This coach was new to Crosville as CRL302 but had recently been re-classified as a dual purpose vehicle and renumbered (the letter E designated Express).
This interesting view captures the mid-week service on the 701 at the time, as it only ran from Cardiff to Machynlleth on Tuesdays to Thursdays, connecting there with the 700 service to provide the link through to Bangor. Behind ERL302 is National Welsh UC178 which is working in the opposite direction. What is not clear from timetables is whether both these vehicles worked through or if both vehicles turned back at Aberystwyth and exchanged passengers there. Operationally this would have benefits but at the expense of passenger convenience.
The overall roof visible to the right used to span the platforms for the services over the Manchester and Milford line to Lampeter and Carmarthen with the Vale of Rheidol narrow gauge line being on a separate platform on the right. After the Manchester and Milford line closed the Vale of Rheidol line was re-routed more directly into Aberystwyth to use the Manchester and Milford platforms. Sadly, however, the overall roof has since been removed.
From an original negative in the David Beilby collection taken by Colin Caddy
