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Think the 39/317 & 320 were operated jointly by LUT/Ribble as well as St Helens/Salford & Wigan Corporations, Ribble gave up it's share to LUT in 1974 for some Express services. After the boundry changes in 74 they became operated by MPTE/GMPTE & LUT, then MPTE & GMPTE when GMPTE took over LUT. 317 was withdrawn in 1979 as there was a regular DMU Rail service in place.

(09/10/2012 22:03)P528LND Wrote: [ -> ]Greater Manchester - Oldham - 425

Started out as 425 and 426 Circulars from the history I've read, alternating between Park Road and Glodwick Road/Mumps.

425 changed to run by Glodwick Road/Mumps both directions, 426 down Waterloo Street, and extended to Moston (care to help anyone?)

425 extended to Ashton-Under-Lyne from Holts Estate, to Fitton Hill from Oldham.

Other routes introduced, 421-6 all different service numbers serving generally the same areas.

426 cancelled, replaced by other routes, same for 421, 422, 423 and 424.

425 curtailed between Holts and Fitton Hill. 425 used to terminate at the Community Centre on Fir Tree Avenue.

425 now does a circular sort of route in Fitton Hill.

Curtailed to run every 12 minutes from previously every 10 minutes.

Trying to remember the routes around Fitton Hill and Holts. Think the 425 extension to Ashton was a replacement for the 56, which ran from Rushcroft to Ashton via Shaw, Higginshaw, Oldham Lord Street (via Egerton St), Oldham Mumps, Glodwick, Holts and Smallshaw. Remember doing the route from one end to the other and back during the school holiday one year (mid-90s).

If I remember correctly, at one time you had 421 Moston-Oldham-Fitton Hill, 425 Fitton Hill-Oldham-Holts and 426 Moston-Oldham-Holts. 423 ran evenings and Sundays from Moston to Oldham and then to Fitton Hill (I think).

That was back in the day when there was lots of 4xxs in Oldham.

At various times in 90s and 00s you had:
400 Bolton-Bury-Rochdale-Oldham-Ashton-Stockport
401 (Wigan)-Bolton-Bury-Middleton-Oldham-Ashton-Stockport
402 Royton-Oldham-Glodwick (combination of current 402 and 410/411 route)
403 Shaw circular
404 Moston-Oldham-Limeside
405 (Moston)-Oldham-Limeside
406 Middleton-Chadderton Park-Oldham-Limeside(-Hollinwood-Middleton Junction)
407 Oldham-Denshaw
408 (Rochdale-)Buckstones-Shaw-High Crompton-Royton-Oldham-Abbeyhills-Stalybridge
409 as current
410 Ashton-Hathershaw-Oldham-Royton-Thornham
411 ?
412 Derker-Oldham-Royton-Boarshaw-Middleton
413 Sholver-Oldham-Royton-Thornham-High Crompton-Shaw-Buckstones
414 Sholver-Oldham-Royton-Thornham-High Crompton-Shaw-Buckstones
415 as current
416 Hollinwood-Limeside-Oldham-Waterhead-Lees-Oldham-Werneth-Hollinwood
417 Hollinwood-Werneth-Oldham-Lees-Waterhead-Oldham-Limeside-Hollinwood
418 Chadderton-Oldham-Lees-Waterhead
419 as current
420 Shaw-Royton-Royal Oldham Hospital-Werneth-Hollinwood-Moston
421 Moston-Werneth-Oldham-Fitton Hill
422 Oldham-Coppice-Butler Green-South Chadderton
423 Moston-Werneth-Oldham-Fitton Hill
424 Ashton-Hathershaw-Fitton Hill-Limeside-Failsworth-Newton Heath-Manchester
425 as current (not via Alt)
426 Moston/Fitton Hill-Oldham-Holts
427 Diggle-Uppermill-Grotton-Lees-Oldham-Hollinwood(-Failsworth-Manchester)
428 Ashton-Hathershaw-Hollinwood-Failsworth-New Moston-Newton Heath(-Manchester)
429 Greenfield-Grotton-Lees-Oldham-Hollinwood(-Failsworth-Manchester)
434 (Rochdale-Kirkholt-)Rushcroft-Shaw-Higginshaw-Oldham-Alt

Mention of 402 reminds me that after dereg, GM Buses ran an Express service 402 between Bolton - Leigh - Newton -Warrington. Don't think it lasted too long though.

