The independent transport videos cameras welcome you to this very special event organised by the Transport Museum at Wythall in the West Midlands.  It was the occasion of the celebration of 120 years of the erstwhile Midland Red bus company, or to give it its full title, the Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Co. that was founded in 1904 to operate bus services in Birmingham and started operations in July 1905.  The Transport Museum Wythall has the largest collection of Midland Red vehicles and memorabilia and most of the vehicles were running at the Midland Red 120 event on Sunday 6^th October 2024 together with a good selection of visiting preserved Midland Red buses and coaches.  As usual our cameras were on hand, bright and early to record the event for you to enjoy. 
   
We start at the Museum and see the Midland Red buses lined up ready for a busy day on the road or for inspection by the large crowds of enthusiasts and general public that have been attracted to the event.  We take a ride out to Maypole and back on a former Crosville ECW-bodied Leyland Olympian, B190 BLG in the disguise of a poppy red National Bus Company-liveried Midland Red Olympian that has been given the fleet number of 4528. 
   
Our second ride out is on board Midland Red 4031 (SHA 431), one of 100 all-Leyland PD2/12s that were purchased in 1952/53 to meet an urgent need for new buses that BMMO could not meet by building its own buses.  We travel on this superbly restored bus to Maypole and back with a camera in the cab for the driver’s eye view and one in the lower saloon for the passenger’s experience.  As is now common with these excellent running days organised by the Museum, 1400hrs marked the start of the ‘Happy Hour Timetable’ with buses leaving every five minutes or so from the museum to Maypole via Beckets Island, each doing at least two ‘rounders’ before returning to the Museum.  The first bus out was SOS SON 2865 (GHA 337) which we see leaving the Museum before our cameras board 5073 (5073 HA), a 1962 BMMO S15 with a DP40F body for the short ride to Beckets on Alcester Road.  Here we were able to witness all of the buses in service.  This included BMMO S12, Leyland LD8, BMMO D10, S14, S15, Leyland Leopard LS18A, BMMO S16, D9, S17, Daimler Fleetline D12, BMMO S22, S23, Daimler Fleetline D13, Leyland S27, C12, C18 and a Leyland National N6 with the Leyland Olympian completing the line-up!  We return to the Museum on board 5956 (UHA 956H), a BMMO S23 to complete the ‘Happy Hour’. 
   
At the museum we see some of the final departures and then you are in for a treat!  SOS CON 1532 (HA 9483), built in 1934, converted to diesel in 1937 from petrol and was withdrawn from Midland Red in 1956.  It was purchased by Birmingham Corporation Water Department as staff transport and saved for preservation in 1968.  The bus was stored undercover for over 50 years and it was donated to the Museum in March 2023.  So, a makeshift fuel tank was strapped to the front mudguard and she fired up and did a few runs around the Museum site when nearly everyone had left, but we caught it on camera!  Enjoy!