Number Nine

(Click photo for larger version. Press Back button to return here.)

"N" is for "Number Nine" and today's photo shows two buses outside Park Cakes at Hathershaw, on the historic Number Nine route between Rochdale, Oldham and Ashton. The bus is the former Ashton under Lyne Corporation Transport bus no. 44, which was new in 1965. The bus behind is former Oldham Corporation Transport's bus no. 394, which was new in 1957.

The route started off as a a combination of tram or trolley bus routes, connecting at Hathershaw and Thornham. In 1939 the three towns of Ashton, Oldham and Rochdale replaced the trams and trolley buses on this route and started a through motor bus route - the 9, with buses from all three towns travelling the whole route on a joint running arrangement. In the 1970s the route was re-numbered 409 and this is still the number of the same bus route today.

The photograph, although showing a scene that might have been common in the 1960s, was in fact taken last Saturday, when the Greater Manchester Museum of Transport organised a special event remembering the Number Nine service. Four buses re-created the old Corporation bus days by running along the entire old Number 9 route, stopping for photos at several points.

The photo above was taken outside Park Cake Bakery on Ashton Road, Hathershaw. The photo below shows the four buses that took part in the re-enactment lined up outside the Museum of Transport. Ashton 44 is on the right and Oldham 394 on the left. Also in the photo are former Rochdale Corporation 280, new in 1956, with its distinctive swooping livery, and rear-engined former Oldham Corporation 163, new in 1967. This last bus is based at the transport museum in St Helens. The other three buses are part of the Manchester transport museum's collection.


(Click photo for larger version. Press Back button to return here.)

"Number Nine" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "N" posts from around the world please follow this link.
Please leave a comment below.

Save the 343!

A Facebook Group has been launched to save the 343 bus service! Although it doesn't go to Ashton, it goes to lots of the neighbouring towns, going from Hyde to Oldham by way of Dukinfield, Stalybridge and Mossley.

The route has a long history, being formed out of two routes. The route from Oldham to Top Mossley was run jointly by Oldham Corporation as Route E and by SHMD as route 16. In 1969 this became SELNEC's route 416.

SHMD Route 4 was the only bus service to link all four towns that made up the SHMD operation - Stalybridge, Hyde, Mossley and Dukinfield. Some journeys later ran through Micklehurst estate as the 4A. These routes were later renumbered 344 and 343. Until the 1970s the half-hourly 343/4 service was the only route that linked Top and Bottom Mossley, although these days there are 11 buses an hour in each direction between these two points.

From 1980 the 343 was extended to Oldham to replace the 416. However, passenger numbers have fallen over the years and the service is now hourly throughout the route. In 2007, First Bus decided the 343 wasn't profitable and pulled out of the daytime operation, although they still run it at night and on Sundays, when it is subsidised.

Since then it has been run by Hyde-based Speedwellbus, but now they have also decided that it is unprofitable, and have announced their intention to withdraw the route in early October. These photographs, taken at lunchtime today, show the bus leaving Top Mossley for Hyde with just three passengers on board.

This is where the "Save the 343" campaign comes in. The aim is to persuade GMPTE that the service should be subsidised in the daytime as well, so that vital links will be maintained. It is the only route that links Oldham and Mossley (apart from going all round through Delph, Dobcross, Uppermill and Greenfield!). It is the only route along Oxford Street and Birch Lane in Dukinfield and along Bennett Street and Old Road in Hyde.

Anyone with an interest in helping to keep this bus route could join the Facebook group to find out more about what is happening with this service.

Also, if you are in the Mossley area and want to sign a petition, you can do so in Countrystyle Cafe, Manchester Road, Mossley, or at the Pennine Medical Centre, Mossley, but only until Friday 4th September.

I am indebted to David Beilby for refreshing my memory about the details of the history of the route, through his excellent web page. This includes a range of photos of buses on the route over the years, and which is sure to bring back a few memories.


Update:
From October 5th, Monday to Friday daytime journeys on service 343 are being run by First on a temporary basis until the route goes to tender properly. The Saturday service is still being run by JPT. First will continue to run the tendered evening and Sunday service.

Get Around for a Pound

Hyde-based independent bus operator Speedwell started a new bus route yesterday. The number S50 runs every 20 minutes from Hey Farm, through Mossley, Ashton and Droylsden to Manchester Shude Hill.

