David Slater (Spoddendale)'s photos

Saturday x August 1973 - Premier Travel Services 210 (OVE 233J), an Alexander Y type bodied AEC Reliance new in 1971, pulls out of the Yelloway departure bay of Chorlton Street coach station in Manchester heading south on the joint Yelloway/Premier Travel North West-East Midlands-East Anglia service. Summer Saturday mornings always brought forward a very fine array of Premier Travel coaches, particularly at Manchester where the two different services met (the 77 from Blackburn and the 78 from Blackpool) - the latter swollen by the passenger numbers from the famous coastal resort along with the many travellers between Bolton and Leicester). The Saturday southbound services were covered by Premier Travel who worked the northbound service Friday/southbound Saturday and the northbound service Sunday/southbound Monday.

Saturday x August 1973 - Premier Travel Services 232 (VER 262L), an Alexander Y type bodied AEC Reliance new in 1973, moves out of the Yelloway departure bay of Chorlton Street coach station in Manchester heading south on the joint Yelloway/Premier Travel North West-East Midlands-East Anglia service. Summer Saturday mornings always brought forward a very fine array of Premier Travel coaches, particularly at Manchester where the two different services met (the 77 from Blackburn and the 78 from Blackpool) - the latter swollen by the passenger numbers from the famous coastal resort along with the many travellers between Bolton and Leicester). The Saturday southbound services were covered by Premier Travel who worked the northbound service Friday/southbound Saturday and the northbound service Sunday/southbound Monday. This coach carries a colour scheme which was replaced by one featuring two shades of blue.

A Vehicle Journey Sheet dated Friday 26 February 1971 for the drivers of Premier Travel LJE 992G, a 1969 Alexander Y type bodied AEC Reliance. Geoff Sparrow started the day by driving from Littleport (0610) to Ten Mile Bank out on the Cambridgeshire Fens to operate a contract into Cambridge for the employees of Pye Electrical. Forty-two passengers were carried arriving Haig Road at 0745. At 0800 he took the coach to 'TVT' which was part of the Pye organisation (0810) and from there empty to Fulbourn to operate a service 44/45 duplicate at 0820 arriving in Drummer Street at 0855. The coach was taken to the Cattle Market for re-fuelling and later returned to Drummer Street for 1025 in order to duplicate the joint Premier Travel/Yelloway services 77/78 to the north west of England. Geoff drove as far as Derby (1510) that day where he was relieved by another driver who then took the coach through to Blackpool (2000). (The columns on the far right were added by me and show the driving time and non-driving time).

Monday 8 May 1972 – Ribble 767 (TRN 767) seen entering the Yelloway garage at Rochdale from Milton Street. The two Yelloway coaches are parked on the fuel bays with PDK 461H most prominent and on the bay used most. Nearside fuelling was the norm on Yelloway coaches. The buildings in the background were all owned by Yelloway and the small door to the left of the Ribble vehicle was at the bottom of the stairs which led to the Revenue office and the Chart Room on the first floor. The small windows on the second floor were those of the ‘Top loft’ used for the dumping of old tickets and paperwork. When this was partially cleared out it revealed some interesting publicity relics which I added to my collection. The large doors on the ground floor just visible to the right of PDK 461H were those of the Paintshop. The doors to the right of the Ribble vehicle house the Bodyshop. The doors of the ‘Paint Prep Shop’ are right behind PDK 461H. The windows just visible between the two Yelloway coaches were the Krazy Kuts supermarket building owned by the Co-op. The destination blind on PDK 461H shows ‘Rossendale’ which was usually displayed on northbound London service coaches working the ‘feeder’ route from Manchester.

Monday 8 May 1972 – It was rare indeed for a Ribble vehicle to be seen on a service working of the X79 route, the X79 was routinely covered by Yelloway and Standerwick. Ribble 767 (TRN 767), a 1964 Leyland Leopard with Marshall dual purpose bodywork, was operating what was normally a Standerwick working. It was seen on the ‘Blackpool stand’ at Weir Street, Rochdale when working the 1315 Oldham-Blackpool X79 service due through Rochdale at 1345.

Monday 8 May 1972 – It was rare indeed for a Ribble vehicle to be seen on a service working of the X79 route, the X79 was routinely covered by Yelloway and Standerwick. Ribble 767 (TRN 767), a 1964 Leyland Leopard with Marshall dual purpose bodywork, was operating what was normally a Standerwick working. It was seen on the ‘Blackpool stand’ at Weir Street, Rochdale when working the 1315 Oldham-Blackpool X79 service due through Rochdale at 1345.