(09/10/2012 16:19)sumner Wrote: [ -> ]A place to ask about the history of any bus route, hopefully someone can help! I'll start off with the 141 St Helens-Newton, I know before 2003 it was the commercial 41 by Arriva, but further than that I don't know?

The 141 is a successor of LUT 67, St. Helens - Burtonwood - Earlestown, which mostly ran every 2 hours, and was once the only through route between St. Helens and the centre of Earlestown **. There was also a 65, Burtonwood - Earlestown, also mostly every 2 hours. These became 667 & 665 when LUT became part of GM Buses. The conversion to 41 / 141 occurred at deregulation.

(** The LUT 39 ran direct along Crow Lane, avoiding the centre of Earlestown, for most of its existence. It was technically a joint service with St. Helens, Leigh & Salford corporations plus Ribble, but LUT Atherton depot provided all the buses.)

Many thanks for the earlier history Bevan as my knowledge is mostly the happenings since deregulation (not giving any clues about my age but was in my mid teens at the time).

Seconded, thankyou Bevan.

With recent mentions of LUT, the following list of their services may be of interest. Many services were jointly operated. often with nearby municipal operators. LUT active participation varied from 100% to zero, and I cannot remember the situation with every route. The list is based on the May 1961 timetable, and I have omitted some works services that had only limited numbers of journeys.

(J = Jointly operated with B = Bolton, L = Leigh, M = Manchester, Sa = Salford, SH = St. Helens, Wa = Warrington, W = Wigan (corporations, etc.) , NW = North Western Road Car, R = Ribble)

LUT had depots at Atherton (Howe Bridge), Hindley (Platt Bridge) & Swinton, plus a small base in Liverpool for some coach services.

1. Atherton - St. Helens (J - SH)
7. Westhoughton - Hindley via Daisy Hill
8. Salford Greengate - Bolton (J - B, Sa)
9. Manchester Victoria Bridge St.) - Monton Green - Walkden (J -Sa)
10. Salford Greengate - Eccles - Warrington (J - Sa)
11. Clifton - Eccles
12. Salford Greengate - Little Hulton - Bolton (J - B, Sa)
13. Farnworth - Ringley Bridge - Whitefield
14. Farnworth - Swinton - Patricroft.
15. Farnworth - Kearsley.
16. Leigh - Westhoughton - Horwich (J - B, L)
17. Pendlebury - Eccles
18. Leigh - Astley - Farnworth - Moses Gate (J - L)
19. Farnworth local.
20. Farnworth - Eccles - Cadishead / Hollins Green / Glazebrook.
23. Salford Greengate - Worsley (J - Sa)
25. Farnworth - Ringley Bridge - Radcliffe.
26. Salford Greengate - Astley - Leigh (J -L, Sa)
27. Boothstown - Little Hulton
28. Atherton - Tyldesley - Walkden
29. Shakerley -Tyldesley - Astley.
30/35. Atherton - Tyldesley - Astley.
31. Salford Greengate - Mount Skip (J - Sa)
32. Salford Greengate - Atherton - Wigan (J - Sa,W)
33. Walkden - Little Hulton
34. Little Hulton - Farnworth.
36. Newchurch - Irlam. (Sats. only)
37. Leigh - Croft. (J - L) (Sats. only)
38. Salford Greengate - Walkden - Hindley / Wigan (J -Sa)
39. Salford Greengate /Leigh - St. Helens - Liverpool (J - L, R, Sa, SH)
41. Bolton - Walkden - Eccles (J - B)
42. Bolton - Walkden (J - B)
43. Bolton - Farnworth (J - B)
44. Ashton - Newton - Warrington.
46. Leigh - Risley - Warrington. (J -L)
47. Leigh - Croft - Warrington (J -L)
48. Leigh - Lowton Lane Head (J -L)
49. Leigh - Newchurch. (4 per day Mon - Fri, 2 on Sats)
50. Bolton - Leigh - Newton - Warrington (J -B,L)
51. Leigh - Newton - Warrington. (J - B,L)
(50 was a 2 hourly extension of 51 to/from Bolton)
52. Leigh - Earlestown - Ashton (J - L)
53. Warrington - Newton - Earlestown - Ashton
54. Leigh - Bickershaw - Wigan (J - L)
55. Leigh - Lowton - Golborne - Ashton - Billinge
56. Ashton - Garswood - Blackbrook
57. Leigh - Lowton - Golborne - Wigan. (J -L)
58. Leigh - Plank Lane - Golborne.(J -L)
(Extended to Wigan on Sats plus 1 Su trip)
59. Bolton - Westhoughton - Wigan.
60. Wigan - Golborne - Warrington.
61. Wigan - Golborne - Earlestown.
62. Newton - Earlestown - Ashton.
63. Newton - Earlestown via Wargrave.
64. Newton - Earlestown via Belvedere Road)
65. Earlestown - Burtonwood (J -SH)
67. Earlestown - St. Helens (J -SH)
68/68A. Flixton - Trafford park (J -M,NW)
69. Davyhulme - Trafford Park (J -M,NW)
72. Golborne - Downall Green - Ashton Simms Road.
74. Golborne - Ashton - Garswood.
76. Warrington - Winwick - Hermitage Green. (Limited service, WSO)
77. Warrington - Houghton Green (J -Wa)
78. Warrington - Fearnhead Cross (J -Wa)
(a few journeys ran to/from Burtonwood RAF base)
79. Longford - Warrington - Woolston
80. Warrington - Fearnhead Mill Farm (J -Wa)
81, Warrington - Woolston (J -Wa)
82. Leigh - Bolton (J -B,L)
83. Atherton - Worsley - Farnworth.
84. Leigh - Atherton - Mosley Common (J -L)
87/88. Eccles - Trafford Park.
309/319. Warrington - St. Helens - Southport
329. Warrington - Rainford.
344. Warrington - St. Helens.
(J - R, SH); I don't remember LUT ever operating beyond Rainford.
320 Wigan - Ashton - St. Helens - Liverpool. (J - R, SH, W).
LUT (Hindley depot), Ribble (Wigan & Liverpool depots), St. Helens & Wigan Corporations all provided buses at various times - I think there were periodic changes to balance the mileages worked by each operator.)
LUT was also a joint operator (but with no known active participation) in the St. Helens - Rainford services (51, 51A, 52, 53) and some Bolton Corporation services.

