Tackling Tyseley

My first major outing for May saw me back on the Brum beat for a classic Birmingham local investigating some of the less glamorous areas of the city...

• Tyseley: The starting point for today's outing was Tyseley Station, taking a few platform photos including a battered old running board that attempted to advertise the nearby railway museum, albeit with a few letters missing. The station has always had a lot of traditional railway charm but seems to have been spruced up a bit lately, with the tiled booking hall being a great period feature. I then try to track down the 36C, hoping to go to Sparkhill - the route isn't due for a while so I walk around the block, and then find out I've been waiting in the wrong place as the route no longer crosses the bridge by the station - oops!!
  
• 36C: Luckily, the 36C towards Stechford still uses Knights Road and with my initial plan out of the window, I decide to investigate the route up to Five Ways terminus instead. An interesting ride, down Kings Road through Hay Mills and then bi-secting Bordesley Green along Berkeley Road. I was also surprised to find that the Richmond pub is being replaced by a new health centre - another local landmark bites the dust, although the new facility could become a landmark for future generations. At Five Ways, a very rare event - whilst taking my terminus photo, the bus driver actually got back on the bus specifically so that he could appear in the shot complete with a big smile and friendly wave. How's that for service!
  
• Ward End: From Five Ways, its time for another of my patented epic local walks. This one took me round the back of Stechford and along Cotterills Lane, where I enjoyed a brief flirtation with Alum Rock. Its then into Ward End Park to admire the blossoms and the flowerbeds before getting cheeky snaps of the local library and fire station. Washwood Heath Road takes me up to the Fox & Goose, where I get a couple of pub shots whilst trying to work out which stand the 24 goes from.
  
• 24: the route was created a couple of years back in order to cover the Small Heath end of the old 28, and I'd heard whispers that National Express West Midlands were set to withdraw the service quite soon. I wait at the stop outside The Hornet Wetherspoon's and a Metrobus is soon on the scene to provide a classic ride down through Alum Rock, Bordesley Green and Small Heath. I was going to alight at Small Heath Park (the old 28 terminus), but instead stay on board to investigate the Bordesley terminus on Arthur Street, just around the corner from St Andrews.
  
• Small Heath: With my Metrobus shot safely in the bag, its time for more local walking with my pocket A-Z guiding me to Sparkhill. The stroll takes me over Small Heath Bridge, along Montgomery Street for a look at the Marlborough pub, then round to Golden Hillock Road for some zoomed shots of Small Heath Station. The Marlborough was an especially intriguing discovery, a very imposing traditional corner pub there.
  
• Sparkhill: A bit of a step into the unknown this, but it turned out to be fascinating exploration. Golden Hillock Road leads down past the Ackers, then I cross Warwick Road into Baker Street to arrive on Stratford Road. Being one of Birmingham's main routes, the road was very busy with afternoon traffic and the surrounding area seemed to be imbued with a similarly vibrant bustling quality. I knew from previous outings that Sparkhill is a particularly multicultural area, and I actually found myself really enjoying the chance to sample a different kind of West Midlands atmosphere. I also got a few photos courtesy of the Bear and Antelope pubs, the local park with its own springtime blossoms, and a couple of distinctive local landmarks in the form of the local library and swimming baths. Excellent.
  
• 36c: The trip now returns full circle as I finish off with the other half of the 36C. I caught the route on Stratford Road as it approached its terminal loop, meaning I could hop off at Percy Road for a precious layover photo. Once again, the driver was very obliging in letting me get the shot, and we ended up having a cracking conversation about old routes and Fleetline buses with hefty handbrakes - bus photography memories just don't come much better than that! The route provided a nice run back up to Tyseley via Forman's Road, Spring Road Station, Olton Boulevard and Acocks Green. If the route is to be withdrawn I will be sad to see it go, although the driver did suggest it may well have been reprieved - let's hope it has.
• Tyseley: I just have time for a few more station shots before the 14:34 train arrives to whisk me off back home. The ride back gives me time to reflect on a truly memorable day of old-fashioned bus investigations with a bit of rail and local walking thrown in. All good stuff, and it sets me up nicely for a jaunt down Kinver next week...