Glossopdale's Mercedes R899 AVM waits its departure time in Ashton Bus Station Photo courtesy Jon Brierley.

I was unable to photograph Speedwell's short-lived operation on the 352 but fortunately Ian Roberts was more successful. This picture shows MX04 VMJ loading up in Ashton Bus Station. Photo courtesy Ian Roberts.

Stagecoach 569 had been taken over with the Glossopdale fleet and fitted in well as the parent fleet operated many similar vehicles. It is in Uppermill square outside the Commercial Hotel. Photo courtesy Eric Ogden.

Tandy's "ice cream van" (see the picture at the end of the collection for more details) waits in Uppermill square on a damp Christmas Eve, carrying a few souls home with their last-minute shopping. Photo courtesy Eric Ogden.

This is an extract of the picture that appears in the 365 collection. It shows Vale of Manchester NNH 191Y, a former United Counties Leyland Leopard, loading up at Uppermill Bus Station before working the afternoon school journey to Denshaw, Grains Bar and Watersheddings.

Barely a month later and the same coach is on the same duty and has clearly been one of the first to arrive for the evening exodus. Photo courtesy Eric Ogden.

It is a pleasant spring day on which JP Travel’s V4 JPT passes under Saddleworth viaduct on its way from Denshaw to Ashton. They had not been operating the service long and the bus has yet to receive a suitable destination blind.

Glossopdale's livery was attractive and sat well in the Saddleworth landscape. One of their Mercedes leaves Dobcross village and is passing the original Woolpack Inn.

Pioneer of Rochdale generally used their ex-Lothian Leyland Cub on their trips on the 352. As can be seen, display of the correct route number was not considered important! The houses in the background are being built on the site of Kenlyn Garage, which had been the home of Saddleworth coach operator Ken Shaw.

A Glossopdale Mercedes climbs up Delph Lane to make the loop round Palin Wood Road. This road was the one used by the erstwhile 160 service to get back to the A62 from Delph village.

It is quite impressive that only five days after the takeover Stagecoach vehicles were on the 352 with a full destination display already programmed. It is indeed unfortunate that in the process Micklehurst was not spelt correctly! 564 has made its visit to Palin Wood Road and is turning right at the end of Delph Lane towards Denshaw. Note the route direction signs on the lamppost, including one for the 430 which ceased running some twelve years earlier!

Having completed its trip to Palin Wood Road the 352 turns right at the White Lion to head up to Denshaw. The orange signs on the lamp to the right of the bus are route direction signs - the top one is a Tameside style one for the 353 and 355, whereas the one below is a different style (Rochdale?) for the 430, a service that had not run for almost ten years!

JP Travel’s Optare Solo V4 JPT passes Carrcote on a journey to Denshaw.

Checkmate Travel's regular vehicle for several years was this Freight Rover Sherpa. It is dropping into the dip at New Tame. The building to the right was once part of Denshaw Co-op. After this photograph was taken it became the Green Ash hotel and restaurant, but this was not a success and the site has now been converted for housing.

Taken almost fifteen years after the previous shot in the same location, JP’s Solo returns to Ashton. Behind the Green Ash is open for business.

The road sign explains clearly what it is that the bus is trying to negotiate near New Tame. This is on the same day as the previous photo of the same bus.

Although this bus was being operated by Glossopdale, it was actually on loan from Cheshire Bus and Coach (a hire company). Having left Denshaw, it is approaching New Tame. The road in the foreground is the site of the culvert works seen in the previous picture.

Checkmate's Sherpa has just left Denshaw village on its way to Ashton.

The combination of fog and snow made Denshaw a rather bleak place on this day. The driver of 564 has parked up the bus in a less-than-ideal place, presumably whilst he pops into Denshaw Post Office for provisions to keep him going in the cold conditions.

On this first day of operation of the 352, locals would have been forgiven for thinking that a new vendor of ice cream had appeared on the scene. This was Tandy's first vehicle on the service and was a Deansgate-bodied Bedford CF. It is at the Denshaw terminus. Photo courtesy Jon Brierley.

Stott's Fleetline YNA 300M, new as SELNEC 7345, is at the end of the evening school run which was extended from Denshaw to Grains Bar to provide a direct link for children attending Saddleworth School who lived in Old Tame and Grains Bar. As the signpost indicates, it would be a long walk to the nearest service to Uppermill otherwise!