Tyne Tees Mersey Pool Services

The cover of the Tyne-Tees-Mersey coach services leaflet (Summer 1972). The M62 Motorway over the Pennines had only recently been opened and certain Liverpool-Newcastle services speeded up by using it. The cover has a depiction of what may be based on Rakewood Viaduct near Littleborough, Lancashire.

The 'Tyne Tees Mersey' public timetable for 1972. Codes: S - operates Saturdays only 27 May to 23 September 1972 SSu - operates Saturdays and Sundays only 27 May to 24 September 1972 A - These journeys will only pick up and set down at the points indicated in the timetable between Leeds and Liverpool or Liverpool and Leeds B - Operates Fridays only from 21 July to 25 August 1972 R - Refreshment stop at Leeds City Station

I typed up this information from a photocopy of an official operating document given to me by a very accommodating North Western Road Car Company Inspector based at Clegg Street bus station in Oldham. Any errors are my own. The said document showed certain workings as being assigned to 'YWD' which, when I typed up the above, I stated was Yorkshire Woollen District. However this wasn't quite correct because in September 1970 the YWD interests in the pool passed to Hebble Motor Services in one of a number of National Bus Company shake ups. (There was also an overnight service operated Fridays July 21, 28, August 4, 11, 18 and 25 August 1972 at 2230 from Liverpool arriving Newcastle at 0530 the next morning and from Newcastle at 2205 arriving in Liverpool at 0530 the next morning. I don't know which companies provided the vehicles and crews for these).

I typed up this information from a photocopy of an official operating document given to me by a very accommodating North Western Road Car Company Inspector based at Clegg Street bus station in Oldham. Any errors are my own. The said document showed certain workings as being assigned to 'YWD' which, when I typed up the above, I stated was Yorkshire Woollen District. However this wasn't quite correct because in September 1970 the YWD interests in the pool passed to Hebble Motor Services in one of a number of National Bus Company shake ups. (There was also an overnight service operated Fridays July 21, 28, August 4, 11, 18 and 25 August 1972 at 2230 from Liverpool arriving Newcastle at 0530 the next morning and from Newcastle at 2205 arriving in Liverpool at 0530 the next morning. I don't know which companies provided the vehicles and crews for these).

January 1972 - A West Yorkshire Road Car Company Eastern Coachworks bodied Bristol RE heading eastbound on the M62. It was working the 0950 service from Liverpool to Newcastle (due 1655) driven by a Lancashire United driver between Liverpool and Leeds. From Leeds a West Yorkshire driver would continue to Newcastle and then drive back as the 1800 service to Leeds (2140). (Photo taken from Broad Lane road bridge (B6194) near Rochdale)

August 1973 - West Yorkshire Road Car Company 1001 (AWR 401B), a 1964 Eastern Coachworks bodied Bristol RE, seen at Chorlton Street Coach Station, Manchester. It was working the 0950 service from Liverpool to Newcastle (due 1655) driven by a Lancashire United driver between Liverpool and Leeds. From Leeds a West Yorkshire driver would continue to Newcastle and then drive back as the 1800 service to Leeds (2140).

August 1973 - West Yorkshire Road Car Company ERG4 (AWR 401B), a 1964 Eastern Coachworks bodied Bristol RE, seen at Lower Mosley Street Bus Station, Manchester when working between Liverpool and Newcastle on a 'Tyne-Tees'Mersey' Limited Stop Poll service X98.

Monday 17 July 1972 - (approx 1300) - Seen from the former cafe window overlooking the bus station. Going clockwise the vehicles are: North Western Leyland Leopard/Duple Commander (Westbound duplicate service X98); West Yorkshire Bristol RE/Eastern Coachworks (Service 43 to York and possibly Scarborough); West Yorkshire Bristol RE/Eastern Coachworks (dual purpose model); Northern General Leyland Leopard/Marshall (dual purpose model); Northern General 2631 (FCN 631F) Leyland Leopard/Alexander Y type (0900 Newcastle-Liverpool X98 service coach); Northern General 2633 (FCN 633F) Leyland Leopard/Alexander Y type (0910 Newcastle-Coventry 'Ten Cities Express' service coach); then a cream topped Alexander Y type that I believe was a Hebble or Yorkshire Woollen District coach running as the 1320 Leeds-Liverpool service X97); then a pair of West Yorkshire Bristol MW/Eastern Coachworks coaches. Out of shot to the left was Lancashire United 216, the service coach working the 0950 Liverpool-Newcastle X98). The station inspector can be seen in the dark suit at the rear of the NGT Marshall bodied vehicle. Note the West Yorkshire crew walking across the station towards their assigned vehicle, the male driver in short beige dust jacket and the female conductor in the longer version coat - both have the red collar and the coat a red belt.

