David Slater (Spoddendale)'s photos with the keyword: FCN 631F

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 - 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.