David Slater (Spoddendale)'s photos

May/June 1981 - Yelloway WDK 562T, a 1979 Plaxton Supreme bodied AEC Reliance, seen outside Ashfords Department Store in Newmarket when operating the 0815 service 70 from Ipswich to Rochdale, a joint service operated with Premier Travel. Additional orange paintwork was a feature of 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.

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

June 1985 – A puff of exhaust from WDK 564T as the engine starts up prior to departure from Drummer Street bus station, Cambridge on the 0800 hrs Cambridge to Rochdale joint Yelloway and Premier Travel service 879. The 879 was a faster variant of the original all year joint round services 877 and 878 operating between Clacton-on-Sea and the North West and the names of some of the many towns served by the latter are carried along the top edges of the windows.

Saturday 10 July 1982 - Yelloway WDK 564T, a 1979 Plaxton Supreme Express bodied AEC Reliance, at Drummer Street Coach Station, Cambridge prior to the 1100 departure of the service to the North West worked jointly with Premier Travel. The service coach originates at Clacton-on-Sea at 0845 although I am not sure if this was the service coach or not. It may have been a duplicate which was starting out from Cambridge. The Plaxton Supreme Express body featured power operated folding doors which Yelloway specified on a small number of coaches to be operated on long distance services now licenced as stage carriage rather than express carriage in order to derive financial benefits and grants available through Government at the time.

Saturday 19 January 1985 (approx 1055) - Yelloway WDK 585T had just arrived at Cambridge when operating the day north service from Clacton-on-Sea to Blackpool. The destination blind shows ‘878 Blackpool’ although it is also working the 877 as far as Manchester from where the 877 covers the feeder service to Rochdale and Blackburn. Carrying a Plaxton Supreme body it was new in 1979 and was one of the last batch of AEC Reliances delivered to the company as a result of British Leyland phasing out this famous AEC model. The following year would see Leyland Leopards enter the fleet. Alongside is Wessex 294 (SND 294X) operating the 0710 Lowestoft to Bristol National Express service 747.

Saturday 19 January 1985 (approx 1055) - Yelloway WDK 585T had just arrived at Cambridge when operating the day north service from Clacton-on-Sea to Blackpool and was parked alongside is Wessex 294 (SND 294X) operating the 0710 Lowestoft to Bristol National Express service 747. Both coaches were homeward bound on their second day of duty and were carrying the winter dirt of their long cross country treks.

Sunday 10 July 1983 - Yelloway CTD 131V, a 1980 Plaxton Supreme bodied Leyland Leopard - under British Leyland the AEC Reliance was now no more. Seen in Newmarket when operating the 0745 service 70 from Rochdale to Ipswich, a joint service operated with Premier Travel.

Wednesday 27 November 1983 - Yelloway MRJ 101W, a 1981 Plaxton Supreme bodied Leyland Leopard, seen in the garage at Rochdale. The destination screen shows that its previous journey was one on the X65 service from Cheltenham to Burnley. Lettering was carried along the window sides showing the names of towns served although these were not for the X65 - they look like the X5 towns.

Saturday 10 July 1982 - Yelloway SND 711X, a 1982 Plaxton Supreme Express bodied AEC Reliance, at Drummer Street Coach Station, Cambridge prior to the 1100 departure of the service to the North West worked jointly with Premier Travel. The service coach originates at Clacton-on-Sea at 0845 although I am not sure if this was the service coach or not. It may have been a duplicate which was starting out from Cambridge. The Plaxton Express body featured power operated folding doors which Yelloway specified on a small number of coaches to be operated on long distance services now licenced as stage carriage rather than express carriage in order to derive financial benefits and grants available through Government at the time. This was the last year of this model, the following year the new Plaxton Paramount body was ordered for the new coaches.

Sunday 27 November 1983 - A Yelloway 1983 Plaxton Paramount bodied Leyland Leopard sporting a FWH-Y registration parked outside the Rochdale garage. A poor picture but the only one I could get at the time.

