Mercedes O.305 1355 is in one of the earlier gestations of Ashton bus station. As can be seen from the sign to the right, all the Saddleworth services shared a common stand here. Photo courtesy Peter Crichton.

Tame Valley's livery was one of the more attractive of the deregulation era. XWG 656T was a Roe-bodied Atlantean new to South Yorkshire PTE. Photo courtesy Ian Roberts.

Tame Valley's H411 DVR is seen in Ashton Bus Station. This and the previous shot were taken on a Saturday, not long after Tame Valley had started working the Saturday daytime service. Photo courtesy Ian Roberts.

In the same location is Checkmate's Iveco F361 FNB. Photo courtesy Jon Brierley.

Former West Midlands Travel Dennis Dart KDZ 5805, by then working for Universal Buses, is on Wellington Street in Ashton and about to enter the bus station. Photo courtesy Jon Brierley.

Stagecoach took on the workings formerly operated by Universal following the latter's demise in 2000. These Plaxton Beaver-bodied Mercedes became quite common in Saddleworth for a while but have since left the fleet. Photo courtesy Jon Brierley.

Speedwell's T36 JBA has now received the fleet number 0005. It is passing through Stalybridge Bus Station. Photo courtesy Mark Amis.

Tameside depot's 141 leaves Mossley and approaches Black Rock arch in Heyrod.

Devoid of fleetnames is Speedwell's 0002 (N645 HSX), pulling onto Manchester Road at Mossley station. The station here has survived relatively unscathed by modernisation. On the hill top above is the former Town Hall.

This was the first day of operation of the 353 by Universal Buses. I suspect their new vehicles had not arrived in time and as a result Bu-Val provided this Iveco with Made to Measure (the name of the coachbuilder) bodywork. Ironically as it turned out since Bu-Val later operated the 353 in their own right. The bus has arrived at the traffic lights at the top of Stamford Road in Mossley.

T36 JBA leaves the bus stand at Mossley Brookbottom and heads down Waterton Lane on its way to Ashton. Photo courtesy Mark Amis.

Whilst in Mossley most daytime 353 journeys disappear up past the Co-op to serve housing along Waterton Lane. A Universal Buses Dennis Dart with UVG bodywork is turning round to return to Mossley centre and continue on to Uppermill.

I remember a ride on a North Western Fleetline through Roughtown on a 157 in the ‘sixties and even then being struck by the incongruousness of the experience. Memories of double-deckers going that way had become distant until, in 2000, Stagecoach started to work the 353 and suddenly a bizarre assortment of double-deckers appeared. This bus became quite a common sight on the 353 for a while and was an Alexander-bodied Olympian which had recently been transferred from Busways (Tyne and Wear). The shop on the right has since disappeared, almost without trace.

The driver points out the photographer to his passengers as T36 JBA descends Carrhill Road into Roughtown. St. John's church on the left dominates the surroundings.

This bus is anonymous apart from discreet “Tame Valley” fleetnames on the side. It is on the long stretch of straight road between Mossley and Grasscroft which straddles the traditional county boundary.

Stagecoach’s vehicle policy on the 353 was variable to say the least. At the time I was only usually able to photograph workings at weekends and most of the Stagecoach shots are on a Saturday. However, whilst the other shots feature double-deckers, this is really a more normal vehicle for the service. Mercedes/Alexander 428 passes through Sharon.

The Sunday operations on the 353 and 183 were linked, which explains the appearance of 5302 at Sharon (near Grasscroft).

Leyland National 128 uses what bit of Mossley Road, Grasscroft is passable. Other photographs taken at the same time can be seen in the 355 collection.

Former GMT vehicles in Stagecoach livery were not often seen in Saddleworth, but here is Olympian 3195 on Mossley Road in Grasscroft, bound for Ashton.

The service changes in 1980 brought vehicles from Tameside depot into Grasscroft and that included some Bristol REs new to North Western like 320, which is about to cross the route of the old Greenfield to Oldham line in Grasscroft.

320 heads away from the photographer, displaying the distinctive rear end of its Alexander Y-type body, one of the classic bus designs.

131 heads through Grasscroft.

The SHMD Northern Counties-bodied Bristol REs had regularly been seen in Saddleworth on the 154 and 354, but the service changes in 1980 saw them briefly appear in new territory before their withdrawal. 5076 speeds through Grasscroft.

165 passes through Grasscroft in snow that wasn't quite as common as these photos might indicate!

