This PD3 with Alexander bodywork was new to Edinburgh in 1964. Whilst the livery is still Edinburgh's, the lettering indicates it worked for D Coaches of Swansea. It has stopped just below Lydgate Service Station, another filling station that is now just housing. Perhaps it didn't make money selling petrol at 34p/litre. I don't know what the bus was doing there.

Morris's of Pencoed were another operator from South Wales and I should not be surprised to find that the coach was doing a Last of the Summer Wine tour, nor that I was temporarily the subject of the commentary. The coach is an unusual LAG-bodied DAF - only 61 coaches with this make of body were ever imported into the UK, between 1983 and 1985. It is passing a West Yorkshire PTE Olympian on the 365 to Huddersfield.

You don't expect to find a former Aberdare Guy Arab LUF in Grotton, having brought a wedding party up from Reading. It had turned down Station Road by mistake and was turning round at the bottom of Hillside Avenue. This bus was preserved and possibly still is, but I have not seen it or heard anything more about in almost thirty years since I took the photo. The body was by Longwell Green of Bristol and was one of the first in Aberdare's fleet to have upholstered seats. Wooden seats had been favoured due to the number of miners carried, but the advent of pithead baths improved the ability to keep the seats clean.

Leyland National 122 was not in service when photographed passing the top of Oaklands Road in Grasscroft.

60430 returns to Oldham garage from Uppermill. This will have been an X84 working which had to turn short at Uppermill due to the closure of the canal bridge at Brownhill.

Daimler Fleetline 7330 was parked on Mossley Road, Grasscroft outside Harold Hague's grocer's shop, by this time run by his son Alan. I didn't find out why the bus was there and the only explanation that comes to mind is a fitter's test run, during which he has stopped at the shop.

I had been aware of these Seddon Pennine midibuses being in the district carrying round a market research team, but I couldn't believe my luck when it pulled up right outside the window of the room in which I was working. Needless to say, out came the camera.

Uppermill Bus Station closed in this form in June 2006, but was unusually full on this awful evening in 1994 as it was the weekend of the GMTS North Western event and a trip was made to Diggle. Of course, genuine North Western buses never used this bus station as it wasn't built when they were in service.

A rear view of the same group of buses.

For a period North Western painted their dual-purpose in this attractive red, cream and black livery. This vehicle sadly now lives abroad and cannot be readily seen. It is seen here on the site of the car park for Saddleworth Pool, before it was fully developed, and was taking part in a special Saddleworth Transport event.

Climbing past the Railway Hotel at Greenfield station is this former North Western Alexander-bodied Bristol RE belonging to Higginshaw Rugby Club. This had been bought from Age Concern and still carried their livery. The Ethel 1 destination related to the "Electric Train Heating Ex-Locomotives" which were used in Scotland and for which the owner had a particularly soft spot!

This short Dennis Javelin had a Duple body and had been new to Mayne's three years before this photo was taken in Uppermill bus station. Photo courtesy Eric Ogden.

This coach was registered MRJ 358W when new in 1980 but by the date of this photo it was carrying the cherished mark MJI 5766. It is seen on Platting Road in Lydgate. Photo courtesy Eric Ogden.

The last Leyland Leopard in the Mayne's fleet was specially requested by a part-time driver who lives in Lower Frenches Drive, Greenfield and is seen, rather improbably, at the end of that cul-de-sac.

At virtually the same location as the previous photograph on a Whit Friday three years later is Mayne's W81 JBN, a Plaxton-bodied Volvo B7R.

Mayne's 51 is an Irizar-bodied Scania K114IB, seen here passing the Farrar's Arms in Grasscroft.

The GM Buses Routemasters normally stuck to Wilmslow Road, but the BBC hired RM2202 for a series of outside broadcasts around the region for Northwest Tonight. This date was chosen to visit Saddleworth as it was Whit Friday and there was plenty to see, not least the Brass Band contests. For the day the bus was parked in the car park of the King Bill in Greenfield.

The tour featured two of Northwest tonights best-known presenters, Stuart Hall and John Mundy, seen here on the platform of RM2202.

Bringing the Llandudno Band to the 2006 Greenfield Band Contest was this Mercedes of Alpine Travel.

