Join us for a day out in The Cotswolds with Roger Burdett’s D9 Midland Red double-decker half-cab, visiting some picturesque locations, many served by the company during its 76-year history. Starting from The Valley, Evesham Vale Country Park, WR11 4DS, we will take a leisurely journey back to the 1960s revisiting some of the locations served by Midland Red in this beautiful part of the country.

The design of the ‘D9’ dates back as far as 1958. The Company had been interested in developing a longer, thirty-foot double-decker at the start of that decade but it was not until 1956 that vehicles of this size were legalised. While the vehicle was still being monitored by the Midland Red testing department, the prototype bus entered service at Bearwood Garage, Birmingham in February 1959.  A very successful production run followed with the final D9s remaining in service until 1980.

Our vehicle for the day entered service in April 1966 and worked up until it was withdrawn in July 1977 and preserved, initially by Alf Powick and later by Roger Burdett. Although relatively modern by the standards of some buses we have chartered, it is sobering to think that this design is now over 50 years old.

The day will start at 09.15 hours and we will run until approximately 18.00 hours with a lunchtime stop for refreshments. We will do our best to recruit re-enactors and vintage vehicles to add to various scenes and the striking bright red vehicle in the country villages of Worcestershire (mainly) and Gloucestershire should give us some stunning opportunities for photographic cameos.

Images courtesy of the late Malcolm Ranieri.