David Slater (Spoddendale)'s photos

August 1972 – Royal Blue (Western National) 2385 (OTA 645G), an Eastern Coachworks bodied Bristol RELH6G new April 1969, parked at Rochdale before working the joint Yelloway/Associated Motorways service to Bournemouth. Before the introduction of the National Bus Company corporate white coach livery the NBC subsidiaries in the south-west had started to adopt a white scheme relieved by a coloured band relevant to the individual operator. This was the Royal Blue version. In the early hours of 25 July 1976 a disastrous fire occurred in the underground coach station at Bournemouth causing serious structural damage that it could not be used thereafter. This coach suffered some damage but was repairable unlike sister vehicle 2381 that was completely lost in the fire.

August 1972 – Royal Blue (Western National) 2395 (UTT 564J), a Plaxton bodied Bristol RELH new in May 1971, seen parked on the far side of Baillie Street (between Penn Street and Acker Street) in Rochdale prior to working the joint Yelloway/Associated Motorways service to Bournemouth. The building with the rounded top windows was Penn Street Clinic – the home of the school dentist and thus a building I came to associate with all things terrible as a child! What didn’t help my stability on dental matters was the fact that the tall building behind the coach contained what I later came to discover was a sawmill and the sound of the circular saw machine was from there and not the dental room!!

August 1973 – Southdown 1225 (LCD 225F), a Plaxton Panorama bodied Leyland Leopard new in 1968, pulls out of the Yelloway bay of Chorlton Street coach station, Manchester bound for Portsmouth/Southsea on a Saturday day south run of the joint Yelloway/Associated Motorways direct service. Departure time from here was 0930 with an arrival of 1823 in Portsmouth/Southsea. This was one of the through services from the North-West to the South Coast established for the summer 1967 season and this working was initially covered by Royal Blue. After the first or second season it was assigned to Southdown.

Saturday 27 May 1973 - By now the National white coach livery was also appearing on Southdown coaches. 1231 (LCD 231F), a Plaxton Panorama bodied Leyland Leopard new in 1968, stands in the morning sunshine on the Rochdale Corporation Transport parking ground before working the day south service back home to Portsmouth and Southsea. This was one of the through joint Yelloway/Associated Motorways services from the North-West to the South Coast established for the summer 1967 season and this working was initially covered by Royal Blue. After the first or second season it was assigned to Southdown. The coach had worked north on the previous day from Portsmouth/Southsea to Rochdale technically on the through direct service but, because this was late season when bookings were getting lighter on the through Friday service northbound, it had also been gainfully employed in the carriage of passengers on the Associated Motorways Portsmouth-Cheltenham service and then on the Yelloway Cheltenham-Rochdale service.

August 1973 – Parked on the parking ground directly behind the Yelloway booking office in Rochdale was Southdown Motor Services 1233 (LCD 233F), a Plaxton Panorama bodied Leyland Leopard new in 1968. It had worked up from Portsmouth/Southsea on the joint Yelloway/Associated Motorways Friday day north service and would return as a duplicate to the Yelloway coach working the Saturday day south service. (The Yelloway coach then worked the Saturday night north run back to Rochdale). This coach had less chrome work under the front and leading side windows than usually found on this model and it also lacked the chrome frame around the front grille.

Summer 1969 – Grey Cars, the coach business of the Devon General Omnibus & Touring Company Limited, provided regular duplication of the Yelloway ‘Devonian’ service. HOD 38E, a Duple Commander bodied AEC Reliance new in May 1967, was parked on the Baillie Street edge of the Rochdale Corporation Transport parking ground having duplicated the Friday night northbound service from Devon to Rochdale and spent the day parked up before duplicating the Saturday night southbound service. Sometimes the Friday night north coaches would turn round and duplicate the Saturday day south service back to Devon. Alongside was a Harrington coach of Greenslades Tours which was working the same duplicates. Seaside resort coach operators did not tend to put on any day trips on Saturdays because holidaymakers were either arriving or departing their holidays which made the potential loadings lighter. The coaches could be better utilised helping to move these passenger loads in and out of the holiday area. The vehicles pictured here were usually employed on Devon tours on Friday and Sunday covering the additional 600 miles round trip in between working for Yelloway. On the Saturday day south service (at least) the Grey Cars coach drivers took the coach all the way down to Exeter from the north west (approx 280 miles) but were then relieved at Exeter by a local (bus) driver who took the coach the final 20 odd miles down to Torquay. This potentially ‘robbed’ the coach drivers of the opportunity to receive passenger tips. Their (the coach drivers) trick was to carry a bundle of Grey Cars excursion leaflets and upon arrival in Exeter say something like ‘Well, I have to leave you now and hope you have a nice holiday. Whilst you are in Devon why not take a trip on one of our excursions’. As the leaflets were given out the passenger often responded with a few shillings tip!

Summer 1969 – A rear view of HOD 38E, at the same time as the previous photograph. Grey Cars, the coach business of the Devon General Omnibus & Touring Company Limited, provided regular duplication of the Yelloway ‘Devonian’ service. HOD 38E, a Duple Commander bodied AEC Reliance new in May 1967. Alongside was a Harrington coach of Greenslades Tours which was working the same duplicates. Seaside resort coach operators did not tend to put on any day trips on Saturdays because holidaymakers were either arriving or departing their holidays which made the potential loadings lighter. The coaches could be better utilised helping to move these passenger loads in and out of the holiday area. The vehicles pictured here were usually employed on Devon tours on Friday and Sunday covering the additional 600 miles round trip in between working for Yelloway.

