Yelloway WDK 649K in Rochdale - Nov 1973

November 1973 - Yelloway WDK 649K, a 1972 Plaxton Panorama bodied AEC Reliance, seen on the fuel pumps at the Rochdale garage after returning from a stint working on the Alfreton-Derby-London 'Derbyshire Express' service. 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 the 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.

Originally the service carried service number 'MX4' in a series applied by United Counties but the National Bus Company had by now brought their coach operations under the umbrella that became National Express. The service number was now '554' which can be seen on the yellow label in the upper part of the nearside windscreen. This label had also included the NBC double N logo and the word 'National' although these had been cut off by Yelloway on the basis that the service was also one of their own and it did not want it to be thought the label implied ‘on hire’ or such like. (This was the coach which travelled to France and Germany with the Rochdale Band in September 1972).