Ribble Motor Services 686 (WFR 392V) in Rochdale – 18 Oct 1991 (154-15)

Friday 18 October 1991 - Ribble Motor Services Limited 686 (WFR 392V) was a Leyland National series B built in 1978 as a development vehicle. It remained at the Leyland National factory at Workington for about a year without being registered. Once the development work was complete it was released for service and entered the Ribble fleet.

The series B model was a simplified version of the Leyland National model and was lighter therefore more economical to run particularly on rural routes.

686 was seen setting down on The Esplanade in Rochdale on service 399 from Bury and Bolton. This particular location had been used by the old Ribble company as their pickup point for the X4 and X14 services to Burnley and Preston thence to Blackpool (X4) and Morecambe (X14). The Scarborough service (X192) also picked up here. (The Fylde Coast Pool services X79 and X89 departed from the Yelloway Coach Station at Weir Street).

The sole Ribble bus service to Blackburn and Preston (244 which was known as 158 when it extended through to Blackpool) departed from outside the Trustee Savings Bank/Empire Cinema just visible in the distance above the white car on the right.

The once mighty Ribble company had been privatised in March 1988 and was initially bought by its management which introduced the livery style carried by this bus. However, in May 1989 the company was acquired by Stagecoach Holdings.