HAPPY NEW DECADE TO EVERYONE!

DAVideo enters its second decade with a brand new website!

Our new website has had a few hiccups in its operation, and we would like to apologise to anyone who has tried to place an order with us, and experienced problems. We now believe these problems to be resolved. Should you have any difficulty, please ring us on +44(0)1384 235009, or email us at customerservices@davideo.co.uk



Our first transport related video (Volvo Ailsa B55 - 25 Years in Service and preservation) was published in 1999, and so last year was our tenth anniversary.
And what a year it was!

Specially Arranged Shoots

We instigated a couple of shoots of BMMO vehicles for use in our upcoming volume 2 of At Your Service.
We took BaMMOT's D9, 5399 from Kinver through Stourbridge, Lye, Halesowen, Quinton, And Bearwood, and then through Selly Oak to Lydiate Ash.
We took the unique underfloor-engined D10 from Stourbridge to Dudley, recreating the 245 route. This will be used in another upcoming video.
We arranged for some ex-Midland Red personnel to be interviewed at the Transport Museum at Wythall. Jim Pearson, ex-Chief Development Engineer, Dick Nutt, ex-Technical Assistant, Development Department, and Martin Hobson, ex-Progress Chaser, and Maurice Dickens, ex body fitter, all gave their reminiscences of their time with the "Red", and in particular their work on D9s and CM5 motorway coaches.

50th Anniversary of the Motorway Express Service

2009 marked the 50th Anniversary of the opening of the M1 and M45, and the inauguration of the world's first non-stop long distance motorway express service. On 2nd November 1959, specially designed coaches, capable of more than 80 mph left Digbeth Coach Station in Birmingham en-route for London Victoria Coach Station, via the M45 and M1 motorways. Journey time was scheduled at 2h 20mins.
To celebrate this event, newly restored C5 (4780 - 780 GHA) and BaMMOT's CM6T (5656 - BHA 656C), together with a modern National Express Scania Irizar, made the journey from Digbeth to London, and we were there to film the event.
We hired a special car that enabled us to film from the back window, and obtain some excellent shots of the three vehicles travelling down the motorway. This footage will be combined with archive footage of the CM5s being tested at MIRA, and with the aforementioned interviews to produce a DVD about these wonderful machines entitled Kings of the Road. If you want us to contact you when this programme is ready please send us your details via our contact form.

50th Anniversary of the D9

A number of organisations have celebrated the 50th anniversary of the D9 over the last two years, and we have been there to film most of them, culminating in the splendid Leicester event at the end of November last year, where FOUR preserved D9s travelled in convoy from Leicester to Sandtoft. Some of this material will be used in an upcoming production called Building a Legend which will be combined with black and white footage of D9s being built in Central Works, and the stories told by the Midland Red development team about their work on the bus. Again, if you wish us to contact you when this DVD is ready, please send us your details via our contact form.

Large Format Limited Edition Prints

Last year also saw us introduce a completely different product line - large format limited edition prints. Rugby photo artist, John Bird was commissioned to colour the famous black and white photo of D9, 4855, taken by the Midland Red prior to its entering service in 1960. This is now available in two sizes (A2 and A3) in a limited edition print run of 345 (the number of D9s built).
We have introduced two more posters since then. These are pictures taken on our trip down the motorway filming the C5, and CM6T. These are available in three frame-friendly sizes, and in a limited edition print run of 300. Finally, an ex-Midland Red driver, Alan Rowbottom, asked John Bird to colour his picture of 4773, the D9 prototype. We have released this in just one size (16" x 12") with a very limited print run of just 95. Take a look at all of our posters .

Ordering our products

This new website should improve the ordering process. You can still order via PayPal, but you can also now simply use your credit/card or debit* card in the normal way. We also have a shopping basket system, so that ordering multiple items is now also easy.
Of course, if you would prefer to talk to us personally, and order over the phone, this is also possible. Please telephone us on +44 (0)1384 235009, anytime between 8.00am and 9.00pm (GMT), any day of the week. or you can send an order through the post to DAVideo, 69, Chichester Avenue, Netherton, Dudley, West Midlands, DY2 9JL

Credit Card and Debit Card processing is now live!