Rossendale Transport 131 (VDY 531T) on Whitworth Road, Rochdale – 11 Oct 1995 (290-37)

Wednesday 11 October 1995 – Rossendale Transport 131 (VDY 531T), an East Lancs bodied Leyland Atlantean AN68A/1R, seen at the Cronkeyshaw Common bus stop on Whitworth Road, Rochdale. It had been new to Eastbourne Borough Transport as number 31 in November 1978. Despite being secondhand it was virtually identical to buses purchased new by Rossendale.

It was operating service 464 from Rochdale to Accrington by way of the Whitworth Valley, Bacup, the Rossendale Valley, Rawtenstall and Haslingden. Rossendale and its predecessor Rawtenstall Corporation Motors had worked the Bacup to Accrington service with trams then buses jointly operated with Haslingden and Accrington Corporations. Since deregulation when Rossendale expanded into Rochdale the Rochdale to Bacup service (originally operated by Rochdale Corporation) was linked with that from Bacup to Accrington.

The Yelloway service X79 to Blackpool and Fleetwood used to pick-up at this bus stop if requested. Despite having an official definition of ‘Cronkeyshaw Common’ we always referred to the stop as ‘One Ash’. ‘One Ash’ being the name of the large house on the north west corner of Whitworth Road and Mizzy Road which was the home of Statesman John Bright.