The Leyland Vehicles Band not surprisingly chose the local independent operator, J. Fishwick, to take the band to the Whit Friday Band Contests in 1979. The band are nearly all on, having performed at Greenfield, and are ready to dash to the next contest. Fishwick’s C4 is a Leyland Leopard PSU4 with Plaxton 41 seat coachwork.

I’ve been unable to find out anything about this vehicle or its operator and would welcome any information. It is almost certainly a former NBC Leyland Leopard with Plaxton body and is in Greenfield for the band contest.

As someone with a long-standing interest in Red and White, it was with great delight I saw this coach transporting the West Country Ozone Friendly Band to the Greenfield Whit Friday Band Contest. The driver told me the band originated from Cinderford. The coach was new to National Welsh as UC1212 (SDW 928Y), but was re-registered as shown and renumbered UC212, then UC912 and subsequent to the photograph, plain old 912. National Welsh re-registrations were always done through a pair of Lodekka driver taining vehicles, which as a result have carried probably a record number of different registrations. Of interest in the background is a Dennis’s Mercedes on one of the tendered 355 journeys.

This AEC Reliance was originally 134 in the Swindon Corporation fleet, but by this time was used as a caravan and kept in nearby Mossley. It is passing along Chew Valley Road in Greenfield on a Whit Friday - the crowds for the Band Contest bear no resemblance to those seen nowadays!

JJL 945 is a Vanhool-bodied Volvo of Longstaff's of Mirfield. It is at the head of a line of coaches whose bands have registered at Greenfield Conservative Club and are waiting their turn to march up the street.

This Scania of Swan's of Chadderton was turned out to a very high standard. Fitted with Spanish-built Irizar coachwork, it was carrying the Lydgate Band to the Greenfield contest.

The next vehicle in the queue was an identical coach numbered 35 in Mayne's fleet.

In the livery of Walker's Executive of Cheshire is 184 XNO. This Volvo B10M with Duple body was new to Globe in Barnsley as B359 DWF. The cherished mark comes from Eastern National 1608, a coach-seated Bristol FLF6B. The coach is carrying a band round the Whit Friday band contests and is parked on Church Road whilst the band performs at the Friezland contest.

This Neoplan coach was carrying the Blackley Band, but had clearly also been involved recently in rail replacement work.

A side view of the Neoplan of Travel Master, with the disused Knoll Spinning mill behind.

This Van Hool-bodied Volvo B10M of Webber’s had brought the Bodmin Band up to Saddleworth for the Whit Friday Band Contests, but they clearly made a weekend of it as this was the Sunday morning. It has descended the hill at Greenfield station and is clearly going to pick up the band.

Y162 EAY is in the fleet of Stott's of Milnsbridge and is a Plaxton Paragon-bodied Volvo B10M new to Garcia Tours of Maida Vale. I chose this one to photograph as it actually showed "Saddleworth Band Contest" on the destination display.

Courtesy Coaches have revived the Yelloway name and A15 YEL is seen here looking very elegant at the 2007 Whit Friday band contest in Greenfield, appropriately transporting the Greenfield band.

This view of Delph village on a Whit Friday shows the people and coaches to be seen there. Approaching the bridge is a Vanhool-bodied DAF of Bassi Travel of Fartown, Huddersfield, who on this occasion were providing transport for the Meltham and Meltham Mills Band, a band whose history stretches back to 1846. Photo courtesy Paul Anderson.

Courtesy Coaches also have A19 YEL in the revived Yelloway livery. It is seen here on Delph Sound, again carrying the Greenfield Band. This vehicle is to be the basis of an OOC model scheduled for release later in 2009. Photo courtesy Paul Anderson.

Seen on Standedge is YN54 WCR, a Plaxton-bodied Volvo B7R belonging to Fourway Travel of Leeds and carrying a band to the Whit Friday contests.

K & J Logistics of Rufforth also decided to revive a famous name from the past, in this case York Pullman. One of their coaches is seen here on Standedge carrying the Shepherd Group Brass Band to the band contests. The band was formed in 1903 as the Cocoa Works Band, which gives a clue to its Rowntree origins. As can be seen, the band is having one last practice blow before the real thing starts.

The Littleborough and Saddleworth Liberal Democrats bought this former Tyne and Wear Metropolitan without realising that it would not be doing their green credentials any good at all due to its voracious appetite for diesel! I remember these new to Tyne and Wear and thought they looked rather attractive in the yellow and cream livery of that fleet. On this occasion OTN 444R is rather provocatively supporting a party rally immediately opposite Greenfield Conservative Club. That fact did not escape the letter-writers to the Oldham Evening Chronicle!