Summer 1965 or 1966 – A Burlingham Seagull bodied Leyland Tiger Cub of W C Standerwick Ltd had just left the Yelloway coach station as it set out for Blackpool on the X79 service. It was paused at the end of Penn Street (later Ink Street) ready to turn into Smith Street. The buildings were subsequently demolished to provide more space for coach parking. Whilst a rather poor and now scratchy snapshot from my schooldays it appears that the coach is registered NFR 957 and if so was number 9 in the Standerwick fleet.

November 1971 - Yelloway Inspector John Howard checks the ticket of a passenger boarding Standerwick 941S (FCK 941F), a 1968 Plaxton Panorama bodied Leyland Leopard, on the ‘Blackpool stand’ at Weir Street. The coach was working the 1900 X79 service from Oldham to Blackpool which called at Rochdale at 1930. During the summer timetable Yelloway operated most, if not all, of the six or so departures on the X79/X89 services. However, during the winter months Standerwick and Yelloway provided one coach each to cover the three services each way. This resulted in a Yelloway coach spending the night in Blackpool on alternate nights and the Standerwick coach returning to the Yelloway garage at Rochdale after its arrival in Oldham. The drivers did not however stay out overnight but exchanged coaches in the Blackburn area on the last trip at around 2037-2045. So this coach would have been overnight at Rochdale last night and been in the hands of Yelloway drivers all day today until being handed over to a Standerwick driver at Blackburn on this trip.

February 1973 – I think this was the first day we ever saw a National white liveried Standerwick coach working on the X79 service. 940S (FCK 940F) was seen at the Yelloway Coach Station, Weir Street, Rochdale at 1345 when working the 1315 Oldham-Blackpool X79 service. When the all white National Bus Company coach livery was introduced the large fleetname was simply ‘NATIONAL’ becoming ‘NATIONAL EXPRESS’ later. Also, the company name of the NBC subsidiary which owned the vehicle was carried over the front wheel underlined by a coloured band - there were no outside contractors to NBC at that time and all were NBC company businesses.

August 1972 - Yelloway worked with may different joint operators. This colourful line up of coaches was a regular sight on a Saturday morning on the Rochdale Corporation Transport parking ground before the coaches from the south returned back home. Working away from the camera are coaches of Red and White; Southdown; Royal Blue and Premier Travel. I can’t recall whose that was at the far end possibly Greenslades Tours. Baillie Street runs along the back of the coaches and Duncan Street is in the background across the photograph. This site became part of Rochdale bus station in the early 1970s. Red and White, Southdown and Royal Blue were members of the Associated Motorways consortium and their vehicles would be working the joint Yelloway/Associated Motorways services to Barry Island, Portsmouth and Bournemouth respectively.

Saturday 19 September 1970 – Red and White Services always ran Eastern Coachworks bodied Bristol RELH coaches on the joint Yelloway/Associated Motorways Rochdale to Barry Island service. GWO 8D, new in 1966, seen leaving the Yelloway coach station and garage at Rochdale. The company had a most interesting fleet numbering system using two class letters followed by a three digit number, the second and third digits indicating the year the coach was new. The first digit began at 1 each year. This coach carried fleet number RC866. (Bristol RE Coach, the 8th of 1966). This coach has the coach type entrance door rather than the folding doors featured on some of the coaches bought in subsequent years which came to Rochdale.

Saturday 27 May 1973 - Red and White Services was the Associated Motorways member that participated in the operation of the joint Yelloway and Associated Motorways Rochdale to Barry Island summer Saturday holiday service. Eastern Coachworks bodied Bristol RELH number RC169 (SAX 1G) is seen in Rochdale prior to its return to South Wales. It had travelled north the previous day (Friday) firstly working from South Wales to Cheltenham on an Associated Motorways service and then becoming on hire to Yelloway to work a duplicate from Cheltenham to Rochdale. A Yelloway coach did the opposite by travelling down to South Wales via Cheltenham on Friday working the Barry Island to Rochdale direct service on Saturday. The company had a most interesting fleet numbering system using two class letters followed by a three digit number, the second and third digits indicating the year the coach was new. The first digit began at 1 each year. This coach carried fleet number RC169. (Bristol RE Coach, the 1st of 1969). The two destination blinds both carry the then new Associated Motorways logo and the window label is applied ready for the run to Barry Island.

