Orange Luxury JRK 622K and Birch BUL 61H in Rochdale - July 1972

July 1972 - Parked on spare ground in Penn Street, Rochdale (between Smith Street and Baillie Street) were two Ewer Group coaches ready to work the joint Yelloway-Ewer holiday night services to the south coast.

Left is Orange Luxury Coaches JRK 622K, a Plaxton Panorama Elie bodied Leyland Leopard (new 1971/1972), with destination blind set for Eastbourne and also carrying a Brighton and Eastbourne window label. The Brighton/Eastbourne service began in the summer of 1969. The Charting for the service was given to me and was therefore my first ‘baby’ overseen by Vincent Reeves.

On the right was Birch Brothers BUL 61H, a Seddon Pennine also with Plaxton Panorama Elite body (new 1969/1970). Ewer had taken over the coaching activities of Birch in the meantime and this coach remained in the Birch livery.

(On the extreme left edge of the photograph is a Duple bodied Bedford SB5 operated by Tommy King, a local taxi proprietor. The coach (6475 DK) had been new to Yelloway in 1964 and Tommy usually parked it on this spare ground).