One-time GMT Metrobus 5026 found a new home as a mobile office (for want of a better word) for H2O, otherwise known as Highway to Opportunities. This is a skills coaching and careers service for adults and the bus was resident in Greenfield for the day. In the background Dennis Dart 40280 passes on the 350 - one of the last few to carry the Barbie 2 livery.

A rear view of MNC 498W parked up at Road End, Greenfield. Compare this with the picture of 7195 in the same location in the 10 and 180 Greenfield to Manchester collection, taken thirty-two years earlier.

SUA 301M working for Oldham Community Transport had an interesting history. It was new to Leeds City Transport in poopy red livery, as it was actually intended to be West Yorkshire 1424 (NWT 721M). Although delivered to Leeds City Transport more than three months before the PTE came officially into being, it was immediately painted in PTE verona green and buttermilk and numbered 1301. It remained the only National in the PTE fleet until some National 2s arrived several years later. The livery it carries in this photo at Binn Green, above Greenfield, shows some evidence of its previous owner's livery.

The replacement for SUA 301M was this Leyland National which had been new as Lancashire United 563. It is also seen at Binn Green and carries a colour scheme similar to that used at the time by GM Buses.

Pennine Blue 52 was a Bristol RE which had started life with Eastern National but also operated for Lincolnshire. It has stopped on Manchester Road in Greenfield to pick me up on its way to the Sandtoft Gathering.

This Tiger Cub was new to Wilkinson’s of Sedgefield (yes, Tony Blair’s constituency). They were taken over by United in 1967 but this vehicle had already passed to Dearneway’s by then and was acquired for preservation from that operator in 1978. 54 is climbing out of Greenfield past Binn Green on the way to the Sandtoft Gathering in 1980.

Wilkinson’s 54 is seen early the following year towing a former Crosville Bristol LL6B SLB 178 (LFM 759) through Dacres.

North Western 895's tour of Saddleworth to mark the end of North Western in Oldham appears in other galleries, but here are some additional shots which don't fit in quite so readily. The first sees 895 climbing up Woods Lane into Dobcross Square. North Western buses had only just started running through Dobcross village and as far as I know a Loline never worked that way in normal service.

895 is parked in front of the Commercial Hotel in Uppermill. Two Bristol REs are visible. The rear end of a Marshall-bodied example that originated with North Western is more prominent and is headed for Mossley, having followed the Loline down from Diggle. Behind it can just be seen a former SHMD Northern Counties example, on the 154 to Ashton. The house to the rear of 895 once formed the Saddleworth office of the Oldham Evening Chronicle.

A distant view of 895 at the top of the hill at Greenfield station, with former Oldham PD2 5313 passing the top on a 14 from Uppermill to Manchester.

895 has come down the hill and pulled across the road in readiness for negotiating the hairpin bend half-way down the hill.

This Oldham PD2 with Northern Counties body became SELNEC 5357 but is shown on its final one-way trip to the bus-breaking yards of Barnsley. The slow speed is prompting cars to overtake.

5357 gets hauled slowly up the hill out of Greenfield, the overtaking cars already well in the distance. This bus was preceded by another which made the journey under its own power.

5154 was one of the very first Oldham Atlanteans to appear in SELNEC's orange and broken white livery. Whilst they were regular performers on the Saddleworth routes on this occasion the Atlantean is on driver training as it heads past the top of Oaklands Road in Grasscroft.

This has to be one of the best period shots of a bus in Saddleworth that I've come across and I'm grateful to Chris Heaps for allowing me to use it. In the low afternoon sun Oldham PD1/3 267 gives the learner driver quite a challenge in climbing the hill at Greenfield station. There are stone setts galore and the shop on the corner is very much open for business. As for other traffic, there just isn't any! Photo courtesy Chris Heaps.

Ordered by Huddersfield, this bus was delivered to West Yorkshire PTE as 4167 and would have made many trips to Oldham in service. On retirement it had a further lease of life as a driver training vehicle and is seen in that guise in Oldham's Town Square bus station, having worked over the 365 route from Huddersfield. For its new role it was given a special livery and renumbered 9372. Photo courtesy Mark Amis.

