Armchair Passenger Transport Plaxton bodied Seddon coach in Rochdale – July 1974

July 1974 - No digital photography existed in July 1974 so it was pot luck how a photograph turned out with the results not known until the photos came back from processing. Apologies therefore for this shaky shot although I feel it does have some worth.

It depicts a Plaxton Panorama Elite bodied Seddon Pennine 4, one of eight such coaches delivered to Armchair Passenger Transport of Brentford in April/May of 1973 registered MJH 280-287L. So shaky is the shot that I don’t wish to say which of them it could be! The Seddon factory where these chassis were built was located only a few miles away from Rochdale.

It was seen in Smith Street, Rochdale during a brief toilet stop on a Thomas Cook tour originating in the London area which was sold to incoming foreign visitors, mainly Americans. From memory I believe it travelled through the Derbyshire Dales and was heading for the Lake District (and maybe Scotland beyond that).

The tower of the Town Hall can be seen in the background beyond the coach. The building on the left is Electric House, now demolished and where the (circa 2015) bus station was built. Passing that building is a Rochdale Corporation refuse truck. Where the coach is standing is where the Metrolink tram platforms stand in this part of Smith Street.

The public toilets chosen for this comfort stop were in the building visible through the windscreens of the coach. The building still remains but had a change of use subsequently becoming a taxi office (!!).