Відео

😘 wow, birmingham. the city, now and then, to me , remember good times and bad times, diversity, love it, as when i did vist the city mid seventies from west bromwich on a bus to the city centre, ob my way to summers lane,

7 years, and nobody noticed the ELEPHANT walking down the road at 1:36:06

👍 Thanks for posting. This reminded me that we used to catch trams from where it terminated at the junction of Sutton Road and Chester Road via Erdington into the City.(?) I used rush upstairs to the front to get the thrill of the noisy, rocky ride down Gravelly Hill. Even to a toddler the 2+1 reversible wooden seats the trams seemed narrow and small. Smoking was allowed on the upper deck and on a wet cold winter day the air was muggy and the windows streamed with condensation. On the return journey, if the tram was full it was a given, that I would give up my seat to an adult (without prompting) and I would sit on my mother’s knee. If she had shopping bags I would sit on the “stranger’s” knee. I can’t imagine that happening now. We live in a different world ! A year or two later I remember riding on the bus in the traffic jams as the tracks were being dug up. The journeys were slower, nowhere near as exciting and a taste of things to come.

Amazing trip back to my childhood. I had completely forgotten about the Bundy clocks used to record the drivers whereabouts. (1:44:23). Thanks

Great historic film!!

I remember going to the old science museum as a young child and seeing the restored tram there. My dad was old enough to ride the trams in Brum shortly before their demise. It's interesting to spot the road features today that are tram related, such as the tram terminus at the Yenton, Erdington, now a narrow side road for parking off the main road. Same down the centre of Sutton Road through Erdington.

This came up as a suggestion on UA-cam. Thank goodness it did. Wonderful archive film of past Birmingham and suburbs and as someone who was born just after the last tram stopped forever I find them absolutely fascinating. Priceless film

My dad often spoke about the trams … Now the building of trams taking so much time and they break down!

R.I.P Independent Local Radio. Gone but never forgotten! I.L.R was wonderful until global & Bauer media both killed it! 😪☹️🤔

Great work,footage and historical knowledge. I work at thinktank museum we have the 395 tram. I was doing some work on it the other day and its wonderful piece. I also live by lickey hills so fascinated by this vid

Fantastic docu ..... great insight.

Despite the family (somehow) always owning a Car, my biggest thrill as a boy in early 1950's Birmingham, was a ride on the top deck of the Tram ---up front ,of course, to Lickey Hills, and back to Smethwick. Carefully watching the autumn tree branches, with their Gold & Red leaves, just skimming over the Tram roof. On one occasion, my brother and I were on a special mission, a tip-off guided us to a particular area where Conker's by the thousand, lay under the tree trunks. No need to throw stumps of wood at 'em. Loaded with bulging bags of Conker's, we set off home. Unfortunately , our bags had seen better days, they being the old familiar Brown Paper variety, with string handles. We were nearly into the City Centre when the strain became too much, and hundreds of Conker's were falling out of the tears in all directions, towards the Top Deck stairs Despite some kind and sympathetic help from passenger's .many had gone down the stairs and left a trail behind the Tram, as cyclists tried to dodge them. By the time we got home, we had about 30 Conkers left----and they went mouldy within a fortnight. But we had a memorable time.

Cannot help thinking that Britain Deserves what it gets......or got I should say

Fascinating.

As i watch these informative vintage videos I can’t help but be disgruntled because the same destruction of these efficient clean transports were put out of service by politicians and lobbyists.New York City and its outer boroughs were once furnished with much similar infrastructure so needed today.Piss poor planning gets you piss poor performance when a new breed took over allowing all these innovative efficient railways to be destroyed and obliterated.A great example how greed permeates while a huge disservice and shortsightedness was committed against so many by so few.Thanks for posting!

Most wonderful video with fantastic narration and video editing - thank you. My family were from Stockland Green and Alum Rock areas and I used to work as a DHL courier in all of the areas depicted - i can't tell how important it is to have this digitised, just wonderful !

I only came across this by mistake. What a gem of a find. I'd of never had thought earlier in the day I'd be watching a film on Trams for nearly 2 hours. Thoroughly enjoyed every minute & was amazed at how Birmingham used to be. The Trams were designed with beauty in mind as well as their efficiency. I was shocked to see the trolleys! Four wheeled buses run on overhead electric cables - so electric vehicle technology isn't something new out of the 21 Century; it was with us over 100 years ago! I think Cities should of kept their trams & if more scientific research & development could of been funded & developed, we may have been in the future some time back. A great film!

Living in Hillaries Road Erdington from the early 1950s to the mid 1960s, I can remember as a toddler being taken into town on the tram.Interestingly, we could also have gone by a Midland Red Bus or the train. The latter was quick and easy to access, the local station being about a minutes walk away at Frederick Rd/Hunton Hill station the line running into Snow Hill, but being the quickest was the most expensive. I don't remember how much the train fare was, but I'm pretty sure that the bus fare was 6d and the tram was 2d each way and I do remember that the tram had hard seats and was a bumpy ride so at 74 yrs old I'm not too nostalgic about them LOL! Also I often had cause to curse the trams long after their demise because I fell off my bike time and again having caught a wheel in the tracks which were not taken up for some time! Many Thanks to Mark Thomas for this fascinating piece of Brum's transport history.

a very high recommended movie ! great thanks for posting !

