon. This route was renumbered to Service 430 when BMMO introduced their new route numbering sequence on Saturday 16th May 1925.
The route number became redundant at this time but would be used again from 1928, when BMMO renumbered their network for the last time. This time it would be used to identify the established Birmingham, Dudley and Gornal Wood route, which had previously used route number 120.
More details about route numbering sequences can be found here… Midland “Red” History: Route Numbers.
The first iteration of Service 140 to be operated by Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Company Limited (BMMO—Midland “Red” Motor Services) ran during the early 1920s, between Rugby, Hillmorton, Crick, and West Haddon. Although I don't have an exact date for the start of this service, the new Leamington Spa depot opened in April 1922, so it's likely the route originated at that time.
Initially this service did not run on Wednesday or Thursday, and the remaining days of the week each operated with a different timetable, presumably for Market Day workings. The busiest day was Saturday with twenty-one return journeys running, most of them being short-working betweek Rugby and Hillmorton, compared with Sunday that had just two return journeys over the full route.
By February 1925, the service had expanded significantly and ran seven days a week, with many journeys running at the same times Monday to Saturday, giving a more stable timetable. However, the majority of journeys were still short-working between Rugby and Hillmorton only, with just two or three return journeys on the full route each day.
BMMO introduced their new route number sequence on Saturday 16th May 1925. Routes in the Rugby and Coventry areas were allocated new route numbers in the 430–449 range, and Service 140 became the first number in this sequance, Service 430. The route was again renumbered on Saturday 11th February 1928, this time to Service 577.
| 1 | 4 | 0 |
| May | 1923 | Rugby ↔ Hillmorton ↔ West Haddon | |
| February | 1925 | Rugby ↔ Hillmorton ↔ West Haddon | Withdrawn May 1925 |
The version of Service 140 that ran from 1928 can be traced back to c. November 1914, when Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Company Limited (BMMO—Midland “Red” Motor Services) introduced Service 27, running between Birmingham City Centre (New Street), Hagley Road, Bearwood, Quinton, Blackheath, Dudley, and Gornal Wood. This route was not a direct link between Birmingham and Dudley, and thus did not compete directly with the Birmingham Corporation Tramways network, which ran further north along the Dudley Road, but it did provide links to Dudley from areas not served by the tramway network. The route was renumbered to Service 120 as part of the new simplified numbering sequence on Saturday 16th May 1925, then finally to Service 140 as part of the extending route numbering sequence on Saturday 11th February 1928.
By the time the route became Service 140, the Birmingham terminus had already moved to Station Street, but New Street was still be served on outbound journeys, approximately two minutes after departing Station Street.
With the route number changing from Service 120 to Service 140, BMMO also made some significant changes to the timetable. The frequency over the full route from midday increased from every 30-minutes to every 20-minutes on Monday, Thursday and Saturday, and also during the evenings on Sunday. Additional short-working journeys between Dudley and Gornal Wood were introduced, and ran as Service 141. On Monday to Friday these mostly operated in the mornings and evening but there were also a few around midday when the frequency transitioned from hourly to every 30-minutes, or to every 20-minutes on Monday and Thursday. On Saturday and Sunday evenings, Service 141 was inter-worked with Service 140 to provide a 10-minute frequency between Dudley and Gornal Wood.
Short-working journeys running only between Bearwood and Dudley had been introduced by the end of 1927, but these did not initially show a unique route number, instead displaying Service 140 (or Service 120 before the 1928 renumbering). By September 1929, these journeys had their own unique route number, and were running as Service 142. The inter-working of Service 140 and Service 141 on a Sunday evening had also ended by this time, leaving a 20-minute frequency over the whole route during the evening.
On Monday 1st October 1934, BMMO reorganise and renumbered the local Dudley network to have “D”-prefix route numbers. At this time, Service 140 was shortened to exclude the Dudley to Gornal Wood section of the route, and short-working Service 141 was withdrawn. New Service D40 was introduced as a replacement. The use of the Service 142 route number for short-working journeys between Bearwood and Dudley also ending by this time, although a few early morning journeys continued to operate.
In June 1940, the Birmingham area timetable showed Service 140 running every 30-minutes throughout the morning off-peak period, increasing to every 20-minutes in the afternoon and every 12-minutes during the evening peak period. By September 1941 this had been increased to every 20-minutes for most of the day and every 10-minutes during the evening peak time period. After wartime restrictions ended, the frequency increased to every 10-minutes for most of the day and every 8-minutes during peak time periods.
The Birmingham terminus for all Hagley Road routes moved to Navigation Street in 1950, but this was short-lived for Service 140 as it moved again in 1951, this time to Paradise Street. The Birmingham terminus would finally settle in the new Bull Ring Bus Station once that site opened on Friday 1st November 1963. Meanwhile at the Dudley end of the route, a new Bus Station along Birmingham Street and Fisher Street opened on Saturday 27th September 1952, and the route was diverted to terminate there.
The slow decline of bus travel saw journey frequency reductions throughout the 1960s. In May 1961, it was announced that the enhanced frequency usually operated on a Sunday during the Summer Season would cease, and the Winter frequency would continue all year. Further reductions saw the weekday frequency reduced to every 20-minutes by 1964, and then to every 30-minutes by 1969.
By the end of 1971, Service 141 had returned as a short-working variation to Service 140. This time the route number was used for journeys between Bearwood and Dudley, which had been Service 142 before the war. The new Service 141 ran every 30-minutes during the morning and afternoon peak times to give a frequency of every 15-minutes on that section of the route when combined with the full Service 140. During the off-peak times Service 141 did not run so a 30-frequency operated over the whole route.
BMMO's involvement with local routes in Birmingham ended on Sunday 2nd December 1973, when operation of all local Birmingham and Black Country services, including Service 140 and Service 141, passed to West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive (WMPTE) from the start of business on the following day.
More details about BMMO Transfer of Services and Assets to WMPTE can be found here… Midland “Red” History: Transfer of Services and Assets to WMPTE.
| 1 | 4 | 0 |
| New February | 1928 | Birmingham ↔ Blackheath ↔ Dudley ↔ Gornal Wood | |
| January | 1931 | Birmingham ↔ Blackheath ↔ Dudley ↔ Gornal Wood | |
| August | 1971 | Birmingham ↔ Blackheath ↔ Dudley |