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Ring us on: 02476 633624
07966 237888 or on our message-line on 0845 021 4711
email us at: buses@wheels.co.uk
Welcome to The Friendly Midland Red.
It goes without saying that you will find a unique collection of vehicles at Wheels / Midland Red Coaches. The seasons will bring a suitable range of Vintage Buses Classic and more modern coaches out to play! Most of our work is very enjoyable and each vehicle fitting for our diverse range of work. You will not see all the Wheels/Midland Red Coaches fleet operating at any one time. If you have any special occasion where you need a particular vehicle we can, with sufficient notice, discuss with you the opportunity to especially bring a particular vehicle (which may be in store) into the operational fleet. Overhauls, restorations, painting etc, are carried out when the vehicles are non operational and during winter seasons. Our interesting operation is operated by a charitable project The Wheels Museum of Transport Heritage, which aims to preserve and promote the memories of Midland Red for show to future generations, using the classic and vintage buses provides funds for continued restorations of existing and further vehicles in our collection.
WHEELS / Midland Red Coaches has a number of wheelchair accessible coaches which have special features for the less mobile and disabled passengers including wheelchair lift facilities, these are suitable for Holidays, Daytrips, Mystery Tours or Shopping trips. There is also a modern 51 seat high floor coach with washroom and coffee machine This luxury modern coach is operated by our associate Operator Nuneaton Limousines although the vehicle is in full Midland Red Coach livery complete with black roof. We can also offer you a range of Stretched Limousines and Corporate Cars to accompany our vehicles, so do please ask us for details.
Our own Vehicles are all of British design and manufacture and most are from an era when we had a forward looking and exciting vehicle manufacturing industry which was highly motivated, extremely innovative, and where the products were in the majority of cases over engineered by today's standards, making them long lasting and reliable. One of this country's main commercial manufacturers was Leyland who since the 1920's have had models identified by names. Animals, mainly large cats have been the basis of names for many Leyland buses and coaches. Here are a few examples: Leyland Lion, Leyland Tiger, Leyland Cheetah, Leyland Cub, Leyland Lioness, Leyland Panther, Leyland Leopard, and Leyland Royal Tiger. We have examples of Leyland Leopard animal models and we have decided to take the animal theme a little further. We have large model animals which often accompany our passengers when traveling on our Leyland Leopard vehicles. They are our vehicle mascots. You will find them securely chained when they travel on our coaches and they don't mind being stroked!
We are also very proud to have in our fleet a number of vehicles which operated for Midland Red, a genuine BMMO D9 double decker and the unique Charabanc 25 seater which previously operated with Midland Red North from Wellington Depot, and an S23 model - the last type of BMMO produced vehicle. These vehicles hold special places in our collection and are available for special hire duties and fit perfectly with our slogan "Special Buses for Special Passengers" If you are celebrating something special like a Wedding or Civil Partnership Ceremony, a Birthday or Anniversary, or just want a pleasant day re-creating midland bus memories - then these are the finest you can get, they bring back many memories to everyone who comes into contact with them and they are sure to attract attention from passers-by.
We can even personalise the front destination blinds to show your names or the name of your group - great if you include the bus in any photographs.
Enjoy looking through our fleet list and we welcome the opportunity in the
future when we are able to organise a special day out for you when you can enjoy
the nostalgia and the sense of occasion when you travel in style with WHEELS on
our Midland Red Coaches.
Before you email us with an enquiry or
booking, please check our fleet below and always
have a couple of choices of vehicle in mind.
Midland Red Charabanc. - Named "SoS"
the Charabanc !
Fleet number 147
Seats up to 25 passengers
The ultimate in unusual vintage coach transport
- This is the vehicle that makes your special occasion
outstanding
!
There is only one of these Charabancs in the UK which is licenced to carry passengers. This is truly different!
If you are looking for something unique and special - TV, Films, or for Wedding
or Civil Partnership ceremony transport, a special
trip out, an anniversary or a Mystery tour
- this charabanc is ideal for the most special of occasions.
Our vehicle has an interesting history, the body is thought to date from
1929 - it was heavily refurbished and fitted onto a slightly more modern chassis
back in the 1970's. This makes it possible for it to be operational for many
years in modern traffic conditions.
Midland Red operated this vehicle in the Ironbridge Gorge, linking the heritage sites for a number of years but was later surplus to their requirements and sold.
