Yelloway Motor Services 1960s to 1985

July 1975 - After disposal by Yelloway, 7073 DK became a car transporter for stock car ace Stuart Smith - ‘Wildcat’. A very neat conversion was made to the rear end now fitted with a roller shutter door. The Harrington Cavalier bodied AEC Reliance was new to Yelloway in 1964.

September 1973 – In 1972 Leigh’s Coaches of Middleton bought former Yelloway 4640 DK, one of the 1963 Harrington Cavalier bodied AEC Reliances. In this picture the coach had returned to Weir Street on hire to Yelloway to work an excursion to Knowsley Safari Park. Note the Yelloway hire label and ‘Knowsley Safari Park’ destination label. These destination labels were traditionally printed with red lettering on the deep yellow paper. The vehicle had acquired rotating air vents either side of the AEC badge on the front. Not only was this a former Yelloway coach but it was driven by a former Yelloway driver (Brian Morrey?). Leigh’s vehicles were regularly hired as was that from Derek Painter’s Mostonian Coaches which can just be seen following in the background.

Summer 1967 - Yelloway 7076 DK, a 1964 Harrington Cavalier bodied AEC Reliance, seen on the parking ground along Penn Street (later creatively renamed Ink Street). The smaller building on the extreme left in the background was the back view of the Yelloway booking and enquiry office. The taller building was Kelsall’s mill which Yelloway subsequently purchased for use as their offices. The booking and enquiry office was moved to the latter and the smaller building was then demolished to expand the parking area. Today this site is occupied by the 'Number One Riverside' complex of Rochdale Borough Council.

August 1972 - Yelloway 7076 DK, a Harrington Cavalier bodied AEC Reliance new in 1964, stands on the parking ground along Penn Street, Rochdale. Weir Street, the Yelloway legal address, runs across the rear of the coach along the wall of the River Roch. The tower of Rochdale Town Hall can be seen and the roof of Electric House is visible over the front of the coach. Today this site is occupied by the 'Number One Riverside' complex of Rochdale Borough Council and the bus interchange, opened in 2014, stands on the land across the river.

September 1972 - Square photos and rectangular vehicles don’t mix too well! A side view of Yelloway 7076 DK seen on the parking ground along Penn Street, Rochdale. The Harrington Cavalier body was the last type to incorporate the two side destination indicators which Yelloway had specified for its new coaches for many years. Plaxton bodywork was bought after Harrington closed down and the rooflines of the newer models were not deep enough to accommodate this feature. By tapering the lettering on the indicator blinds two towns could sometimes be featured. In this case the forward blind shows ‘Via Stafford Newcastle’ and the other shows ‘and Leek Stockport’.

September 1972 - A rear shot of Yelloway 7076 DK seen on the parking ground along Penn Street, Rochdale. This Harrington Cavalier bodied AEC Reliance was new in 1964. The Harrington Cavalier body was the last type to incorporate the two side destination indicators which Yelloway had specified for its new coaches for many years. Plaxton bodywork was bought after Harrington closed down and the rooflines of the newer models were not deep enough to accommodate this feature.

Summer 1965 - The 1965 intake of lightweight models for the Yelloway fleet was the most varied of the 1960s with three Bedford VALs (two with Harrington Legionnaire bodywork and one with Plaxton Panorama bodywork) along with this pair of Plaxton Embassy bodied Bedford SB5s which were seen at Westwood Coach park in Scarborough on one of the private hire trips I organised from school - on which I needed a ‘dupe’ this particular year! This was the last year the SB5 model was taken as in subsequent years the Bedford VAM was chosen.

August 1973 – Two Yelloway Harrington Cavalier bodied AEC Reliances in the Yelloway coach station and garage at Weir Street. Left is CDK 854C (new 1965) and right is 7074 DK (new 1964).

August 1973 – Yelloway CDK 855C parked in the garage at Weir Street, Rochdale. New in 1965 this was to be the final year that Harrington supplied their stately Cavalier body to Yelloway. The destination screen shows ‘Torquay’ but it is unlikely that this coach would have visited the Devon resort for a number of years even though it would have been more than capable of doing so. Each year the newer coaches were assigned as the service vehicles on the Torquay and London routes. Progressively as the coaches aged they were assigned to different routes, mid-life coaches covering Cheltenham etc and the oldest covering the Blackpool services and school work.

