David Slater (Spoddendale)'s photos

Summer 1966 (I think) – A line up of three Plaxton bodied coaches of Wallace Arnold Tours (Devon) Limited parked on a summer Saturday together with a Weymann bodied AEC Regent V of Rochdale Corporation Transport. The coaches had worked on the Yelloway Friday night northbound service from Torquay and would return on the Saturday night southbound service. The road along the front of the picture is Smith Street and Penn Street is alongside the RCT bus. This parking ground became part of the then new bus station in the 1970s which has itself been demolished and redeveloped.

Saturday 5 February 1972 - Yelloway TDK 685J seen in Tewkesbury High Street when working the Rochdale to Cheltenham service. This was the main trunk road (A38) carrying all the traffic from the Midlands to the South of England until the motorway era and in time Tewkesbury lost its Yelloway service as services were speeded up. The lower height shop above the driver's cab (W A Gale) appears to be a Greggs cake shop these days!

Saturday 5 February 1972 - Yelloway TDK 685J had arrived at the Black & White coach station in Cheltenham on the service from Rochdale and was seen alongside a Ribble coach which had worked south from Liverpool. Both have Plaxton bodywork but the chassis makes represent the AEC Reliance favoured by Yelloway and the Leyland Leopard favoured by Ribble. Note too the high positioned destination display favoured by Yelloway - the theory being that where there were lots of passengers milling around the coach destination could be clearly seen by all.

Saturday 23 June 1973 (Potteries holidays) - Yelloway TDK 686J, a 1971 Plaxton Panorama bodied AEC Reliance, seen in Hanley bus station when performing as service coach on the Rochdale to Paignton X15 service. Service numbers were introduced sometime after the coach delivered and therefore X15 could not be displayed on the blind. This service was nicknamed the ‘milk round’ because it picked up at numerous towns in the south east Lancashire/north east Cheshire conurbation before reaching the Potteries. South of Newcastle-under-Lyme the service shared a common route with the original Yelloway ‘Devonian’ service (X5) but, despite its name, the timetable took about 15 minutes longer. Note the boot door open at the rear.

Monday 7 February 1972 - Yelloway TDK 686J, a 1971 Plaxton Panorama bodied AEC Reliance, seen across the road from the Land Oak Hotel in Kidderminster when working the Cheltenham to Rochdale service. Kidderminster lost some of its Yelloway connections in the motorway era as services were speeded up remaining on the M5 motorway. Ron Hodgkinson is at the wheel and Road Steward Ken Buckley on the front nearside seat.

Saturday 30 October 1971 - Operation of the summer Rochdale to Torquay ‘Devonian’ service was between 1 May and 30 October each year southbound and between 2 May to 31 October northbound. On the last day of operation of the 1971 summer season timetable I took a ride from Rochdale to Torquay to see what the route was all about. Conveniently the 30th was a Saturday and the 31st a Sunday and I was weekend off. The vehicle was TDK 687J, new 3 June 1971, driven by Derek Cheetham. The ‘service coach’ on the daily scheduled run was usually one of those new that year and the drivers were of ‘Leading Driver’ or ‘Senior Leading Driver’ grade. I took this series of pictures over the two days of the ride out. '687', a Plaxton Panorama Elite bodied AEC Reliance (naturally!) is seen at Lymington Road coach station in Torquay at the end of its almost 300 mile run taking 11 hours.

Saturday 30 October 1971 - At the end of the 290 mile journey from Rochdale the passengers collect their luggage from the coach at Lymington Road Coach Station in Torquay. The scheduled arrival time was 1845 but we were 40 minutes early. We had left Rochdale at 0732. TDK 687J, a Plaxton Panorama Elite bodied AEC Reliance, new earlier in the year. The ‘service coach’ on the daily scheduled run was usually one of those new that year and the drivers were of ‘Leading Driver’ or ‘Senior Leading Driver’ grade.

Sunday 31 October 1971 – TDK 687J swings out of Lymington Road Coach Station, Torquay at 0847 on the last northbound trip of the 1971 summer season of the Torquay to Rochdale ‘Devonian’ service. A bright sunny morning after heavy dew. The coach would clock 289 miles today and arrive in Rochdale at 1852. The timetabled departure time from Torquay was 0845 with an arrival in Rochdale shown as 1926.

Sunday 31 October 1971 - Tower Street Coach Station in Taunton at 1041 – our scheduled departure time was 1040. As well as TDK 687J, coaches operating Associated Motorways services stand in the background. The obvious one is a Black and White Motorways Plaxton bodied Leyland Leopard but there are also two Eastern Coachworks bodied Bristol RE coaches (which look like Red and White vehicles). The Plaxton coach behind the group of people could also be a Black and White vehicle. Taunton was used as a connecting point for Yelloway passengers travelling to and from North Devon.