Modern day driver training, or in this case route-learning, is depicted by this Alexander-bodied Volvo 61356 recently transferred from Glasgow and seen here passing under Saddleworth Viaduct.

Traditionally, as already seen, driver training was done using a normal service bus with temporary 'L' plate signs front and back. Because it was usual to remove the window behind the driver to improve communication, you would usually find the same buses used on this sort of work as they had been adapted to make removing that window easier. I don't recall seeing Manchester buses on these duties in Saddleworth very often and this one caught me by surprise. It was 3424, one of the first batch of Metro-Cammell PD2s based on the Orion style rather than to Manchester's individual style. Although these were regular performers on the Saddleworth services from new, it is the only picture I have of one in the area. The wooden sign to the left was a temporary hoarding advertising the 1971 Saddleworth Festival of the Arts, an event held every four years which attracts artists of considerable stature to relatively small venues.

SHMD bought two Daimler CSG6s which were not particularly popular buses. As a consequence of this, combined with the fact that their manual transmission enabled the obtaining of a full PSV driving licence instead of one restricted to vehicles with automatic or semi-automatic transmissions, these buses were used a lot for driver training. On this occasion 5697 has turned down Chapel Road on its journey between Uppermill and Greenfield.

Caught in the spring sunshine is First Huddersfield 90071. This had been on a training run to Oldham and is nearing the summit at Standedge on the way back. It was new as Southampton C. T. 238 but had latterly operated for First Hampshire as their 1238.

Three buses on their way to the Huddersfield Centenary Rally are seen from a distant viewpoint on Standedge. The leading vehicle is LUT Guy Arab 21, the second is Stockport PD2 40 and bringing up the rear is Halifax Regent V 215.

It’s probably reasonable to claim that this was the only occasion a former Lancashire United Guy Arab has towed an ex-Darwen Crossley through Grasscroft. The Guy Arab was owned by dealer Geoff Lister and he was towing Darwen 40 (KTD 376) away from Greenfield where it had been stored for thirteen years. 40 was a Crossley DD42/7 which had been cut down and shortened for use as a gritting vehicle. It was acquired by the Crossley Omnibus Society in 1971 and I well remember the journey back with it on the M62! The salt had taken its toll of the vehicle - when we went to collect it, on pressing the throttle pedal to try to start it the pedal broke and the engine had to be controlled by a pressing on a rod sticking through the cab floor.

Blackburn Corporation's last PD1 (actually a PD1A) was 118 (BBV 913). Following withdrawal it was bought for preservation and attended a few rallies. However, after a few years there was a loss of interest. It was sold to Geoff Lister at Bolton and remained on site there for some years, deteriorating rapidly in the open air. On its way from storage at Greenfield to Bolton it broke down near the Farrar's Arms and is seen here awaiting recovery. The Lydgate on the destination blind referred to a district of Blackburn but had a local connection in this instance.

Oldham 231 was one of the first batch of buses bought by Oldham after the war. They replaced the last Oldham trams and were the only 7' 6" wide double-deckers bought new by Oldham once 8' became a legal width. This bus was preserved for a while but sadly scrapped by 1970. It is seen here in happier days of preservation at the Great Western Hotel on Standedge and was on its way to Huddersfield and Bradford for tours of the trolleybus systems. Photo courtesy Martin Arthur.

J727 SNE was one of the last two Duple/Dennis 425 integral coaches to enter service, which it did in 1992 new to Healings of Oldham, who also bought one of the few French-built Plaxton 425s a couple of years later. It is seen working for James Executive Travel of Royton and is just below the Farrar's Arms in Grasscroft.

This Plaxton-bodied Volvo B10M was new to Park's of Hamilton and is seen when some seventeen years old working for Stott's in Oldham. Although the photograph was taken (in Grasscroft) close to the finishing time at Saddleworth School, I don't believe it was on a school working.

Derby 111 was one of both the last Crossley double-deck chassis built and also to run in service, being withdrawn in 1970. It was one of a batch of five which were the only postwar Brush-bodied Crossleys. It was bought for preservation by Mike Howarth on withdrawal and is seen being driven by him the following summer climbing past Greenfield station on its way to the Astle Park traction engine rally at Chelford. At this stage the station buildings were remarkably intact.

Bury 177 was stored in Greenfield in its early years of preservation and is seen crossing the canal in Greenfield on its way to the Crich Transport Extravaganza. At this stage the valley floor was undeveloped and the canal apparently had no future...

