Rapido Trains UK 920002 Bedford OB - LKM55 - East Kent livery

Rapido Trains UK unveils classic post-war British coach.

Rapido Trains UK is delighted to add the Bedford OB coach to our growing range of 1:76 scale road vehicles. This design became the classic post-war British coach and its rugged simplicity meant that it became the first choice for coach operators long after more modern designs came on the scene.

Bedford, the commercial vehicle arm of General Motors’ British operation, introduced three new lorry chassis, the ‘K’, the ‘M’ and the ‘O’, in the summer of 1939, with the latter being the largest. The new range intended to maintain Bedford’s grip on the commercial vehicle market. As over 50% of all British small bus/ coach chassis sold in the 1930s Rapido Trains UK unveils classic post-war British coach. MetroVick Type 2 were Bedfords, a passenger version, dubbed ‘OB’, quickly followed the new lorries.

The outbreak of war curtailed OB production, although a wartime version, the OWB, was introduced 1941. OB production resumed in October 1945 and by the time production ceased in 1951, thousands of chassis had rolled off the Luton production line.

Coachbuilder Duple bodied over 8,700 OBs and 3,864 carried the famous Vista body. This combination gave rise to the classic OB look and it forms the basis of our model.

Our ‘OB’ follows the high standards set by our critically-acclaimed 1:76 scale BCT ‘New Look’ Guys and WMPTE Fleetlines. However, we regret that we’ve not been able to include lights in our model.

Here’s the specification of our 1:76 scale model:

• Bedford OB / Duple Vista Coach
• Poseable front wheels
• Sliding roof
• Rubber tyres
• Highly detailed exterior and interior
• High quality finish
• Lots of separately fitted parts
• Choice of mirrors and rear lights