David Slater (Spoddendale)'s photos

Sept 1972 - WDK 649K, a 1972 Plaxton Panorama Elite bodied AEC Reliance. What I believe was the first continental trip of a Yelloway coach (according to hearsay at the time) was made when ‘The Rochdale Band’ visited France and Germany. Edith Kershaw (nee Bentley), a typist in the general office at Weir Street and her husband, were both band members and she took this photograph for me whilst the coach was abroad.

Sept 1972 - What I believe was the first continental trip of a Yelloway coach (according to hearsay at the time) was made when ‘The Rochdale Band’ visited France and Germany. Edith Kershaw (nee Bentley), a typist in the general office at Weir Street and her husband, were both band members and she took this photograph for me whilst the coach, WDK 649K - a 1972 Plaxton Panorama Elite bodied AEC Reliance, was abroad. It is seen amidst various types of European coaches.

November 1973 - Yelloway WDK 649K, a 1972 Plaxton Panorama bodied AEC Reliance, seen on the fuel pumps at the Rochdale garage after returning from a stint working on the Alfreton-Derby-London 'Derbyshire Express' service. Yelloway worked this service jointly with Trent, Midland General and United Counties and due to this fact was the only way Yelloway gained entry into Victoria Coach Station. When it was the time for Yelloway to cover the service a coach would be despatched for about 5 or 6 days. Each day it would work the round trip from Alfreton to London (Victoria) and back spending each overnight at the Midland General garage in Alfreton where it was fuelled and cleaned. Originally the service carried service number 'MX4' in a series applied by United Counties but the National Bus Company had by now brought their coach operations under the umbrella that became National Express. The service number was now '554' which can be seen on the yellow label in the upper part of the nearside windscreen. This label had also included the NBC double N logo and the word 'National' although these had been cut off by Yelloway on the basis that the service was also one of their own and it did not want it to be thought the label implied ‘on hire’ or such like. (This was the coach which travelled to France and Germany with the Rochdale Band in September 1972).

Sept 1973 – CDK 171L, one of the 1973 Plaxton Panorama Elite bodied AEC Reliances sets out from the Rochdale garage on a private hire job connected with Orient Football Club (Leyton, London). I drew up the large label with their name on it – although it isn’t overly bold. I am not sure how this hire came about but I have a feeling it was a last minute job maybe to help out the Ewer Group (Grey-Green or Orange Luxury etc). Driven here by Kenny Harrison. I seem to recall that Kenny was in rather a hurry to get away and was not overjoyed about having this picture taken.

September 1973 – After vacating Central Station Forecourt in Manchester, Yelloway moved into Chorlton Street Coach Station using the end bay at the Sackville Street edge of the building. Departing coaches pulled out into Bloom Street. This view shows two Yelloway Plaxton bodied AEC Reliance coaches heading to the south of England on a late summer Saturday morning. On the right is CDK 174L, one of the current year’s new coaches, which was the service coach running through to Paignton. On the left is one of the FDK-D or HDK-E batches of coaches (new 1966 or 1967) working as far as Cheltenham. Note the drivers paperwork (usually log card and vehicle check list) tucked between the windscreen and the vertical support bar.

September 1973 – CDK 174L, a 1973 Plaxton Panorama Elite bodied AEC Reliance, seen in Sackville Street, Manchester just after setting out from Chorlton Street Coach Station working the day south Rochdale-Paignton service X5. Yelloway loaded in the end bay of the coach station (facing south) and let via Major Street to turn into Sackville Street (heading north) towards Portland Street. The coach station has quite a different layout today.