The preserved Bolton Crossley single-decker 8 (DBN 978) was also stored in Greenfield and is on a tour to visit some of the Lancahire municipal operators prior to the local government reorganisation of 1974. Demolition work has started on the station, with the wall surrounding the current "tin box" under construction. The booking office window is clearly visible and quite exposed to the elements.

Routemasters may be common in preservation but they have always been a rare sight in Saddleworth. Preserved RM1152 is seen here posed in the turning circle at Grotton. After sale from London this became one of the large fleet operating around Glasgow, in this case for Clydeside Scottish. Photo courtesy Peter Crichton.

This shot taken some time in the 'twenties shows a very unusual pair of vehicles. The charabanc is in Dobcross and apparently ready to set off on a trip to Buxton, quite an adventure in those days. Named "Queen Elizabeth" the radiator is branded as Churchill showing it to have been built by the firm of Durham, Churchill & Co. of Sheffield who also built the Hallamshire motor car. The smaller vehicle next to it is a Vulcan 10-12. Photo courtesy Peter Fox.

N 9237 was another charabanc taking part in the same trip. This vehicle was built by Lacre, a company name that is an abbreviation of Long Acre in London where the company originated. This vehicle would have been built in Letchworth but Lacre moved again in 1926 to St. Albans. Production in latter years concentrated on municipal vehicles. Photo courtesy Peter Fox.

JFM 116 was new to Crosville as KB87 in 1948 and was one of three of the same batch bought by George Dew (contractors) in Oldham in 1963. These vehicles were obviously a sound investment as this shot was taken some seven years later on Oldham Road in Grasscroft at the top of Clough Lane and where the post office was at the time. The graffiti on the bus shelter is of its time!

Yorkshire Traction bought twelve of these Willowbrook-bodied Leyland Tiger Cubs in 1956. JHE 840 was originally numbered 1063 and lasted long enough to be renumbered 419 as part of a general fleet renumbering in 1967. It had been sold and was running for Fairclough (contractor) as their 99 when it was seen in the car park of the Clarence Hotel in Greenfield, with former Oldham (but now SELNEC) PD2 5316 waiting departure on the 10 in the background.

The impressive rebuilding of the canal at Brownhill had only recently been completed when Stott’s A750 NNA passed on a trip of uncertain purpose. This bus had originally been Greater Manchester 8750.

As with the previous photograph, this Stott's bus is displaying an indication for a school journey that doesn't serve Saddleworth so again the reason for the journey is unknown. M74 WYG is in Uppermill square. Photo courtesy Ian Roberts.

Newhey Rugby Club bought this interesting machine to provide their own transport. It is an early Leyland Leopard, being an L1 type chassis with an East Lancs body. It was new to the small fleet of Haslingden Corporation as their 18 but when that fleet merged with neighbouring Rawtenstall to form Rossendale it became 49 in the combined fleet. It has brought its team to play Saddleworth Rangers and is parked alongside the gound on Shaw Hall Bank Road in Greenfield.

Seen at the 1984 Saddleworth Show is this hospitality vehicle for Mandor Flexible Doors in Ashton. It started life as Crosville’s KG 125, later being renumbered SLG 125. On withdrawal it was sold to the Hurst Scout Troop, also in Ashton, who ran it for several years until its conversion in 1983. The bus has since passed into preservation.

Despite road and rail running alongside each other at Greenfield station and both having frequent services, I never even seem to see bus and train alongside each other, let alone photograph them. On this occasion my luck was different. Out to photograph Manchester's new B9s, this opportunity presented itself. 37385 is on its first day in service, although now running dead back to the garage in Oldham, whilst First TransPennine Express 185128 heads for Manchester (and possibly the Airport or Liverpool).

Passing through Lydgate for reasons unknown on Whit Friday 1996 is Bluebird's M9 BLU. The filling station here is now but a memory. This bus has the cherished "BLU" mark so beloved of this company. Photo courtesy Noel Ogden.

This Central Coaches vehicle is clearly taking a day off working the 407 (q.v.) and here, I presume, has brought a party to St. Anne's Primary School in Lydgate, parking on Burnedge Lane. Photo courtesy Eric Ogden.

Parked in Grotton is an ex-Lothian Leyland Cub operated by Pioneer. This is a different bus from the one seen in the 352 collection. Photo courtesy Eric Ogden.