"Express services":-
X9. Oldham - Bolton - Blackpool.
X69. Hyde - Oldham - Blackpool - Cleveleys.
X79. Oldham - Rochdale - Bacup - Blackpool.
X89. Oldham - Rochdale - Edenfield - Blackpool.
(X9, 69 & 89 were summer only, Joint with NW, R, Standerwick & Yelloway)
X60 / X70. Manchester - Bolton - Blackpool.
(J - NW, R; X70 was occasional journeys via Westhoughton.)
X66. Manchester - Bolton - Blackburn. (J - B,R)
In addition, LUT participated in X97/98, Liverpool - Leeds / Newcastle, and summer only X99 Liverpool - Leeds - Harrogate - Middlesbrough.

I have seen a DVD about the Trolleybuses and in it was footage of the 1 (St Helens - Atherton) which was operated jointly between St Helens Corporation & South Lancashire (LUT's predessors).

Amazing to think that some of those routes still survive today, either as a whole or part of a route: the 8, 26, 32, 39 (albeit night bus) and 320 still with the same numbers.

12 the same between Manchester/Salford and Little Hulton, 13 is now 513, 16 is now 516, 54 is now 658, 57 is now 600, 59 is now 559, 60 is now 360, 82 is now 582, 84 is essentially the 685

(03/11/2012 12:46)SF07 Wrote: [ -> ]Amazing to think that some of those routes still survive today, either as a whole or part of a route: the 8, 26, 32, 39 (albeit night bus) and 320 still with the same numbers.

12 the same between Manchester/Salford and Little Hulton, 13 is now 513, 16 is now 516, 54 is now 658, 57 is now 600, 59 is now 559, 60 is now 360, 82 is now 582, 84 is essentially the 685

There are some differences in the routings, though. 57 ran direct from Golborne to Wigan via Abram & Platt Bridge. 32 now deviates round Castle Hill estate in Hindley, etc.
The Ashton - Wigan section of 600 was formerly Wigan Corporation 2/2A. When I get time, I will list Wigan Corporation routes from the late 1960's.

Other similarities include:
10 is now 100, but rerouted via Trafford Centre.
56 is now part of 156, and extended from Blackbrook to St. Helens.
The Ashton - Billinge section of 55 is covered by 256, but extended to Rainford.