August 1973 – Yelloway AEC Reliances ready for the road at Weir Street, Rochdale. CDK 176L, one of the six 1973 intake of coaches with Plaxton Panorama Elite bodies, is on the departure stand ready to work the 0730 hrs service X5 to Torquay. Just beyond is HDK 507E, a 1967 Plaxton Panorama, working as far as Cheltenham. The third coach (in the background on the left) is TDK 690J. This Plaxton Panorma Elite was new in 1971 and was delivered with 49 non reclining seats to work the North Wales service. It has its destination blinds set for Llandudno and would leave Rochdale at 0830 hrs. Going back to CDK 176L, the sharp eyed might notice that this coach had a minor flaw in that orange paint had not been applied to the bottom edge of the entrance door!

September 1978 - Yelloway HVU 244N and HVU 245N parked near the Rochdale garage. They were two of the six Plaxton Panorama Elite bodied AEC Reliances added to the fleet in 1975.

September 1978 - For a number of years Yelloway always added six AEC Reliances to the fleet usually with Plaxton bodywork. However, in 1976 the intake was for four coaches with Plaxton bodywork and two with Duple Dominant bodywork. NNC 850P was 11 metres long and fitted with 45 reclining seats. The other Duple coach, NNC 855P, was 12 metres long and fitted with 49 reclining seats and survives as the home of the Yelloway Museum. NNC 850P was pictured here on Milton Street (at the rear of the Yelloway garage) in Rochdale one Sunday morning. It shows the destination display of ‘X35 BURY’ and had operated the Saturday overnight northbound run of that service via the south Lancashire towns of Leigh, Atherton and Swinton etc - towns once the heartland of Lancashire United Transport. In fact, the service had originally been operated jointly by Yelloway and LUT following an audacious attempt by LUT to register its own Swinton-Cheltenham service. Later when LUT was absorbed into the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport executive its coach services passed to National Travel. In the 1976 exchange of services between Yelloway and National Travel, Yelloway assumed sole operation of the X35.

August 1981 – For a number of years Yelloway always added six AEC Reliances to the fleet usually with Plaxton bodywork. However, in 1976 the intake was for four coaches with Plaxton bodywork and two with Duple Dominant bodywork. NNC 850P pictured here at Rochdale, was 11 metres long and fitted with 45 reclining seats. The other Duple coach, NNC 855P, was 12 metres long and fitted with 49 reclining seats and survives as the home of the Yelloway Museum.

Summer 1981 - Corley Service Area (near Coventry) approx 1150-1230: Yelloway NNC 855P, a Plaxton Supreme bodied AEC Reliance new in 1976, seen working the 0745 Rochdale to Ipswich service 70. For many years Yelloway worked a number of joint services with Premier Travel linking the north-west of England and East Anglia and service 70 ran for a few years additional to the old established joint services at this time operating Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays during the summer period (becoming a daily service later). The southbound service 70 left Stafford at 1105 and ran via the M6 and M1 Motorways to Northampton (arriving 1310) making a refreshment and toilet stop at Corley (approx 1150 to 1230). The northbound service 70, which had left Ipswich at 0815 made its last pickup at Northampton at 1134 before travelling via the M1 and M6 Motorways to Stafford also making a refreshment and toilet stop at Corley (approx 1215 to 1255). By trotting over the bridge to the northbound side of the service area I managed to photograph the Premier Travel coach working that service. Yelloway worked the southbound runs on Fridays and Sundays (returning north on Saturdays and Mondays) and Premier Travel worked the northound runs on Fridays and Sundays (returning sourth on Saturdays and Mondays).

Summer 1981 - Cambridge (Drummer Street Bus Station) approx 1455: Yelloway NNC 855P, a Plaxton Supreme bodied AEC Reliance new in 1976, seen working the 0745 Rochdale to Ipswich service 70. For many years Yelloway worked a number of joint services with Premier Travel linking the north-west of England and East Anglia and service 70 ran for a few years additional to the old established joint services.

Summer 1981 - Bury St Edmunds (Brentgovel Street) approx 1545: Yelloway NNC 855P, a Plaxton Supreme bodied AEC Reliance new in 1976, seen working the 0745 Rochdale to Ipswich service 70. For many years Yelloway worked a number of joint services with Premier Travel linking the north-west of England and East Anglia and service 70 ran for a few years additional to the old established joint services.