August 1973 – Yelloway Harrington Cavalier bodied AEC Reliance coaches parked in the garage at Weir Street, Rochdale. Closest to the camera is CDK 855C new in 1965, the final year that Harrington supplied their stately Cavalier bodywork to Yelloway. The destination screen shows ‘Torquay’ but it is unlikely that this coach would have visited the Devon resort for a number of years even though it would have been more than capable of doing so. Each year the newer coaches were assigned as the service vehicles on the Torquay and London routes. Progressively as the coaches aged they were assigned to different routes, mid-life coaches covering Cheltenham etc and the oldest covering the Blackpool services and school work.

Saturday 14 September 1974 – Today I was assigned to loading duties at Preston bus station. One of the Yelloway CDK-C registered Harrington Cavalier bodied AEC Reliance coaches new in 1965 is seen on a Blackpool bound service working.

February 1974 – CDK 857C, a Harrington Cavalier bodied AEC Reliance, had just been repainted when I took this photograph. The coach was new in June 1965. For the 1968 season this coach was upseated from having 45 reclining seats and was fitted with 49 standard seats specifically to work on the joint service with Premier Travel from the North-west to Cambridge and Clacton-on-Sea. It was usual practice for the AEC’s to reach about six years old before being upseated. Now nearly nine years old it would not work to Torquay on a Yelloway service but I couldn’t resist putting Torquay on the destination blind for this photograph!

February 1974 – CDK 857C, a Harrington Cavalier bodied AEC Reliance, had just been repainted when I took this photograph. The coach was new in June 1965. For its longer life coaches Yelloway always specified certain additional features like the above windscreen destination blinds, enclosed drivers cab area and the two piece rear boot doors, as seen in this photograph, which had vertical mounted hinges.

July 1974 - From 1966 Plaxton became the main bodywork supplier for the Yelloway fleet after Harrington ceased bodybuilding. FDK 415D was one of the 1966 intake of six Plaxton Panorama bodied AEC Reliances. I seem to recall this location was at Rhyl when I was assigned to supervise the loading of homeward bound coaches on the Llandudno to Rochdale service (more than likely on the last Saturday of the Rochdale and Oldham holiday fortnight). A coach operated by Travis’s of Middleton, working on hire to either Yelloway or North Manchester Motor Coaches, stands behind.

A Saturday evening in July 1973 on the fuel pumps at the Yelloway garage in Rochdale. Left is Yelloway FDK 416D, an AEC Reliance with Plaxton Panorama body new in 1966. This was the coach involved in a bad accident on the A56 near Bowden in Cheshire when working a London bound express a few years previously. It was returned to Plaxtons for repair and came back to work a few months later. Note the destination blinds both read 'Yelloway'. It was customary to set them thus when a particular destination name wasn't available. A most unusual visitor on the right is Northern General 114L (NCN 814L), a Bristol RELH6G with Plaxton Panorama Elite bodywork in National coach livery just a couple or so months old. It shows Torquay on the destination blind but it was heading home to the north-east of England.

April 1968 – Yelloway FDK 418D, one of the 1966 intake of Plaxton Panorama bodied AEC Reliances, seen at the Yelloway coach station in Bloomfield Road, Blackpool after arriving on a journey from Oldham and Rochdale. The famous tower can just be seen in the distance on the right. After sale the site was redeveloped as a Magnet and Southern builders supply store and later still a Lidl supermarket.

Summer 1967 - Yelloway FDK 419D seen in Caledonia Street Coach Station, London having worked the 'morning flyer' motorway express service from Rochdale and Manchester. Precise date not noted but it was in the summer of 1967. The coach was one of the 1966 intake of Plaxton Panorama bodied AEC Reliances.

Summer 1969 - Yelloway FDK 420D stands beneath the prominent Yelloway coach station signboard at Weir Street, Rochdale ready to work the 1600 motorway express (‘flyer’) service to London. It would have worked the morning ‘flyer’ from London earlier in the day arriving in Rochdale at 1411. It was one of the 1966 intake of six Plaxton Panorama bodied AEC Reliances and the one I also considered my favourite after previously taking a trip on it for a day in London.