NEW Bedford OB Coaches from EFE Road

On Saturday 12^th October 2024, during the Isle of Wight Bus Museum’s ‘Wightrider’ event in Ryde, Bachmann Europe Plc unveiled six new 1:76 (OO) scale Bedford OB coaches as part of its growing EFE Road range of die-cast collectables.

The new models continue the legacy of the popular Exclusive First Editions (EFE) models of the Bedford OB, but now feature wing mirrors for the first time. Each is finished in a highly detailed livery representing its full-size counterpart during its working career, or in preservation where appropriate.

Bedford introduced the OB in 1939 as a replacement for its earlier WLB type and featured a 28hp engine with a four-speed manual gearbox, a fully floating rear axle, and vacuum servo-assisted hydraulic brakes. The top speed was in the region of 40mph. Seventy-three OBs, most of which have the classic Duple ‘Vista’ bodywork, were completed by the time the Second World War broke out in September of that year. A wartime version, the OWB, was built during the war years, but the OB returned after the conflict, with construction continuing until 1951. Altogether, some 12,693 (some sources say 12,766) were completed; 5,493 were exported.

Thankfully, around 180 Bedford OBs are known to survive, many of which are in operable condition, so the distinctive gearbox whine that so characterised the OB, can still be heard on Britain’s roads today.

The six new EFE Road models are:

EFE Road spokesman, Gary Boyd-Hope, said: “With 2024 marking the 85^th anniversary of the full-size Bedford OB type, it seemed only fitting to revisit one of EFE’s most popular models and add it to the EFE Road range. The first EFE models were made almost 30 years ago in 1995, so we are delighted to have the opportunity to continue that legacy.”