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The Yelloways Motor Coach museum, an original 1970s Duple
Dominant bodied AEC Reliance full of YellowaY memorabilia,
helped attract a record number of visitors to Rochdale borough's
Heritage Open Days last month. The vehicle, which is normally
based in the Bury Transport Museum, enjoyed 100 visitors on the
first day when it was in Rochdale Town Centre. Visitor numbers
climbed to 160 on the second day following a slot on the BBC
North West Tonight programme and BBC Radio Manchester. Overall,
it was the most visited attraction of the 38 venues which were
open across the borough for the event.
Visitors climbed aboard to share memories and look at old
timetables, advertising posters from the 40s and 50s as well as
stacks of old models and photos featuring Yelloway coaches from
1910 to 1980s. Paul Blackburn, who bought the coach museum
earlier this year, was overwhelmed by the response he received
during the Heritage Open Day Weekend. He said: "I was really
impressed with the sheer number of people who came along to have
a look around and share their memories. Many of them had worked
for the company and many more had really happy memories of trips
on the Yelloways, including one woman, who used to take her cat
on board with her. It's clear that the Yelloways name is still
really popular in the North West and plays a big part in
people's memories of growing up and working in the region."
Tim Nuttall, Tourism Officer at Rochdale Borough Council, said:
"Coaching holidays are a huge part of the social history of our
country. To many people, YellowaY was much more than a coach, it
was the start of a big adventure and the chance to see places
which had only ever existed in people's imagination. It was a
coup for us to welcome this unique piece of our cultural history
and we're pleased so many people climbed aboard.
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