Summer 1966 (I think) – Another regular Devon based operator hired by Yelloway for many years was Greenslades Tours. This line up of four Greenslades AEC Reliances was taken on the Rochdale Corporation Transport parking ground during a Saturday afternoon. The coaches had worked north on the Friday night northservice and would return on the Saturday night south service. Yelloway had an arrangement to park vehicles on this site at certain times because the garage was often full or, in this case, to keep the garage clear for its coach loading and departure activities. Harrington bodywork is carried by three of the coaches, the third from the left is by Duple.

August 1973 – By this time Greenslades had become part of the National Bus Company and their traditional fawn and green livery had disappeared being replaced by the all-over white format. YTX 322H was parked up for the day at Rochdale having worked on hire to Yelloway duplicating the Friday night northbound service from Devon to then duplicate the Saturday night southbound service. The destination blind was amusing – perhaps this Devon based driver thought that Rochdale was ‘Lands End’ or ‘world’s end’!! A Plaxton Panorama Elite bodied Leyland Leopard new to Rhondda Transport in 1970.

September 1975 - 23 Dec 1974 – The immaculate coaches owned by W & B Pickup of Norden, near Rochdale were regularly seen working for Yelloway although this picture was not taken when on Yelloway work. CDK 177L, a Duple Dominant bodied Bedford, is seen on the Esplanade in Rochdale. The Pickup’s (like Abbott’s of Blackpool) always chose registration numbers ending in the lucky ‘7’. The observant may realise that the registration number of this coach followed on from the batch of coaches delivered to Yelloway as CDK 171-176L.

June 1975 – The immaculate coaches owned by W & B Pickup of Norden, near Rochdale were regularly seen working for Yelloway although this picture was not taken when on Yelloway work. HVM 357N, a Duple Dominant bodied Bedford, is seen on the Esplanade in Rochdale. The Pickup’s (like Abbott’s of Blackpool) always chose registration numbers ending in the lucky ‘7.

Monday 23 December 1974 – The immaculate coaches owned by W & B Pickup of Norden, near Rochdale were regularly seen working for Yelloway although this picture was not taken when on Yelloway work. Bill and Beryl Pickup secured separate contracts to run shuttle services from The Esplanade in Rochdale to the Tesco store at Sudden and to the Asda store at Castleton. NDK 67G was a very powerful sounding Leyland Leopard with Duple Commander bodywork which I understand was diverted from an order placed by Lathkill Coaches of Monyash, Derbyshire.

Monday 23 December 1974 – The immaculate coaches owned by W & B Pickup of Norden, near Rochdale were regularly seen working for Yelloway although this picture was not taken when on Yelloway work. Bill and Beryl Pickup secured separate contracts to run shuttle services from The Esplanade in Rochdale to the Tesco store at Sudden and to the Asda store at Castleton. NDK 67G was a very powerful sounding Leyland Leopard with Duple Commander bodywork, which I understand was diverted from an order placed by Lathkill Coaches of Monyash, Derbyshire.

Monday 23 Dec 1974 – W and B Pickup of Norden, Rochdale SDK 927J, a Duple Viceroy bodied Bedford YRQ, seen on The Esplanade in Rochdale working on the Asda shuttle contract. For a number of years the Pickup’s ran shoppers shuttle contracts on behalf of Tesco (to the store at Sudden) and Asda (at Castleton). In the 1970s their business expanded into the carriage of garments for the clothing and retail trade under the name of ‘Top Gear Transport’ – a clever play on the ‘gear’ for both clothing and transport created long before the BBC used the name! – and also a travel agency named ‘Top Gear Worldwide Travel’. Their coaches, always very well turned out, also became branded with the name.

Sept 1973 - One of the Yelloway coaches had broken down on the London service the previous day and had been substituted by Grey-Green Coaches JHV 498D, a 1966 Harrington Grenadier bodied Leyland Leopard. The coach returned to London on the 0920 service via Derby etc driven by Ray Slater (no relation to me). Ray was at the wheel completing his paperwork at before setting out from Weir Street.

July 1972 – Yelloway and the London based Ewer Group also worked together very closely over the years. (Charting for bookings made by southern area booking agents were charted by their staff at the Stamford Hill offices. There was a dedicated telephone line which was answered ‘Yelloway’). Passengers from the north heading for the Kent and Sussex seaside resorts would connect with Ewer Group services in London and in the 1960s this led to formal through services being established from the north to Margate/Ramsgate and to Brighton/Eastbourne operating Friday overnight south/Saturday daytime north. Yelloway normally covered the runs but at busy times Ewer Group vehicles would come up to Rochdale to cover duplicates. Orange Luxury Coaches Limited JHV 499D, a 1966 Harrington Grenadier bodied Leyland Leopard, was parked on spare ground in Penn Street (between Smith Street and Baillie Street) late Friday afternoon before working one of the Friday night south duplicates.

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).

Sept 1972 – Healing’s Coaches of Chadderton or Oldham HDK 217E, swinging into Smith Street from Penn Street as it left the Yelloway garage on hire to Yelloway working an afternoon excursion possibly to Chester Zoo. The Plaxton Panorama bodied Bedford VAM had been new to Bill Pickup of Norden in February 1967 another operator that regularly worked on hire to Yelloway. Looks like a Plaxton bodied Bedford VAL in the background operated by Church Inn Garage (Davies and Mawson) of Little Hulton.