Monday 17 July 1972 - Wellington Street Coach Station, Leeds: From left to right - Ribble 900 (ECK 900E) Leyland Leopard/Marshall (dual purpose model) (Worked in from Southport on service X17 and due to return at 1200); East Yorkshire 879 (RKH 879G) also Leyland Leopard/Marshall (dual purpose model) (Worked in on the 0730 service 46 from Hull due to return at 1205); West Yorkshire Bristol MW/Eastern Coachworks (1205 service X35 to Yeadon Airport); a United Automobile Bristol RE/Eastern Coachworks (UHN-G batch) (1155 X99 service to Middlesbrough).

Monday 17 July 1972 - For my return journey from Leeds to Manchester I could have travelled on the North Western Road Car coach operating as a duplicate to Northern General 2631 (FCN 631F), the service coach on the 0900 Tyne-Tees-Mersey service X98. However, I wanted to travel on the service coach itself. The station inspector was aghast that I would choose this coach as opposed to a fairly fresh duplicate which had hardly any passengers on board. The NGT coach had travelled down from Newcastle on what was quite a hot day and was quite 'sweaty' featuring various aromas of food, fruit and the rest! There was just one empty seat, the centre one at the rear - but this ride was the main purpose of the trip! As it transpired the ride was to be fairly short lived because a problem developed after about 20 minutes and the driver took us in to a Yorkshire Woollen District garage (Dewsbury I think) where we all had to transfer to the YWD service bus seen alongside in this photo.

Monday 17 July 1972 - A United Automobile Services Eastern Coachworks bodied Bristol RE (from the UHN-G batch) seen pulling out of Wellington Street Coach Station, Leeds working the 1155 hrs service X99 to Middlesbrough. Note the 'double lollipop' sign which was a prominent feature of this coach station operated by the West Yorkshire Road Car Company. service X99 forms part of the 'Tyne-Tees-Mersey' Limited Stop pool.

January 1972 - A Northern General Transport Alexander Y type bodied Leyland Leopard seen heading westbound on the M62 when working the 0900 service X98 from Newcastle to Liverpool (due 1620) - a Tyne-Tees-Mersey Pool service. The vehicle and crew workings for these services held a fascination for me. In this case a Northern General driver would have driven from Newcastle to Darlington (returning back to Newcastle with a West Yorkshire vehicle which had left Leeds at 0815) whereupon a West Yorkshire driver (working the 0815 service ex Leeds) would have driven the NGT coach to Leeds. At Leeds a Lancashire United driver (who had worked the 0950 service from Liverpool) then drove it through to Liverpool. Upon arrival in Liverpool the coach would work the 1850 Liverpool-Manchester service (due 2035) also in the hands of an LUT driver. (Photo taken from Broad Lane road bridge (B6194) near Rochdale)

November 1971 - Lancashire United Transport 315 (RTF 848G), a Plaxton Panorama Elite bodied Leyland Leopard, emerges from Clegg Street bus station in Oldham when working a Liverpool bound service of the Tyne-Tees-Mersey Limited Stop Pool service. It was new in May 1969. The property, owned by North Western Road Car Company, also served as the company's Oldham garage.

January 1972 - A Lancashire United Plaxton Panorama bodied Leyland Leopard heading eastbound on the M62. It was working the 0950 service from Liverpool to Newcastle (due 1655). After arrival in Newcastle it would work the 1800 service back to Leeds (2140). Currently it would have been being driven by an LUT driver between Liverpool and Leeds (who returned with a Northern General vehicle). From Leeds a West Yorkshire Road Car Company driver would drive Leeds-Newcastle-Leeds. (Photo taken from Broad Lane road bridge (B6194) near Rochdale)

Monday 17 July 1972 - Lancashire United 216 (UTC 768), a 1964 Plaxton Panorama bodied Leyland Leopard, seen in Wellington Street coach station, Leeds when working the 0950 service X98 from Liverpool to Newcastle (due 1655). An LUT drive would have brought it from Liverpool and then returned with the Northern General coach working the southbound service). The LUT coach would then be driven by a West Yorkshire Road Car Company driver up to Newcastle and back to Leeds on the 1800 service due back in Leeds at 2140.

Extract from the 'ABC Coach Guide' Summer 1951 showing the Tyne-Tees-Mersey 'Limited Stop' Pool services. The pool operators were Lancashire United Transport, Northern General Transport, United Automobile Services, West Yorkshire Road Car Company and Yorkshire Woollen District.

Extract from the 'ABC Coach and Bus Guide' Winter 1969/1970 showing the Tyne-Tees-Mersey 'Limited Stop' Pool services. The pool operators were Lancashire United Transport, Northern General Transport, United Automobile Services, West Yorkshire Road Car Company and Yorkshire Woollen District.

Extract from the 'Roadway Motor Coach Timetable' 1932 - Page 116 shows the timetables between London and Southend operated by New Carrimore Motor Service and New Empress City Saloons. Page 117 is the first of seven pages of timetables under the heading of the North Western Road Car Company which contains the northbound timetable for the 'Tyne-Tees-Mersey' 'Limited Stop' Pool services at the time worked jointly with Lancashire United Transport, Northern General Transport, West Yorkshire Road Car Company and Yorkshire Woollen District. The timetable also includes the Hull service which was jointly operated with East Yorkshire Motor Services. United Automobile Services joined the pool later.