The thing that makes this service a little different from the competition is that all fares, for whatever distance, are £1 (or 50p for children). That means Ashton to Manchester for £1. Mossley to Ashton for £1, even Mossley to Manchester for £1.

These are considerable reductions on the usual fares. It remains to be seen whether Speedwell can tempt passengers away from the other bus companies and, perhaps more importantly, tempt people out of their cars!

The S50 is the green and white bus in the photo, which is moving away after dropping passengers off outside Ashton Market.

Speedwell has launched a web site about the new service:
http://www.speedwellvalue.com
in which they explain their "vision".

Prospective customers should note that the bus does not divert into Tameside Hospital and the Manchester terminus is at Shude Hill rather than Piccadilly.

Shades of Blue

Today's photo was taken from the roof of The Arcades shopping mall, from the same spot as last week's photo of Water Street.

It shows the IKEA store in the centre of the photo, with the Wellington Road bingo emporium and retail park to the right. To the left is Assheton House, probably one of the most convenient blocks of flats for shopping and buses!

It's a good job Ashton's buses are no longer blue, or they would really clash with the assorted shades of blue in this photo!

See Google Aerial View of this location.
See LiveSearch Birds Eye View of this location.

Old Bus Garage

The old bus garage on Mossley Road was opened in 1902 as a tram depot when Ashton Corporation took over the lines in the town that had been run by Manchester Carriage and Tramway Company and added new routes of its own. The building was extended over the years and housed the trolleybuses than ran between Stalybridge and Manchester until 1966.

It continued to house Ashton Corporation's buses until they became part of SELNEC in 1969. A few years later, a new depot was opened on Whitelands road to house the buses from the Ashton and Stalybridge garages and the Mossley Road garage was closed. It is now used by a number of commercial businesses.

End of the Mayne road

For many years, Mayne's buses have been a familiar sight on the roads of Ashton, as well as Droylsden, Stalybridge, Dukinfield and Mossley.

They are about to disappear, however, as the giant national company Stagecoach is about to buy the bus company. The takeover is just waiting for the approval of the Office of Fair Trading. It is thought that, when such approval is given, as seems likely, the buses and staff will transfer to Stagecoach Manchester. [see report]

The Mayne bus garage on Ashton New Road, Clayton, where the company has been based since 1939, has already been sold and the buses are currently sharing the Mayne coach yard at Fairclough Street, Clayton.

Mayne has always been fiercely independent, resisting takeover offers from Manchester Corporation Transport and other companies since. It is reported that the company was finally offered for sale because the next generation of the Mayne family are not interested in running the business.

The coach fleet is not being bought by Stagecoach and will continue to operate as Mayne's Coaches, run from their Warrington depot, presumably retaining the existing Manchester coach yard at Fairclough Street.

Mayne's are the oldest-surviving bus company in the Manchester area. They started operating charabancs in 1923, coaches in 1925 and buses in 1929. For many years the buses were maroon with turquoise bands. From 1978 the buses changed to the red and cream livery of the coaches. In recent years the addition of a turquoise stripe indicated new low-floor buses.


For around 50 years Mayne buses ran from Manchester to Droylsden, Audenshaw and later Littlemoss. In the mid-80s the network expanded to include Waterloo, Hartshead, Smallshaw, Ashton, Tameside Hospital, Mossley, Carrbrook, Stalybridge and Dukinfield.

The familiar colours of Mayne buses have provided a touch of local colour amid a sea of buses that look identical to buses all around the country.

Update on Stagecoach takeover of Mayne

As a lot of people are arriving here after googling for the Stagecoach takeover of A Mayne and Son, I had better add an update about what is happening.

Mayne Coaches is now a separate independent company and will continue to operate as such using the Mayne name and livery.

Mayne Buses now belongs to Stagecoach. The buses have been transfered to Hyde Road depot. The buses will continue to operate along the same routes as before, using the Mayne name and livery for now. They will eventually be re-painted or replaced by other vehicles.

Stagecoach Manchester "Dayrider" and "Megarider" tickets are not yet valid on Mayne's buses. In a few week's time, however, when Mayne's ticket machines have been adjusted, these tickets will be issued and accepted on Mayne's buses, which will be a big benefit to passengers on these routes.

Link to history of the company on Mayne's website.