First Manchester

[SF07]

RE: First Manchester
Here are some of the services that I can recall from around that time:

18 Rushcroft-Manchester via Oldham, Chadderton, Middleton and Blackley
20 Bacup-Manchester Express via Rochdale, Royton and Chadderton
24 Rochdale-Manchester via Royton, Chadderton, New Moston, Failsworth and Newton Heath
57 Rushcroft-Alt via Shaw, Heyside and Oldham
58 Rochdale-Trafford Centre via Shaw, Oldham, Chadderton and Middleton
59 Rushcroft-Manchester via Shaw, Oldham, Chadderton, Middleton and Cheetham Hill
81 Oldham-Manchester via Werneth and Moston
82 Waterhead-Manchester via Oldham, Hollinwood and Failsworth
83 Sholver-Manchester via Oldham, Hollinwood and Failsworth
149 Oldham-Manchester via Hollinwood, Moston, North Manchester General Hospital and Cheetham Hill
151 Oldham-Cheetham Hill via Chadderton, Hollinwood, Failsworth, Newton Heath and Harpurhey
180 Greenfield-Manchester Express via Lees, Oldham, Hollinwood and Failsworth
183 Greenfield-Manchester Express via Uppermill, Delph, Oldham, Hollinwood and Failsworth
184 Uppermill-Manchester Express via Lees, Oldham, Hollinwood and Failsworth
343 Oldham-Hyde via Lees, Mossley and Stalybridge
355 Oldham-Ashton under Lyne via Delph, Uppermill and Mossley
400 Bolton-Stockport via Bury, Rochdale, Oldham, Ashton-under-Lyne and Denton
402 Royton-Oldham
405 Oldham-Limeside (may have extended to Moston too)
406 Middleton-Limeside via Mills Hill, Chadderton Park, Oldham and Coppice
408 Buckstones-Stalybridge via Shaw, High Crompton, Royton, Oldham and Abbeyhills
409 Rochdale-Ashton-under-Lyne via Royton and Oldham
410/411 Oldham-Higginshaw/Glodwick circulars
412 Derker-Middleton via Oldham, Royton and Boarshaw
413 Buckstones-Sholver via Shaw, High Crompton, Thornham, Royton, Oldham and Moorside
414 Buckstones-Sholver via Shaw, High Crompton, Thornham, Royton, Oldham and Moorside
415 Holts Estate-Middleton via Lees, Greenacres, Oldham, Chadderton and Alkrington
425/426 Holts-Fitton Hill via Abbeyhills and Oldham (may have extended from Holts to Ashton-under-Lyne via Smallshaw)
427 Diggle-Hollinwood via Uppermill, Lees and Oldham (evening/Sunday extension to Manchester - previously daytime extension to Manchester Arndale)
429 Greenfield-Hollinwood via Lees and Oldham (evening/Sunday extension to Manchester - previously daytime extension to Manchester Arndale)
560 Halifax-Commons via Sowerby Bridge, Ripponden and Rishworth (evening/Sunday service, which interworked with 562 and jointly operated with First Calderline)
562 Halifax-Oldham via Sowerby Bridge, Ripponden, Rishworth, Denshaw and Moorside (evening/Sunday service jointly operated with First Calderline)

I know at some point the 408 and 413 may have also extended to Rochdale via Newhey and Milnrow (similar to Rosso's R5 route now between Peppermint Bridge and Rochdale).

The 425 extension to Ashton might have been a replacement for the 56, which ran from Rushcroft to Ashton via Shaw, Oldham and Holts. A YouTube video suggests that there was a 422 to Ashton (extension of the old Stotts 422 route between South Chadderton and Oldham), which may have replaced that too.

The 412 did extend from Middleton to Manchester at some point in the late 90s, although not sure on its route south of Middleton.

The 419 ran in the Oldham area but would have been operated by Dukinfield depot. The 52 extended from Failsworth to Oldham via the 76 route at some point in the early 2000s, but was operated by Queens Road depot.

The 562 evening/Sunday service was a two-hourly service between Oldham and Halifax with an hourly service between Denshaw and Oldham and then a hourly service between Halifax and Rishworth as service 560/562. A bus arriving into Oldham from Halifax would then run a round trip to Denshaw and back before returning to Halifax. A bus arriving into Halifax from Oldham would then do a return trip to Commons and back before returning to Oldham (so Halifax->Oldham->Denshaw->Oldham->Halifax->Commons-> Halifax).