Transport Museum Wythall’s 2024 Bedford OB Gathering marked 85 years of the well-loved classic bus. To celebrate, six examples with Duple ‘Vista’ bodies and one bus with Duple ‘Hendonian’ body attended Transport Museum Wythall over the weekend of 18 and 19 May. Introduced in 1939 and co-developed with Duple, only 73 OBs were produced before the onset of WWII, but post-war the type went on to see almost 13,000 built by 1950.
The museum said that it had hoped for more vehicles to attend but a combination of vehicle age and condition plus wide geographical separation deterred a number of attendees. On the Saturday, a road run to the British Motor Museum at Gaydon was enjoyed by owners, drivers, passengers and passing traffic. Vehicles in attendance were JDV 754, new in 1947 new to Woolacombe & Mortehoe Motor Co; KGN 433, used by the Metropolitan Police and dating from 1949; KPW 986 new in 1950 to C J Eagle in Norfolk; 1952-built LDF 833, which is unusual in having been built after production ceased from spare parts supplied by Cheltenham Bedford dealer Haines & Strange; 1950 Royal Blue example LTA 750; LTT 913, new to Sunbeam Garages of Torquay in 1949, and; MYB 33 new in 1950 and now in the colours of Safeway but with signwriting for Sun Stream Services of Moulton.