Summer 1981 - Bury St Edmunds approx 1545: Yelloway NNC 855P, a Plaxton Supreme bodied AEC Reliance new in 1976, seen working the 0745 Rochdale to Ipswich service 70. For many years Yelloway worked a number of joint services with Premier Travel linking the north-west of England and East Anglia and service 70 ran for a few years additional to the old established joint services.

Friday 28 August 1981 - NNC 855P seen in Brentgovel Street, Bury St Edmunds when working the 0745 Rochdale to Ipswich service 70. For many years Yelloway worked a number of joint services with Premier Travel linking the north-west of England and East Anglia and service 70 ran for a few years additional to the old established joint services. Yelloway was a staunch supporter of Plaxton bodywork and this Duple Dominant coach was just one of only two such bodies bought by the company. Of course it was on an AEC Reliance chassis. For its longer life coaches Yelloway always specified certain additional features like the above windscreen destination blinds, enclosed drivers cab area and the two piece rear boot doors which had vertical mounted hinges. (For its short life coaches - like the Bedfords which were only kept for a year or two - non of these features were specified. The bodybuilders standard one piece boot door, horizontally hinged along the top edge, was considered appropriate). This coach has survived as the home of the Yelloway Museum project.

Friday 28 August 1981 - NNC 855P seen in Brentgovel Street, Bury St Edmunds when working the 0745 Rochdale to Ipswich service 70. For many years Yelloway worked a number of joint services with Premier Travel linking the north-west of England and East Anglia and service 70 ran for a few years additional to the old established joint services. Yelloway was a staunch supporter of Plaxton bodywork and this Duple Dominant coach was just one of only two such bodies bought by the company. Of course it was on an AEC Reliance chassis. For its longer life coaches Yelloway always specified certain additional features like the above windscreen destination blinds, enclosed drivers cab area and the two piece rear boot doors which had vertical mounted hinges. This coach has survived as the home of the Yelloway Museum project.

September 1978 - Yelloway SBU 301R, a 1977 Plaxton Supreme bodied AEC Reliance, seen at the Rochdale garage sporting a window label for the 'Paris Rapide' service. This service linked Rochdale, Oldham and Manchester with Paris using three different modes of travel - coach (operated by Yelloway and National Travel); Hovercraft (Seaspeed Hovercraft) and train (SCNF French Railways). Therefore the coaches did not actually leave English soil. The 1978 timetable showed day south services on Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays leaving Rochdale at 0615, Oldham 0630 and Manchester at 0700 (there were no other pick-up points). Two refreshment/toilet breaks were made at Watford Gap Service Area (M1) and Farthing Corner (now known as Medway) Service Area (M2) before arriving in Dover at 1430. Passengers then travelled on the 1530 Seaspeed Hovercraft to Boulogne (arrival local time 1705) and onward by SNCF train from Boulogne at 1745 which arrived at Gare du Nord at 2025. There was an overnight south service on Friday nights. The return services from Paris were operated on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Tuesdays. On Fridays and Sundays the departure from Gare du Nord was at 1420 arriving Boulogne 1652 to connect with the Hovercraft at 1730 which arrived Dover at 1705. The coach left Dover at 1745 and arrived Manchester 0104, Oldham 0124 and Rochdale 0139. On Saturdays and Tuesday the departures were four hours earlier. A period return ticket cost a total of £31.

May/June 1981 - Yelloway WDK 562T, a 1979 Plaxton Supreme bodied AEC Reliance, seen outside Ashfords Department Store in Newmarket High Street when operating the 0815 service 70 from Ipswich to Rochdale, a joint service operated with Premier Travel. Additional orange paintwork was a feature of some of the Yelloway coaches at this time. Typically the loading layby was occupied by parked cars so the coach had to stop in the main carriageway of the High Street.