Photo © John Stringer. Please do not re-post without permission.

West Yorkshire PTE (Calderdale District) 3239, PJX39, a Leyland Leopard L1 with Weymann B42F body, new to Halifax Corporation (39) in 1962 and transferred to the J.O.C. (239) in 1971.
Seen entering Brighouse Bus Station through the short-lived narrow entrance from Bradford Road, prior to the buildings on the left being demolished and the Ludenscheid Link by-pass constructed, from which a new entrance/exit was then created. It is working Brighouse local cross-town service 79 - Whinney Hill Park-Brighouse-Oaklands-Nunnery Lane, but displaying 'Field Lane' instead of 'Nunnery Lane', presumably because it had an older blind which would not have included the latter. The service used one bus taking an hour to do the round trip and which operated out of service from garage to Nunnery Lane, then spent the day exiled in Brighouse ,shuttling up and down on the 79 until the service ceased around teatime and the bus returned to garage. The service dropped out for a trip on one leg of the route in the morning for the driver to have breakfast - usually in a local cafe - and a relief driver would have to travel out from Halifax to Brighouse on a service bus to take the bus over, the relieved driver returning the same way. The incredible thing was that the relief driver did not have to sign on in Halifax before setting off to Brighouse, but was just expected to arrive there for the relief. If he/she did not turn up then the driver coming off would have to phone the control room then would be asked to continue doing more trips (though they weren't obliged to do) until another driver could be found and be whisked off in a staff car to an appropriate point - often mid route - to do the changeover. Drivers were paid 30 minutes travelling time each way on top of their driving time.

Photo taken by John Stringer, August 1974, Brighouse Bus Station, Gooder Street

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