This vehicle is available for hire for special occasions and is a very 1920's travel experience well before the delights of air suspension and double glazing- we suggest that your guests wear suitable clothing as this vehicle has open sides ! We also suggest that journeys of an hour or so are best for both the bus and its passengers !
Enter the spirit of a bye gone time and enjoy your Charabanc ride.
Leyland
Titan PD2 Open rear platform Double Decker.
FDB 340C - Named "Wheels Trundler" - fleet number 3340
Seats up to 60 passengers.
The Leyland Titan design was produced for many years and by the time our vehicle was built in 1965 it was rare to see exposed radiators on new buses. Looking alot older than it really is, makes it good to help create scenes from the 1940's to the 1970's. It was supplied new to Stockport Corporation Transport and operated their town services in and around Stockport/Manchester area. In 1979 it was withdrawn from everyday service and entered the workshops and was used for driver training and was also worked on by Trainee Engineers and for this reason it was around longer than many of its sister vehicles. It was sold on to preservationists in the Cheshire area and was advertised for sale in 2002. It is now finished in the livery of Stratford Blue Motor Services which was a wholly owned subsidiary of Midland Red since 1935. It carries the WHEELS fleetname on its sides in the style of the "winged oval" Midland Red logo from the early 1960's.
An ideal bus for special occasions - our "Wheels Trundler" can trundle anywhere around the Midlands area.
Hiring this piece of traditional British transport history brings you Driver and Bus Conductor too.
BMMO D9 Double Decker EHA 415D - fleet number 5415 Seats up to 60 passengers
A
BIG RED DOUBLE DECKER BUS FOR HIRE IN THE MIDLANDS
This bus is very special to us, we owned and operated 5415 a dozen or so years ago and are very pleased and proud to have it returned to our fleet.
Midland Red designed and built their own buses from 1923 to 1970 in post war times they were produced under the makers name of BMMO which was of course Midland Reds formal company name- The Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Company. Although the D9 first appeared in 1958 -Our D9 is from the last batch of 345, built in 1966. The D9 is 30 feet long and 8 feet wide it has many highly advance features including independantly sprung front wheels, integral construction, rubber suspension, semi automatic gearbox, Midland Reds own design of 10.5 litre engine, advanced fibreglass/plastics including a one piece roof. The front wheels are unusually set back giving excellent engine access and a good turning circle.- The D9 is to the people of the Midlands what the Routemaster is to the people of London and holds a special place in many peoples thoughts and memories.
5415 operated at garages including Kidderminster and Tamworth and it was two
Tamworth based drivers who originally bought the bus from Midland Red ownership,
however it was later sold and was sadly taken 'down south' for a few years but
was later rescued by Lutterworth enthusiast - the late Derek Raye who set about
properly restoring the bus and he did some great work over a number of years. He
stored his D9 for a time in Nuneaton where we caught up with Derek who was in
bad health and looking for a good home for this rare bus. We were successful in buying it
then and set about 5415 gaining full PSV status once again - due to time delays
in its use as a bus no records remained of it being a bus - so it had to be
recertified involving its axles being seperately weighed etc. Ironically it was
the man who originally did the initial Certification of our D9 that was in
charge of the test station and he had great pleasure in showing some of the
unusual engineering features of the D9 type to his colleagues. 5415
happily enjoyed semi
retirement on light duties including some local rail replacement duties, a peak
local bus service and occasionally making an early morning works run to the
Rolls Royce plant in Coventry, and of course some private hire work. Three years
later when we moved to a depot with no double deck accommodation, a low railway
bridge on one access road and a severe hump back bridge on another we werent
able to keep 5415 so it was sold to Birmingham enthusiast Peter Mason who was
fortunate in finding some ex Midland Red staff to maintain it, he also gained
some much valued spare parts. We had been negotiating for the return of 5415 to
our fleet for nearly five years and are extremely pleased to see its return to
our fleet in the year of Midland Reds 100th birthday year and once again offer
it for special private hire work.
This bus participated in the wonderful Midland
Red 3-day 100th Birthday Party at The Black Country Museum in November 2004,
making journeys over the museums road network with other buses from the Midland
Red stable.
HIRING OF THE D9 RED BUS COMES WITH BUS CONDUCTOR TOO !