May 1984 - From 1983 Plaxton launched their new Paramount range which Yelloway bought in both the 3200 and 3500 models (the numbers defining the height in millimetres). This Leyland Tiger, seen in the darkness of the Rochdale garage, carried the higher 3500 model bodywork. Following deregulation of express services Yelloway worked even closer with National Express and began using a series of service numbers derived from their number series. Service 884 was based upon the original Yelloway 'Devonian' service X5 route operating daily between Rochdale and Paignton.

July 1974 - The Yelloway coach station at 3 Mumps, Oldham on a sunny Saturday evening when all the coaches were arriving back from the various and quite numerous holiday resorts served by the company. Two of the KDK-F Plaxton Panorama bodied AEC Reliances are nearest to the camera. Furthest away on the bays is one of the rigid seated Plaxton Panorama Elite bodied AEC Reliances. Drivers Mike/Mick Trevail (left in the standing group) and Barry Sanderson (next to him hitching up his trousers) are identifiable.

Saturday 14 September 1974 – Today I was assigned to loading duties at Preston bus station where one of the Yelloway Harrington Cavalier bodied AEC Reliance coaches was seen on the Ribble side of the bus station.

Monday 5 March 1973 - During the winter months Yelloway would delicence quite a number of coaches and park them up in the garage. The 'back row' here includes FDK 420D, a 1966 Plaxton Panorama bodied AEC Reliance. From a London service timetable I have for 1973 (on which services began on the Monday prior to Easter - in this case starting on Monday 16 April) it reveals that it was quite a later Easter this particular year so there were a few more weeks to go before the coaches would be prepared for the busy summer period.

August 1972 - A line up of holiday expresses in the Yelloway coach station and garage at Rochdale. The three Yelloway Plaxton bodied AEC Reliances were, from left to right: a Panorama Elite (NDK-G of 1969) working the 0830 to Torquay and Paignton; a Panorama (FDK-D of 1966) working the 0900 to Bournemouth); and another Panorama (HDK-E of 1967) working the 0830 to Portsmouth/Southsea. These coaches would work down to the south coast by day returning on the Saturday overnight northbound services and at the same time tomorrow morning when they arrived back at Rochdale each would have covered around 600 miles. On the right is an Eastern Coachworks bodied Bristol RE of Red and White Services working the 0830 service to Barry Island, South Wales. The Paignton service was Yelloway's own whereas the other three were jointly operated with Associated Motorways of which Red and White was a member. (At the far end by the wall was what looked like a hired coach from Travis's of Middleton which would be working as a duplicate on either the 0830 service to North Wales or the 0900 service to Blackpool).

August 1972 - A line up of holiday expresses in the Yelloway coach station and garage at Rochdale. The three Yelloway Plaxton bodied AEC Reliances were, from left to right: a Panorama Elite (NDK-G of 1969) working the 0830 to Torquay and Paignton; a Panorama (FDK-D of 1966) working the 0900 to Bournemouth); and another Panorama (HDK-E of 1967) working the 0830 to Portsmouth/Southsea. These coaches would work down to the south coast by day returning on the Saturday overnight northbound services and at the same time tomorrow morning when they arrived back at Rochdale each would have covered around 600 miles. On the right is an Eastern Coachworks bodied Bristol RE of Red and White Services working the 0830 service to Barry Island, South Wales. The Paignton service was Yelloway's own whereas the other three were jointly operated with Associated Motorways of which Red and White was a member.

November 1973 – A frosty morning at Weir Street, Rochdale with a rear end line up of Plaxton Panorama Elite bodied AEC Reliances. The roadway is actually Weir Street, from which the coach station derived its name but, much to the consternation of would be passengers, never appeared in the Manchester area ‘A to Z’ map book. Once upon a time stone buildings occupied the land where the coaches were now parked. On the right is the retaining wall of the River Roch, which gives Rochdale its name (despite the river being pronounced ‘roach’) which, a little further upstream beyond the office building and garage was a weir which gave Weir Street its name. The coach station and garage frontage can be seen. The street along the front of the coaches, used by vehicles leaving the premises, was Penn Street at the time (later renamed Ink Street). The site has been redeveloped and is occupied by the Number One Riverside building of Rochdale Borough Council.

Sunday 17 June 1973 - Two Yelloway Plaxton Panorama Elite bodied AEC Reliances seen travelling in tandem somewhere near Bradford homeward bound on day excursions.