The select stores seen in the previous photo became quite run down and by this date were due for demolition. Stead & Simpson became the Wholesale Bargain Stores and lost a top storey somewhere along the way. To the right of the bus is a sole survivor in the form of Mumps Post Office.
Oldham 471 was new as Bolton Corporation 426 and was a Leyland Titan PD2/4, a variant with air brakes only supplied to Bury and Bolton. It first came to Oldham on hire in 1965 during the vehicle crisis and never went back, instead going to Neepsend Coachworks in Sheffield to receive Oldham’s crimson and white livery. To everyone’s surprise it received Oldham’s later pommard and cream livery in late 1969, actually in SELNEC ownership. It was the only on of the batch to do so and the only one to run beyond early 1970. Withdrawn in 1971 it saw further service with Paton Bros of Renfrew Ferry before returning to Bolton for preservation for a while until a better example of the batch came along.
The day was a Bank Holiday Monday, but at this time Oldham still took a week’s holiday at the begining of September and it was therefore a normal working day, with peak hour workings such as this to be seen.