162 passes the top of High Grove Road in Grasscroft. The daytime service now turns right down the hill at this point.

To illustrate the point in the previous caption, here is Speedwell's 0003 pulling out of High Grove Road into Mossley Road. Due to the curvature this a tricky maneouvre even in a car!

M115 XLV has just crossed the line of the old railway from Greenfield to Oldham, which once crossed High Grove Road here on a bridge that would have left little spare room above even this bus. Grasscroft Halt was immediately to the left and closed on 30th April 1955.

The same bus is approaching the bridge, revealing that the road here is narrow as well.

The former Busways Olympian seen in Roughtown is seen again only a couple of weeks later in Grasscroft, but by this time it has been renumbered 3631 in a Manchester series. It is unlikely that driver needs to check whether there is sufficient space for the solitary passenger. The tall weeds surrounding the bus stop and footpath sign mark the site of a shop run by Frances Howard until it closed in early 1978. I understand it had once been a chip shop. The bus stop here is now rarely used as most 353s turn off about fifty yards to the rear of the bus.

This shot is undated but almost certainly is from the early days of Universal Buses operation on the 353 in 1998, when Bu-Val vehicles were seen helping out the newly-formed company, rather than the period in 2003/4 when Bu-Val worked the daytime journeys. R805 WJA is on Mossley Road in Grasscroft.Photo courtesy Jon Brierley.

Approaching the Farrar's Arms in Grasscroft in extremely wintery weather is Tameside depot's 141.

The 353 played safe in the snow and kept to the major roads, which meant working its more traditional route. With the Farrar's Arms behind, one of Speedwell's Mercedes heads back to Ashton. I think

Bu-Val's K149 LGO was new as London Buses DR149. It is passing the relatively-new and massive road sign at Greenfield station.

This shot of N321 YNC is taken during Dennis’s second stint of operation on the 353 on the wintery last day of 1996. It is approaching the bridge at Greenfield station, seen from just up Ladcastle Road.

Bu-Val's Mini Pointer Dart K248 PAG crosses the railway at Greenfield station. Like the previous shot it is also ex-London Buses and in fact was numerically the previous vehicle in the fleet, DR148. Photo courtesy Mark Amis.

This Freight Rover Sherpa was one of the large fleet of minibuses brought into the Manchester area by the Bee Line Buzz Company, supposedly heralding a new era in public transport. Fortunately market forces demonstrated that we do not like being ferried around in vans and higher standards have (generally) prevailed. Following the take over of Bee Line, Crosville painted this vehicle in their “Town Lynx” livery, a brand they tried to promote at the time. It is at Greenfield station, with part of the village visible in the background.

As mentioned in the route history, the 353 now climbs up past Greenfield station on its route into Uppermill, as it is seen doing here. In the background is a BMC Falcon of Paul's Travel on Rail Replacement duties.

One of the most surprising appearances in the post-deregulation era was buses from Crosville, an operator so strongly associated with North Wales. Their double-deckers were less common and this sight of Bristol VRT DVL 399 at Greenfield station was unexpected.

A state of affairs that folklore would suggest happened more often that it probably did in reality! Checkmate Coaches (Tandy Bus) Iveco E184 CNE gets a helping hand at Greenfield station. It probably wasn’t still in service (although you never know...)

R812 WJA was one of the distinctive UVG-bodied Darts used by Universal. Seen here heading into Uppermill alongside the railway line near Greenfield station, it has lost the large nearside trafficator lens. Photo courtesy Jon Brierley.

Autumn is clearly in the air as Crosville’s MMM 707 (a regular vehicle on the run as I recall) crosses the culverted Huddersfield Narrow Canal at Wade Lock as it leaves Uppermill. Note that the Crosville VR picture earlier in this collection was taken on the same day.

Speedwell's 0001 approaches Wade Lock in Uppermill with splendid spring blossom on the trees behind. In the distance are two Courtesy Coaches double-deckers, one having left Saddleworth Pool and the other going there.

This back end shot of Speedwell's R944 AMB is taken as the bus turns from Bridge Street into Oldham Road at "Turog House" (see the sign partially visible above the bus) having completed the loop round Grove Road.

Speedwell's 0002 climbs Church Road in Uppermill. The bridge over the road in the background carries a bridle path which follows the route of the Micklehurst Loop line, which ran from Stalybridge to Diggle on the other side of the valley to the existing railway.

