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Tracline 65

1984 establishments in England1987 disestablishments in EnglandBus routes in the West Midlands (county)BuswaysErdington
Guided busways and BRT systems in the United KingdomHistory of Birmingham, West MidlandsTransport in Birmingham, West MidlandsUse British English from July 2014
Tracline 65 bus 8109
Tracline 65 bus 8109

Tracline 65 was a bus route in Birmingham, England which included the first guided busway in the United Kingdom. The existing route 65 bus route was upgraded as part of an experiment to improve bus services, by the West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive. A 600-metre section of concrete-edged guideway was installed on Streetly Road in the Short Heath area, a few miles from Erdington village, at the northern terminal of the route. Located in a central reservation once used by Birmingham Corporation trams, it was segregated from the carriageway used by other vehicular traffic. At the southern end of the trackway, buses used ordinary roads to reach the city centre.Fourteen MCW Metrobus Mark II buses were acquired and fitted with guide wheels, which ran along the guideway's concrete edges. The vehicles were painted in a distinct livery, unique to Tracline 65, being silver with black and red detailing. It began operating in 1984. The trial ended in 1987 and all buses had their guide wheels removed and returned to normal services; the last withdrawn on 26 April 2008. The buses retained their distinctive destination display and gap in the front wheel arch where the guide wheels had been. One, fleet number 8110, is preserved at Aston Manor Road Transport Museum.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Tracline 65 (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Tracline 65
Streetly Road, Birmingham

Geographical coordinates (GPS) Address Nearby Places
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Wikipedia: Tracline 65Continue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 52.52999 ° E -1.85856 °
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Address

Streetly Rd / Edgware Rd

Streetly Road
B23 7AH Birmingham
England, United Kingdom
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Tracline 65 bus 8109
Tracline 65 bus 8109
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Nearby Places

New Oscott
New Oscott

New Oscott is an area of Birmingham, England. It was named after the Oscott area of Birmingham, when St. Mary's College, the Roman Catholic seminary, moved from that site to the new one. The original then became known as Old Oscott. The only pub in New Oscott is the Beggars Bush. The area also hosts the Princess Alice Retail Park and adjacent Tesco Extra superstore. Princess Alice Retail Park was the site of a large and well known children's home from the late 19th century. When the site was sold for redevelopment in the 1980s the home was demolished leaving Brampton Hall which was a Community Centre serving the local area. Brampton Hall offered a range of classes and interest groups to the community and was a popular venue for parties and children's birthday parties. In recent years, this hall got knocked down and turned into a fast food chain, Frankie and Bennie's, which has since been turned into a KFC. The area near The Beggars Bush used to be home to a traffic island which was removed and a new double traffic light system was put into place. The name Beggar's Bush derives from a thorn bush that was located in the middle of the Chester Road and was encircled by iron railings. At an unknown date, it is said that a beggar died after sheltering under the bush, and as the bush marked the boundary of the parish, there was debate over who should pay for the burial of the man. The bush was destroyed by road workers in the mid-1930s to the disapproval of locals. Bus services in New Oscott are operated by National Express West Midlands and Diamond Bus providing links to Birmingham, Sutton Coldfield, Erdington and Walsall. The nearest railway station is Wylde Green although more convenient for connecting bus services to New Oscott is Sutton Coldfield.