Now you can enjoy our D9 on your special occasion in some of the Midlands area -
we do limit the mileage we operate with our D9, but its especially good to use
in the general areas of Leicester, Hinckley, Nuneaton, Coventry, Leamington
Spa, Stratford Upon Avon, Tamworth and Birmingham areas. We do make some
exceptions, especially for certain Weddings, TV and Film work, etc. Please
ask us for
details.
Bristol RELH Coach. OTA
645G - Named "Wheels Pioneer" fleet number
4645
Seats up to 34 passengers
This coach has a special place in our fleet - It was the first
operational coach we
bought back in 1991, apart from that fact, it also has a very interesting history. It
was built in
1968, It is a Bristol RELH (rear engine long high) chassis, and has an Eastern
Coachworks 45 seat body. It was new to the Royal Blue fleet and operated their prestigious
services between
London and the South West of England (The English Riviera). In 1975 it was
parked in Bournemouth coach station when fire broke out in another nearby
bus and was damaged, it was
fortunate in that it was fully rebuilt and re-entered service later in 1976. This vehicle
is ideal for most occasions where a classic 'older' looking coach is
needed. For weddings we decorate it with white ribbons, bouquets and
flowers. Its also ideal for resurrecting those old fashioned Mystery Tours, with
its large windows you have no trouble seeing over the hedge rows. Newly
retrimmed in luxurious style it is now downseated to just 36 passengers. 24
people sit at tables for 4, with others in forward facing seats.
BMMO S23 Single Decker Bus UHA 963H fleet number 5963 Seats up to 51 passengers
"This is now a rare beast" It is one of only two
existing, that are still licenced to carry fare paying passengers, it is an original
vehicle designed and built by The Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Company (Midland Red)
in the late 1960's. The S23 was the last type of BMMO vehicle ever built. It
features Midland Red designed rubber suspension and also has a BMMO designed and
built 10.5 litre engine. Since we have had this bus, we have done considerable
and expensive work to enable the bus to continue in service into the future.
You might have gone to School on this one, or on one like it, or perhaps it took you to work
! Now you can Hire 5963 to travel to your Special Event, a
Wedding or perhaps just a
nostalgic Day Trip Out.
Leyland Leopard - Named "WHEELS
Challenger" fleet number 6222
Seats 47 with no wheelchairs or combinations up to 3
wheelchairs and 35 seats
This
Leyland coach first started life as a Green Line Coach operating in London
Suburbs on services radiating to Cambridge. Leyland have had a long tradition of
naming many of their models after large 'cats' - this example is a Leyland
Leopard. When it was just five years old it
was sent to a dealer for refurbishing before being sold to Hatts of Wiltshire
where it was professionally converted to have wheelchair lift facilities
installed. In 2001 it was sold to a taxi firm in Bridlington, East
Yorkshire who sold it on to Wheels in 2003. It has seen further refurbishment
and repaint before entering service in August 2003. Its centre lift and
full tracking facilities make it a most versatile coach for the carriage of the
less mobile passenger. Its a good all-rounder, go-anywhere coach with
comfortable seats with a bright and vibrant interior.
This model of coach now is fast becoming a classic British Coach design.
This Leyland Leopard coach often
carries our five feet long Leopard mascot on board, If you want the Leopard
mascot to accompany your group - just ask when making the booking..
Leyland Leopard - Named "WHEELS
Conveyor" fleet number 6505
Seating for up to 57 Passengers
These coaches are now very rare. The Leyland Leopard chassis has been around
for over 45 years and was Leylands best bus chassis. It sold all over the world,
from Ireland, Holland, Portugal, Africa, Australia, to name a few. Of course the
British market was the biggest.It was available as a Bus, dual purpose vehicle
or Coach. They had the tried and tested Leyland 680 engine.
The chassis often outlasted the bodywork and some like this one were rebodied with new bodywork in the 1990's. They still retain their traditional and characteristic sound, but have a higher level of comfort from that of their original build. Our coach started life in 1978 as a National Express coach and was rebodied in 1992 at local coach builder Willowbrook of Loughborough. It then operated with smaller coach companies ending its serious working life with Daglish Coaches in Cumbria where it was a very reliable coach.
This coach is a modern British classic, and is good for most duties including Extended Tours, Private Hire, and Day Excursions.
This Leyland Leopard coach often
carries our five feet long Leopard mascot on board, If you want the Leopard
mascot to accompany your group - just ask when making the booking..
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