| Following withdrawal of the X12 service (q.v.) on 7th November 1980, the link between Halifax and Manchester was maintained by an extension of the local 223 and 224 Leeds to Halifax via Cleckheaton services operated by Yorkshire Woollen District. It is not clear whether this new service started immediately following the demise of the X12, the best information I have is that the services had changed by January 1981.
Initially most journeys on Monday to Saturday were on the 223, which ran via Gomersal Hill Top, but the Sunday service and a couple of journeys from Manchester operated as 224s. The frequency was essentially every two hours except Sundays when they were less frequent. A new timetable introduced on 1st December saw all journeys to Oldham and Manchester worked as 224s, which at the same time was diverted to serve Scholes (near Cleckheaton). This timetable also shows passengers having to change buses at Halifax - reports from those who used the service indicate that they didn’t always connect! The extended 224 was replaced by a reborn X12 in October 1985. |
The last journey of the day from Leeds ran as far as Oldham. Yorkshire Woollen's 26 was an Alexander TE-bodied Leyland Tiger and is seen on this journey passing the entrance to Dunlop and Ranken, once a very well-known steel stockholder. The railway bridge in the background originally led to Farnley fireclay works but only served as a headshunt for the steel depot until the last train ran on 7th July 1989. It was demolished shortly afterwards. The whole area has since changed quite dramatically with landscaping and the redevelopment of the Dunlop and Ranken site for housing. 1000x666 223010_12817.jpg |
Leopard 23 roars up the hill past Booth Wood reservoir and heads onto the lonely stretch of moorland road towards Denshaw. 1000x666 223100_12816.jpg |
18 is a Duple-bodied Leyland Leopard still carrying the original style of National livery. It is at the Yelloway coach station in Mumps, the rather uninspiring stopping point for this service in Oldh 1000x666 223200_West_Riding_18__RYG_397R__Oldham_Mumps.jpg |