Sunday 31 October 1971 - Marlborough Street Coach Station in Bristol was used as the northbound lunch stop on the Torquay-Rochdale service timetabled between 1210 and 1305. We arrived at 1200 and left again at 1307. TDK 687J stands alongside a Plaxton bodied Leyland Leopard of Black and White working southbound on the 1100 Cheltenham-Paignton service. To the right of the Yelloway coach were three Eastern Coachworks bodied vehicles on Bristol chassis. The double decker was operated by Bristol Omnibus who owned this combined garage and bus/coach station. The two coaches, both on the RE chassis model, were operated by Royal Blue (on the Cardiff-Bournemouth service?) and Red and White (on the Aberdare-Portsmouth service?).

Sunday 31 October 1971 - Marlborough Street Coach Station, Bristol. Having had lunch the coach was moved across to the departure stand to take on 8 passengers travelling with us - although 9 were ‘charted’ from Bristol. The drivers always had a dig that the charts were ‘never right’ but in reality the system was second to few for its accuracy with full details of ticket numbers, to and from points, agent name etc all being fully recorded. Many companies simply recorded the passenger totals between respective points without any other details. If a Yelloway service ‘burst’ there was usually a post mortem as to whose fault it may have been. Today we had 44 passengers boarding south of Cheltenham and when we passed through Cheltenham we managed to get topped up with a further 6 making 50 on board the 49 seat coach! I suspect a child may have shared a seat.

Sunday 31 October 1971 - With the moon shining above, Derek looks back to see if everyone is on board after making a refreshment and toilet stop at the Potteries Motor Traction (PMT) owned ‘Four in Hand’ café in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire. This café was very popular as a coach stop before the days of the M6 motorway with various services of different companies calling there on their way to the south-west or London. We had departed Cheltenham at 1431, the scheduled time 1430. Having no passengers to set down at Stafford we were able to arrive at the coach stop in School Street, Newcastle at 1610 instead of 1642. The PMT café was reached just four minutes later at 1614. We were there for 31 minutes leaving again at 1645.

Sunday 31 October 1971 - Yelloway Plaxton Panorama Elite bodied AEC Reliance TDK 687J back home at Rochdale after two days and 579 miles. We covered the journey in less time shaving off about 40 minutes each way. Derek poses on the unloading stand before running the coach round the block to be fuelled. The coach took 53 gallons of diesel which gave an impressive return of 10.9 miles per gallon. The closing mileage of the coach tonight was 40809. (If you like statistics that is about 150 days old averaging 272 miles per day!). At the time there was not very much motorway south of Cheltenham. The recently opened Cullompton by-pass was in use which in due course was to become part of the M5 linking the Midlands and the South West.

Nov 1971 – Jack Noon(e) was the yardman at Weir Street for a number of years keeping the place generally tidy during the afternoon and then as the coaches began arriving home in the evening he would refuel them. TDK 687J had just arrived back from Cheltenham and was being fuelled by Jack. A 1971 Plaxton Panorama Elie bodied AEC Reliance.

December 1971 - John Hartley at the wheel of TDK 687J, a 1971 Plaxton Panorama Elite bodied AEC Reliance, at Central Railway Station Forecourt in Manchester bound for Cheltenham. Some of the Yelloway duties, particularly in winter, were on a four day cycle with three nights away. The pattern was: Day 1 - Rochdale to Cheltenham. Day 2 - Cheltenham to Burnley/Colne or Cheltenham to a Yorkshire town on the 'South West Clipper'. Day 3 - the reverse of day 2. Day 4 - Cheltenham to Rochdale. John lived in the Calder Valley (Todmorden or Hebden Bridge area) so was well placed to minimise his nights out because his wife would meet him with their car at Burnley/Colne or Bradford/Halifax and he could then spend the extra night at home. His overnight expenses helping pay for the petrol!

November 1972 - Yelloway TDK 689J, a 1971 Plaxton Panorama bodied AEC Reliance, back at Rochdale after returning from a stint working the Alfreton-Derby-London 'Derbyshire Express' service MX4. Yelloway worked this service jointly with Trent, Midland General and United Counties. When it was 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.

Friday 26 January 1973 - Yelloway TDK 689J, a 1971 Plaxton Panorama bodied AEC Reliance, seen at Victoria Coach Station in London during the turnround period between the southbound and northbound trips of the Alfreton-Derby-London 'Derbyshire Express' service MX4. 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 Yelloway's turn to cover the service a coach would be despatched from Rochdale 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.

Date unknown (Period 1972-1974) - Yelloway TDK 689J seen leaving Rochdale on the 1600 motorway express (‘flyer’) service to London. It was one of the 1972 intake of six Plaxton Panorama Elite bodied AEC Reliances. Driver Nigel Tordoff at the wheel as he approaches the junction of Penn Street and Smith Street.