My Grandfather Ernest Joseph Siviter started work with the LMS as a carter and after service with the RFA IN WWI became a tram driver in Birmingham. When the trams were scrapped he became a BCC bus driver and later an instructor teaching many men how to drive a bus.

Beautiful city. what country is this???

INSTEAD OF THOSE BEEN IN THE MUSIEM WE COULD DO WITH THEM NOW IN BIRMINGHAM. GET RID OF THE NEW ONES. THAT HAVE BROKEN THE TRACKS.

These trams are taller & slimmer than a d decker; did they ever have to undergo a tilt test, did any ever topple over whilst on the move?

Thanks for uploading this, my great grandad is on this video at the end when the last tram drives into the depot.

Narrated by Martin Jenkins

Well, well, another thing Britain has run straight into the ground, all the while they ruined the empire and lost all track of anything, to arrive at today. 95% civil servants, no job, no hope, all industry gone, all purpose gone, Europe's running gag.

Thank you for this,Mark, I was 6 when the last trams were withdrawn and can remember going by bus to Chester Road, Midland Red buses weren't allowed past there, and changing to the tram to go to Gravelly Hill, visiting relatives. That tram ride was a real treat. Happy days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Flipping heck this AA traffic update is going on for ever....!!!🤣

Sydney Guys Trams& buses were all over Birminghams transport system, he is a great man who isn't mentioned in the video although his "Guy" blue and cream buses are in the video.

Trams and an Electric co-op van..nothing changed then!!

Wow.. I'm from Dover and it was great to see shots of the town from 39.00...

Fascinating, I liked the repair sequences, with the chubby little girl watching the men work. Thank you!

Elephant at 1:36:10 !

Trams should be re-introduced where ever possible, as they are way more effitiant and really emission free! Also they can transport more ppl by attaching multiple cars. For swiss ppl it looks quite scary to have double-deckers, but it looks like they worked just fine.

Lucky I grew up in 50s & 60s near Squiers Gate station Blackpool so see the tram network there daily as a kid & travelled to school on it regularly. Yes it was cut back a lot by the 60s but a lot remained till this day & now its being extended again with future plans for more. Very interesting video nice reminder of old times.

This is soooo interesting - Great footage feels like a real time travel

Hi all I really enjoyed watching this video, I used to live in Conway North Wales, just after the war I used to go on a train to Liverpool to see my Mothers relations, ending up at Lime Street Station, I would walk down to the Peerhead a catch the No 22 Tram to Entree Maraia road, area, I have never lost that experience on that journey, after watching this video seeing the way they laid the tram rails and the stone paving sets in Hot-Tar, following on with cement filling the joints, Great Records of that era, Thank you I really enjoyed the viewing. welshman 2081

Folks, I for one, don't understand the mentality which touted the Omnibus as "the way of the future" and resulted in the demise of one of the most successful mass transit systems ever devised. Now we cravenly return what our grandparents already knew to be successful and hope no-one will notice the complete u - turn in thinking. The Oil Companies and Tyre Companies have a lot to answer for in this matter.

What an absolutely fantastic documentary. Thank you very much for uploading. Excellent commentary!

Great info...well done

A Splendid Presentation. Wonderful History. Vandalism To Remove It All. What Might Have Been !.

Thanks for the wonderful memories. I was born in Dudley Rd Hospital, now City. I lived opposite Mill St ,Hubert St. Watched the trams come and go to the tram depot in Mill St. This area used to flood nearly every year when Aston Brook flooded.My sister in law lived above a shop on the Aston Rd and the cellar would flood up to about four feet up the walls. Still great times and long summers.

3:50 so they already had battery operated trams in 1890? :O

That superb Bristol Road reservation! Like Prince of Wales Road in Sheffield. So modern; I see it in Europe all the time, even in city centres. They would not allow such things in London as the powers-that-be wanted rubber tyres.

The charm of those slender narrow gauge tramcars! The only n.g. 'caurs' I travelled on were in Glasgow at 4' 7&3/4" rather than the standard 4' 8&1/2", (to accomodate railway wagons from the docks/shipyards, using the tramlines and running on their larger flanges.)

And. 8 commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Birmingham_Tram.jpgcommons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Birmingham_Tram.jpg

So refreshing to see the limited traffic on the road's 'then', & just how well the transport system of yesteryear running as smoothly back in the day, and that snow on the line or leaves on the tracks didn't phase the Trolleybuses ~ as they do with our transport system 'now' in the 21st century!! Fun Fact; Even the Roman's built 'better' more robust road's than we see today!! First we had horse-drawn, then electric, then Gas/Diesel, now they're making Electric motor vehicles & phasing out the Diesel. At the moment we are in Tier 3 in London with the Coronavirus Pandemic ~ & the world is trying to decide what to do for thee best for Christmas 2020. Wishing everybody a Merry Christmas Whatever the world decides. I'm agoraphobic 'anyway', So I can do all these lockdown's standing on my head!! Peace to All.

So refreshing to see the limited traffic on the road's 'then', & just how well the transport system of yesteryear running as smoothly back in the day, and that snow on the line or leaves on the tracks didn't phase the Trolleybuses ~ as they do with our transport system 'now' in the 21st century!!

Very enjoyable video. Thanks for sharing.

When I see the kerbside loading and reserved track, just as in any modern European city and then reflect this was denied to London before the War to give way to the trolleybus and ultimately the bus. Politics and the road lobby! Run something down so it appears unfashionable and uncomfortable.