An excursion into the magnificence of the friendly Midland Red
Winner of the 2026 Popular Transport Book of the Year, awarded by the prestigious Railway & Canal Historical Society.
Midland Red – Evolution or Revolution is Ashley Wakelin’s new follow-up and companion book to Inside Midland Red, Midland Red Influence and Midland Red and its People. This is a new and fascinating high quality Midland Red book.
In his latest book, Midland Red – Evolution or Revolution, Ashley, together with one or two of his old colleagues, takes you on an excursion into the nostalgia and magnificence of the friendly Midland Red, once the biggest provincial UK bus and coach operator.
Midland Red, of course, was no ordinary bus and coach operator. They designed and built their own buses and coaches to meet their own exacting requirements. Some evolved as improvements from previous designs, while others were advanced revolutionary vehicles that stunned the bus industry, including most of the established ‘traditional’ bus manufacturers. They were often wolves in sheep’s clothing, like the very ordinary looking but technically advanced S14.
The D9 – sometimes known as the Midlands Routemaster – was a real head turner. Its ‘curvy’ bodywork appealed to passengers, and its technical advancements were the envy of many. They were loved by drivers, conductors and engineers alike – a rare achievement!
“The Revolutionary Motorway Express” chapter explores in some detail the fascinating story of making a coach especially for a purpose which at the time did not exist; so it needed incredible bravery and foresight from the designers and engineers to create such a radically new mode of transport that would be safe and fit for purpose. Even at the end of their lives, these coaches were still requested by drivers, even when new Leyland coaches were available.
This book explores buses and coaches from this famous company, but it is also a study of the social history of transport in the Midlands, the people who were responsible for its rise and its fall, and those who, from day-to-day, made 2,000 buses and coaches travel around 12,000 square miles of the Midlands and throughout the UK.
Ashley also looks at comparisons of modern day bus operation to that of fifty years ago and beyond, along with a glimpse into the increase in bus fires in modern times and how accidents were handled in times gone by. There is also a fascinating bonus chapter on how the UK had an opportunity to have electric buses over 120 years ago, which was missed by fraud and mismanagement on a grand scale.
Hard back, 160 quality pages with over 400 mostly unpublished photographs and illustrations, many professionally restored and some colourised (as Midland Red did back in the 1920s), enabling you to get as close to the spirit of Midland Red as is possible today.