0002 has completed its loop of Well Meadow Lane and is about to join Church Road again.

Tandy's Iveco F361 FNB has arrived in Uppermill square. Buckley's bakers and confectioners is behind for anyone who feels a bit peckish! Photo courtesy Eric Ogden.

Crosville's Metrorider F94 CWG was in the Mini Lynx livery but without fleetnames when caught in Uppermill square. Note the huge satellite dish on the roof of the Commercial Hotel! This bus was new to Yelloway, who operated the very first bus service through Uppermill. Photo courtesy Eric Ogden.

Speedwell's T36 JBA is numbered 0005 in their rather peculiar numbering system. It pauses briefly in Uppermill square on a sunny market day (Wednesday). Photo courtesy Mark Amis.

R808 WJA was one of six identical Dennis Darts operated by Universal. They appeared on the 353 quite a lot in the earlier days of Universal operation but were seen less often later. This view is in Uppermill square. Photo courtesy Eric Ogden.

These Ivecos of Bu-Val had registrations immediately preceding the Universal Dennis Darts and helped to confuse things by appearing regularly on Universal workings such as this journey seen in Uppermill square. Photo courtesy Eric Ogden.

N867 FBP was another Bu-Val vehicle working for Universal Buses. It is leaving the bus station in Uppermill passing a sign for Central Garage where the petrol prices already seem low by today's standards! Photo courtesy Eric Ogden.

Sports Tours of Rochdale used the Pioneer fleetname and made a brief appearance on the 353 with school workings. Although the company in this form is but a memory it lives on as the operating licence for the former Pennine operation at Dukinfield is in the Pioneer name. Photo courtesy Eric Ogden.

More variety in the Tame Valley fleet came in the form of this former Merseyside PTE Leyland National. As the fleet number plates are still attached it is obvious what its identity was in that fleet. Photo courtesy Eric Ogden.

Former North Western Alexander-bodied Bristol RELL6G 328 has been caught in a very picturesque scene at Tame Water, by the end of Ladcastle Road. Photo courtesy Paul Wreghitt.

Speedwell's T35 JBA has now been given a fleet number 0004 and is negotiating the junction at Delph cross roads. Delph station was on the immediate left here and following closure of the line the junction was remodelled such that it is no longer a true cross roads.

Tameside depot's National 162 appeared regularly on the 353 and is seen here at the terminus at Carrcote, the blinds not yet being set for the return journey to Ashton. Photo courtesy Paul Wreghitt.

328 is approaching Linfitts, above Delph, on a return from Denshaw to Ashton.

A strange place to find a Metrobus on service was on the road between Delph and Denshaw. 5120 returns from the latter village through open countryside around New Tame.

National 161 heads towards Ashton and its home depot after leaving Denshaw. Thanks to Paul for providing this very evocative shot. 161 has just passed the unusually-named Wham Lane. Photo courtesy Paul Wreghitt.

Working the relatively new evening extension of the 353 is First Pennine MMM 489 seen entering the station turning at Diggle. The fleet number style is of Crosville origin.

Pennine Blue were taken over by PMT and therefore the appearance of buses from the Potteries in the fleet based at Dukinfield was not too surprising, although the “Potteries Connection” legend above the windows probably meant little to the passengers. 425, now owned by First Pennine, nears the summit of the climb at Scouthead on the evening extension of the 353 service to Oldham.

Universal Buses R809 WJA was a Dennis Dart with a body by UVG (which had once been known as Wadham Stringer). It is climbing Oldham Road in Grasscroft as the 353 had been diverted via Lydgate due to road reconstruction on Mossley Road.

Not readily distinguished from the buses diverted on the 350 at the same time is 40280. It has worked from bottom Mossley and is headed for top Mossley, only to turn round and return to this point on the way to Uppermill!

A landslip on the road between top and bottom Mossley caused significant disruption to bus services, bringing a lot of them into Saddleworth as the diversionary route was via the hill at Greenfield station, a detour of about four miles. This photograph was taken at the time of the original slip and shows a Stagecoach Olympian with a rather generous 87-seat capacity working a diverted 353. This bus went directly to Uppermill and I’m not sure how the Uppermill to Mossley section of the route was served on this occasion.

Stagecoach 760 returns from Uppermill along Shaw Hall Bank Road, the “no waiting” cones attempting to ensure reasonably smooth traffic flow during the diversion.