August 1972 – Red and White Services RC368 (OAX 3F), an Eastern Coachworks bodied Bristol RELH new in February 1968, parked on the back row of the Rochdale Corporation Transport parking ground (with Baillie Street behind). Coaches for the Saturday 0830 southbound service from Rochdale to Barry Island (arriving 1505) were provided by Red and White and were positioned on the Friday by first operating an Associated Motorways service from South Wales to Cheltenham and then becoming on hire to Yelloway as a duplicate from Cheltenham to Rochdale. Conversely, the Saturday 1000 northbound service from Barry Island to Rochdale was worked by Yelloway with the coach travelling from Rochdale to Cheltenham and then working on hire to Associated Motorways from Cheltenham to Cardiff the previous day (Friday). The destination blind was already set for Barry but the ‘On hire to Yelloway’ label remained from the Friday northbound trip. The company had a most interesting fleet numbering system using two class letters followed by a three digit number, the second and third digits indicating the year the coach was new. The first digit began at 1 each year. This coach carried fleet number RC368. (Bristol RE Coach, the 3rd of 1968).

September 1972 – Red and White Services RC368 (OAX 3F), an Eastern Coachworks bodied Bristol RELH new in February 1968, parked at Rochdale. Coaches for the Saturday 0830 southbound service from Rochdale to Barry Island (arriving 1505) were provided by Red and White and were positioned on the Friday by first operating an Associated Motorways service from South Wales to Cheltenham and then becoming on hire to Yelloway as a duplicate from Cheltenham to Rochdale. Conversely, the Saturday 1000 northbound service from Barry Island to Rochdale was worked by Yelloway with the coach travelling from Rochdale to Cheltenham and then working on hire to Associated Motorways from Cheltenham to Cardiff the previous day (Friday). The destination blind was already set for Barry but the ‘On hire to Yelloway’ label remained from the Friday northbound trip. The company had a most interesting fleet numbering system using two class letters followed by a three digit number, the second and third digits indicating the year the coach was new. The first digit began at 1 each year. This coach carried fleet number RC368. (Bristol RE Coach, the 3rd of 1968).

Saturday 19 September 1970 – Royal Blue Express Services (Western National) 2387 (RDV 413H) seen leaving Rochdale at 0830 on the joint Yelloway/Associated Motorways service to Portsmouth and Southsea where it was due at 1823. Southdown subsequently took over the operation of this service working. A powerful sounding Eastern Coachworks bodied Bristol RELH6G new for this year. I used to love hearing the sound of the Gardner engines of these coaches.

Friday x September 1972 – Royal Blue Express Services (Western National) 2388 (RDV 414H), an Eastern Coachworks bodied Bristol RELH6G new in March 1970, sporting the destination ‘Rochdale’ where it was seen parked overnight. It had travelled up from Bournemouth on the joint Yelloway/Associated Motorways direct express service and would return to Bournemouth on the Saturday day service. Since there was also a Yelloway coach travelling south on the Saturday day service (which would then work the Saturday night northbound service from Bournemouth to Rochdale), the Royal Blue coach would normally go empty from Rochdale to Manchester on Saturday morning to load there.

Saturday 19 September 1970 – Royal Blue (Southern National) 2381 (OTA 641G) rumbles over the setts along Penn Street as it departed Rochdale at 0900 on the joint Yelloway/Associated Motorways service to Bournemouth. Royal Blue Express Services was jointly owned the Western National Omnibus Co Ltd and the Southern National Omnibus Co Ltd, both themselves related. Some Royal Blue coaches were owned by WNOC and some by SNOC. An Eastern Coachworks bodied Bristol RELH6G new in March 1969. Unfortunately this coach was one of those completely lost during a disastrous fire at Bournemouth Coach Station in the early hours of 25 July 1976. The fire caused such serious damage to the underground coach station that it could not be used thereafter.

July 1972 – Seen in Rochdale on a Friday evening or early Saturday morning was Royal Blue Express Services (Western National) 1392 (261 KTA), an Eastern Coachworks bodied Bristol MW6G new in April 1962. This is a body type we didn’t normally see in Rochdale. It had travelled north to work a duplicate trip on the joint Yelloway/Associated Motorways service to Bournemouth and was parked on some spare ground on Penn Street (between Smith Street (right) and Baillie Street (where the school type building stands in the background)). It would have worked north on the Yelloway Cheltenham-Rochdale service and therefore carried the 'On hire to Yelloway' window label which would be removed for its return journey to Bournemouth on the joint AM/Yelloway service. Alongside is Greenslades NFJ 620G, a Duple bodied AEC Reliance new in April 1969 which would duplicate the Yelloway 'Devonian' service. Both carry the pre-National white coach scheme which was being introduced by the National Bus Company subsidiaries in the south-west – mainly white relieved by a colour relevant to the individual operator.