Logo
Logo
Coventry Corporation Transport Society

Midland Red Buses of the 1930s


SOS COD was probably "Clarke's Omnibus Design" but may have been "Clarke's Own Design".

Model SOS COD
Details Single deck with front entrance
34 seats
Total Number Introduced Notes
1 1930 6-cylinder petrol engine with Carlyle bodywork
1930: reclassified MM 6-cylinder
22 1930 4-cylinder petrol engine with Brush bodywork
1931: reclassified IM4 with new Short Bros bodywork
 

SOS RR stood for "Rolls Royce".  The bodies from the unsuccessful XL class were fitted to these chassis and the original XL registration numbers were allocated to them.  BRR stood for "Bus Rolls Royce", being dual purpose vehicles.  SRR indicated Sort Bros bodywork.  LRR indicated a Low chassis.  OLR indicated an open-top design and SLR indicated a low-chassis with saloon bodywork.

Model SOS RR
Details Coach with Brush bodywork
30 seats
§ Dual purpose bus/coach with Carlyle bodywork and 34 seats
§§ Open coach with normal control, Short Bros bodywork and 29 seats
Total Number Introduced Notes
42 1930
6 1930 Brush or Carlyle bodywork
21 1930 BRR§
2 1930 SRR with Short Bros bodywork
30 1933 LRR with low chassis and Short Bros bodywork
25 1935 OLR§§ were the last BMMO normal control vehicles
50 1937 SLR with English Electric bodywork
 

SOS IM stood for "Improved Madam".

Model SOS IM4 and IM6
Details Single deck with front entrance
Petrol engine 4-cylinder (IM4) and 6-cylinder (IM6)
34 seats
Total Number Introduced Notes
38 1930 IM4 with Carlyle or Short Bros bodywork
107 1931 IM4 with Short Bros bodywork
52 1932 IM4 with Brush or MCCW bodywork
22 1931 IM6 with Brush bodywork
38 1933 IM6 with Short Bros bodywork
 

SOS REDD stood for "Rear Entrance Double Decker".

Model SOS REDD
Details Double deck with rear platform and Short, Eastern Counties, Brush or MCCW bodywork
Upper saloon: 26 seats		Lower saloon: 26 seats
§ Upper saloon: 22 seats		Lower saloon: 26 seats
Total Number Introduced Notes
1 1931 § Short Bros bodywork
50 1932
 

SOS FEDD stood for "Front Entrance Double Decker".  It was introduced to reflect the company policy of front entrances for their single deckers.  There is some doubt about the total number. Reference [1] of the Midland Red buses index page indicates that the total number of FEDD chassis was 336, but the fleet list indicates 337, including FHA200, although there is a question mark against its fleet number.  There were 337 bodies produced, including one by English Electric, which replaced one of the Short Bros bodies.  However, it is not clear whether another chassis was re-bodied.  It is possible that the original Carlyle body was replaced by a Short body.

Model SOS FEDD
Details Double deck with Carlyle bodywork, front entrance and sliding door
Upper saloon: 30 seats			Lower saloon: 26 seats
§ Upper saloon: 26 seats		Lower saloon: 26 seats
§§ Sliding door replaced by single jack-knife door
Total Number Introduced Notes
1 1933 § Carlyle bodywork
50 1934 Short Bros bodywork
135 1936 MCCW bodywork
150 1938 §§ Brush bodywork
 

SOS ON stood for "Onward".  DON was the diesel version with an AEC engine. CON was converted with a BMMO K-type diesel engine. SON was the "Saloon Onward", also with the BMMO diesel engine, with the exception of the first SON, which retained the petrol engine.

Model SOS ON
Details Single deck with front entrance
SOS 6-cylinder Petrol Engine
38 seats
§ AEC 7.7 Litre 6-cylinder oil engine
36 seats
§§ BMMO K-type oil engine
Total Number Introduced Notes
33 1934 SOS ON with Short Bros bodywork
42 1934 § SOS DON with Short Bros bodywork
50 1934 §§ SOS CON with Short Bros bodywork
10 1935 § SOS DON with Brush bodywork
1 1935 SOS SON with Short Bros bodywork
215 1936 §§ SOS SON with English Electric bodywork
88 1939 §§ SOS SON with Brush bodywork
 

SOS REC stood for "Rear Engine Coach".  All four were converted during the war to prototypes for the post-war BMMO S Series single-deckers with under-floor side engine, front entrance and 40 seats.

Model SOS REC
Details Coach with Carlyle bodywork
Rear petrol engine
32 seats
Prototypes S1 to S4 with front entrance
Under-floor side-mounted BMMO K-type 8.028 Litre diesel engine
40 seats
Total Number Introduced Notes
4 1936 Converted in 1941 (S1), 1942 (S2), 1943 (S3) and 1944 (S4)