Yelloway KDK 61 (Photo by Eric Fielding)

Early 1954 – KDK 61 about to leave Weir Street on the first winter run of the Rochdale-Cheltenham service This photograph features the driver (Cliff Holt I think his name was), Hubert Allen (the Yelloway Chairman and General Manager), Jack Wilson (Yelloway Traffic Manager) and Vincent Reeves (Road Steward). The coach was standing in the open air on ground close to Slack Street which would later become covered when the garage and coach station were extended forwards.Prior to this time the Rochdale-Torquay ‘Devonian’ service was summer only and Yelloway had to fight to obtain a licence to run between Rochdale and Cheltenham during the winter months. In fact this first winter season didn’t commence immediately after the close of the previous summer timetable and there was a gap of some months before the new winter operation could commence. This resulted in only a short winter period before the already licenced summer service began again.